BC forestry crisis deepens as policy pressures and job losses mount. In related news: US Trade Representative Greer says Canada is lagging behind in talks; Trump’s child labour probe is called a pretext for new tariffs; and Unifor says Quebec’s forest industry should shift to value-added. Meanwhile: Domtar restarts its Arkansas sawmill; the US Fed pauses rate reductions; and US building material prices continue to rise.
In Forestry/Climate news: Canada’s climate plan is said to be at risk and carbon pricing is key; Canada released a National Freshwater Science Agenda; BC Timber Sales prepares cut blocks near Penticton; ENGOs host water and climate forum in Kelowna; study says Idaho can’t afford to manage more federal lands; a Montana lawsuit claims a thinning project may harm whitebark pine; and the deadline to comment on the plan to increase logging in Oregon is Monday.
Finally, your voice matters—a forestry coalition is asking for British Columbians to weigh in.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
While Canada’s economy is far more reliant on exports to the US than vice versa, Canadian negotiators have crucial ammunition in their efforts to land a trade deal that reduces or eliminates tariffs imposed by US President Trump. …Canada’s attempts to negotiate relief from Trump’s tariffs on such exports as steel, aluminum, automobiles and softwood lumber are now wrapped into fresh talks on renewing the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). …Barry Appleton, says Canada needs to shift its strategy by exerting its leverage as a crucial U.S. customer. …Inu Manak, says the US needs Canadian natural resources to achieve the industrial policy goals set out by the US administration. …Canada is among the top sources of foreign direct investment in the U.S., largely as a result of decisions by pension funds. …The US has repeatedly emphasized the importance of steady access to a reliable supply of critical minerals.
Trade talks with Canada ahead of the mandatory review of the continental trade pact are lagging behind those with Mexico, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Wednesday. …“We’re having talks separately with Canada, but we’ve moved along with Mexico,” Greer said. “Canada is behind on this.” Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc met with Greer on March 6, days after the Trump administration announced it was officially beginning negotiations with Mexico. The meeting was seen by some as a sign of a thaw in Canada-US relations. …But no announcement of formal negotiations with Canada has emerged from the Trump administration since that meeting took place. …Greer has complained that Canadians maintain barriers that make it difficult to hold bilateral trade talks, citing provincial bans on US alcohol. …Greer also has floated the idea of abandoning the trade pact in favour of two separate bilateral agreements with America’s closest neighbours.
Trade watchers say they are shocked at the latest tactic being used by the US to shore up its tariff wall against Canada after a legal setback last month. US Trade Representative (USTR) launched investigations into 60 economies under Section 301(b) of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974 to determine whether they have failed to impose or enforce bans on imports produced with forced labour. But critics in the Washington beltway say the 301 probes are basically a “show trial” and that the verdict is sure to go against trading partners such as Canada. Canada is being grouped together with China and dozens of other countries for these investigations. The probes will examine whether Ottawa’s forced-labour rules and framework… are sufficient for screening goods produced by child or forced labour. …“This has nothing to do with forced labour,” said Inu Manak, at the Council on Foreign Relations. …He thinks the administration is constructing a pretext to defend the tariffs it’s already planning.
Last year was hard on workers in some industries within B.C.’s resource sector, particularly forestry, and 2026 doesn’t look like it’s starting much better. Statistics Canada’s February labour force survey, the report that tracks overall unemployment, tracked job losses in both the natural resources and manufacturing sectors for both the previous month and for the 12 months since the same month in 2025. Natural resources … had a year-over-year loss of 9,300 jobs from February 2025 to February 2026. The manufacturing classification, which includes lumber production, had a year-over-year loss of 12,200, according to StatCan. StatCan’s … survey of employment and payroll counted at least 1,200 job losses in forestry, which include logging and supporting jobs, and at least 800 job losses in sawmills between December 2024 and December 2025. …“The worst was probably in the fourth quarter (of 2025) when the full bite of the duties hit, and then the (U.S.) tariffs,” said industry consultant Russ Taylor. “That’s when we saw a lot more of the jobs falling off.”
PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (Toronto) earned a pair of awards at the Toronto Construction Association’s (TCA) Best of the Best Awards. Presented at the TCA’s 158th Annual General Meeting, PCL was awarded Project Achievement Awards for the Kingsway College Senior School Phase 2 renovation and George Brown Polytechnic’s Limberlost Place. Creating a new era for George Brown Polytechnic students and faculty, Limberlost Place exemplifies what’s possible through collaboration, out-of-the-box thinking and a shared commitment to building a resilient future. The 10-storey mass timber, net-zero educational facility integrates first-of-its-kind solutions including the cross-laminated timber (CLT) slab band structural system and North America’s largest mass timber columns spanning three storeys. Early engagement from the entire team during the preconstruction phase was crucial to design development and determining constructability.
COLORADO — The Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) unanimously voted to table its decision on adopting eight new building-related codes. Those are the 2024 editions of international codes, including the residential code, building code, energy and conservation code, mechanical code, fuel and gas code, existing building code, property maintenance code, and the swimming pool and spa code. During the meeting, the BoCC also considered, and unanimously approved, Resolution 2026-27, adopting the 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code (CWRC), along with amendments to snow load requirements for manufactured structures. …Commissioner John Ranson described them as an “unfunded mandate,” adding, “there’s no two-ways about it.” He mentioned that in conversations with local builders, many are preparing for these codes to make construction costs go up.
GATINEAU, QC — Today, during Canada Water Week, the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, is announcing the release of the National Freshwater Science Agenda, which aims to better align freshwater science and research efforts across Canada. The Science Agenda is the result of over two years of engagement efforts led by Environment and Climate Change Canada with input from more than 800 science experts, Knowledge Holders, experts, and science users across governments and sectors, Indigenous organizations, and Canada’s freshwater science community. It is grounded in Western science and Indigenous Knowledge and reflects the diverse scientific needs and perspectives that are relevant to partners and stakeholders across the country. It outlines interconnected themes including bridging, braiding, and weaving Indigenous science and Knowledge; water availability; land‑use stressors and water pollution; ecosystem resilience and biodiversity; socio‑ecological considerations; and economic research.
BC Timber Sales is bringing forward an application to establish 17 new cut blocks on Crown land east of Okanagan Falls and Penticton. The application is being brought to the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen on March 19 for support, as the proposed cut blocks are located within the boundaries of the Okanagan Falls electoral area. The 17 cut blocks total 494.7 hectares, and the proposal would also see road construction and road deactivation. The rehabilitation process for the roads would include tree replanting. The land is in an RDOS-designated resource area, and a staff report says the proposed cutblocks fall within watercourse development permit areas and “important ecosystem areas.” The advisory planning committee for Okanagan Falls gave its support to the application at its March 9 meeting, while requesting that any approval be subject to a full environmental assessment.
This week, we have yet another reminder that Idaho can’t possibly afford to take over or manage federal lands. A forthcoming study, which will be published Friday, provides the most recent reliable estimates of exactly how much Idaho would lose if it were to take over federal lands. The study, which was commissioned by Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Idaho Business for the Outdoors, the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association, and the Idaho Wildlife Federation, was performed by Peterson and Associates, which has long been a go-to source for economic analysis of this type in Idaho. While the full results won’t be released until Friday, the top-line figures are stark. Idaho would lose $837.7 million directly, in the form of spending by the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies, as well as Payment in Lieu of Taxes and Secure Rural Schools payments. That’s nearly 16% of Idaho’s general fund budget.
Three organizations and an individual are suing the Gardiner District of the Custer Gallatin National Forest — for a plan they say hurts the already-endangered whitebark pine tree while ignoring lynx and grizzly habitat, and relying on unproven studies. The groups say the federal government is ignoring its rules and seems to be disregarding its own maps of protected lynx area in an effort to preserve the rare whitebark pine trees, despite admitting in its own documents that the efforts to preserve the trees could actually harm them. The lawsuit … centers on logging north of Yellowstone National Park. A technique, called “daylight thinning,” which involves removing trees near a whitebark pine, is not backed by scientific research according to the court documents, and the organizations point out that the Forest Service admits that in the process of thinning, it could actually wind up killing some of the whitebark pine trees. 
You have until Monday to provide input on the Trump administration’s plan to dramatically increase logging in western Oregon forests. Last month, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management 
A key plank of Canadian Prime Minister Carney’s climate plan will likely miss its target implementation date, industry sources said, raising new doubts about Canada meeting its environmental goals in the face of higher oil prices and uncertain US trade policy. Carney, a former UN climate envoy, committed last fall to negotiating a stronger industrial carbon pricing policy with Alberta by April 1. He is counting on a strengthened pollution pricing scheme to keep Canada’s emission reduction targets on track after rolling back many of his predecessor Trudeau’s climate policies to restore friendlier relations with the oil-and-gas producing province and prioritize economic growth. Two industry sources say these negotiations have been challenging, and that no deal will be struck by the April 1 deadline because large oil sands companies are pushing back on parts of the federal proposal. …Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson has acknowledged there may be a slight delay.
With the April 1, 2026, deadline for the Alberta-Ottawa memorandum of understanding fast approaching, leading climate policy experts are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to restore the strength and integrity of Canada’s industrial carbon pricing system to increase competitiveness and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The 
The Tree Frog Forestry News encourages readers to check out the WorkSafeBC Spring 2026 issue of WorkSafe Magazine. The lead story has a strong focus on preventing “struck-by” incidents and improving safety around mobile equipment. It highlights how B.C. forest-product operations are redesigning worksites with engineered controls—such as barriers, walkways, and traffic systems—to better separate workers from moving equipment. Additional features include practical tools to help employers assess and control struck-by risks, along with guidance on roadside work planning and traffic management. The issue also tackles hearing safety, cautioning that personal audio devices are not a substitute for approved hearing protection. WorkSafeBC updates round out the edition, including a refreshed commercial fishing safety guide, clarified rules for reporting tips and gratuities, and progress on asbestos licensing and certification programs. Together, the issue emphasizes proactive planning, clear controls, and shared responsibility as key to safer workplaces across B.C.