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The Tree Frog Forestry News
June 23, 2026
Category: Today's Takeaway
Hello early bird! We just want you to know that the news team is busy adding stories to this page. Be sure to check back at 9:00 am (PST) for the full line up of articles.
Wood Fuel And Heating Association Launches In The UK
By Erin Krueger
Biomass Magazine
June 22, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International
A new, U.K.-based trade association focused on biomass heating launched in June. The Wood Fuel and Heating Association aims to provide a clear, informed and responsible voice for the U.K. wood fuel and heating sector. “Wood fuel and biomass heating already support homes, businesses and industry across the U.K. while also contributing to forestry management, rural employment and the wider transition towards low-carbon heat,” the group said. “Despite this, the sector has historically lacked a single coordinated body focused on representing those interests consistently, constructively and with practical industry expertise. …The WFHA will represent organizations across the U.K. wood fuel and heating sector supply chain, including wood fuel producers; wood fuel suppliers and distributors; boiler and appliance manufacturers; installers, engineers and maintenance providers; equipment suppliers; landowners; commercial and industrial heat users; and professional and advisory organizations.
China’s Softwood Sawlog Imports Remain Well Below 2021 Levels
ResourceWise
June 22, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, International
China remains one of the world’s major importers of softwood logs and lumber, but its softwood sawlog imports have declined significantly in recent years. …China’s softwood sawlog import volumes in 2025 were less than half their 2021 peak and were down 17% year-over-year. The decline reflects both weaker demand and changes in global supply. While there are forecasts for improvement in China’s construction market in 2026 or 2027, the WMP report indicates there is limited evidence that this will lead to a rapid or substantial increase in sawlog imports. The main factor behind the decline has been reduced demand from China’s construction sector. The country’s real estate crisis began after several major developers collapsed in 2021. This reduced demand for construction timber over the following years. Some forecasts suggest China’s construction market may begin to improve this year or next, supported by infrastructure spending and urban renewal. However, any recovery is expected to be gradual.
UC Berkeley lab turns wildfire salvage into mass timber for sustainable construction
By Dan Ashley and Tim Didion
ABC News 7
June 22, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: US West
As wildfires become more frequent and intense across California, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley are exploring ways to turn wood from fire-affected forests into useful building materials rather than letting it go to waste. At the university’s wood lab, Assistant Professor Paul Mayencourt demonstrated a construction technique known as dowel-laminated timber, or DLT. The process combines smaller pieces of lumber into larger structural panels using wooden dowels. “So, it’s enabling us to use more diverse sources of lumber. And that includes salvage from forest fires and also salvage from demolition,” Mayencourt said. Graduate student Adam Gordon showcased a model theater designed for Portland State University that uses fabricated timber panels, sometimes referred to as mass timber. He said the materials can be adapted for both structural and design purposes. …The Berkeley wood lab has received support from several sources, including a recent innovation grant from the U.S. Forest Service.
Exploring the Sustainability Benefits and Environmental Impact of Mass Timber Construction
By Harish Kumar
Bizz Buzz Media, India
June 23, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International
Mass timber is often promoted as an environmentally friendly building material, and in many cases that reputation is deserved. A grounded way to view that claim is through actual building systems, and RedBUILT offers a good example of how engineered wood suppliers document sustainability, fabrication, and structural performance. The honest answer is that mass timber can be highly sustainable, but its environmental value depends on sourcing, design efficiency, transportation, and how intelligently the material is used in the final building. …So, is pulpwood environmentally friendly? In most well-executed cases, yes. It is based on renewable wood sources, stores carbon emissions, can reduce tangible emissions, and supports extensive low-waste prefabrication. It also aligns perfectly with sustainable structure when manufacturers provide transparent documentation and provide teams with knowledge of effective design, construction, and challenge delivery .
Columbia Shuswap protective services manager urges haste on ‘Canada on Fire’ recommendations
By Barb Brouwer
Victoria News
June 22, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West
Wildfires in Canada are now a crisis. Canada on Fire, a report of the federal Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, calls for immediate action on managing the rapidly escalating wildfires across the country and the impact they have on forestry and agriculture industries as well as rural and Indigenous communities. Considering the report to have many positive aspects, Derek Sutherland, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District’s general manager of community and protective services, has concerns about the roles of the federal and provincial governments, including their ability to respond to wildfires quickly and the need for long-term funding for wildfire mitigation programs. …The report indicates there is no single authority responsible for wildfire preparedness, response and recovery in Canada and that municipalities struggle with limited resources, including adequate evacuation supports and training for firefighters. …Overall, Sutherland called the recommendations contained within the report “super positive,” but cautioned that putting them into play quickly is important.
In his 2025 book, The Genius Bat, Yossi Yovel, an Israeli ecologist, describes experiments he conducted with six Egyptian fruit bats, including an exercise in which he trained them to land on a target and wait for him to approach with a reward — a slice of banana. …Many readers will find the image of bats as trainable, friendly and possessing intelligence, distinct personalities and perhaps even a sense of humour to be quite jarring. But this effect is exactly what Yovel is striving to achieve. His goal with the book is to dispel the many myths surrounding bats and to convey what remarkable and endlessly fascinating creatures they actually are. …Due to misinformation many people are unaware of the benefits bats provide by eating massive amounts of harmful insects, producing guano, which is an important natural fertilizer, and pollinating plants and spreading seeds. Without bats, humans would be in deep trouble.
Inviting residents of Kootenay Lake region to help guide forest management
By Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
June 22, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West
Residents in Nelson, Creston, Kaslo and surrounding areas are invited to share their input on the development of the Kootenay Lake Forest Landscape Plan (FLP) to guide forest-management decisions in the area. The Kootenay Lake FLP initiative focuses on improving forest management for the 1.2-million-hectare Kootenay Lake Timber Supply Area. People can share their thoughts through a survey from June 22 until Aug. 21, 2026. The Kootenay Lake FLP team will be present at local events so people can learn more about forest landscape planning and ask questions. …FLPs are being developed through collaborative planning with First Nations and engagement with forest licensees, local communities and other stakeholders in each local area. The partnering First Nations in the Kootenay Lake FLP are yaqan nuʔkiy, Shuswap Band, Adams Lake Band, Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw and Ktunaxa Nation Council Society.
WATERSMEET — The last remaining United States Forest Service (USFS) nursery in the Eastern Region is located in Ottawa National Forest in the western Upper Peninsula. Tree seedlings grown there are shipped to destinations throughout nearly the northeastern quarter of the country. J.W. Toumey Nursery, named in honor of professor and botanist James W. Toumey, was established in 1935 in response to a growing need for tree seedlings, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Toumey, born in Lawrence, Mich. in 1865, earned his graduate and master’s degree from Michigan State Agricultural College. With an interest in cacti, the botanist worked for eight years at the University of Arizona, eventually becoming a professor of botany. Toumey also worked as a botanist at the State Agricultural Experiment Station. Toumey also had a “strong interest in forestry,” according to the Smithsonian Institution Archives, and he left Arizona to become superintendent of tree planting in the Division of Forestry for the USDA in 1899.
Sustainable Timber Tasmania gives new answer to parliament over logs sent to Victoria
By Adam Holmes
ABC News, Australia
June 22, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International
AUSTRALIA — Tasmania’s public native forestry company has corrected the record in a parliamentary committee after earlier stating that all logs from public native forests were processed in Tasmania. Tasmanian sawmill operator James Neville-Smith confirmed that some logs had been sent to Victoria, where processors had received compensation from the Victorian government as part of its industry shutdown. Mr Neville-Smith said the decision was due to retooling a sawmill to be plantation-only, meaning that hardwood logs needed to be processed elsewhere. Logs displaying stickers from Tasmanian state forests were also spotted at a mill in Powelltown, in the Yarra Valley, that was also a recipient of millions in Victorian compensation payments. Victoria phased out native forest logging in 2024. Since then, environmental groups have raised concerns about large quantities of logs being transported to Victoria on the Spirit of Tasmania, but were told that all were from private forests.
Hello early bird! We just want you to know that the news team is busy adding stories to this page. Be sure to check back at 9:00 am (PST) for the full line up of articles.
China remains one of the world’s major importers of softwood logs and lumber, but its 
Mass timber is often promoted as an environmentally friendly building material, and in many cases that reputation is deserved. A grounded way to view that claim is through actual building systems, and 
In his 2025 book, The Genius Bat, Yossi Yovel, an Israeli ecologist, describes experiments he conducted with six Egyptian fruit bats, including an exercise in which he trained them to land on a target and wait for him to approach with a reward — a slice of banana. …Many readers will find the image of bats as trainable, friendly and possessing intelligence, distinct personalities and perhaps even a sense of humour to be quite jarring. But this effect is exactly what Yovel is striving to achieve. His goal with the book is to dispel the many myths surrounding bats and to convey what remarkable and endlessly fascinating creatures they actually are. …Due to misinformation many people are unaware of the benefits bats provide by eating massive amounts of harmful insects, producing guano, which is an important natural fertilizer, and pollinating plants and spreading seeds. Without bats, humans would be in deep trouble.
Residents in Nelson, Creston, Kaslo and surrounding areas are invited to share their input on the development of the Kootenay Lake Forest Landscape Plan (FLP) to guide forest-management decisions in the area. The Kootenay Lake FLP initiative focuses on improving forest management for the 1.2-million-hectare Kootenay Lake Timber Supply Area. People can share their thoughts through a survey from June 22 until Aug. 21, 2026. The Kootenay Lake FLP team will be present at local events so people can learn more about forest landscape planning and ask questions. …FLPs are being developed through collaborative planning with First Nations and engagement with forest licensees, local communities and other stakeholders in each local area. The partnering First Nations in the Kootenay Lake FLP are yaqan nuʔkiy, Shuswap Band, Adams Lake Band, Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw and Ktunaxa Nation Council Society.
AUSTRALIA — Tasmania’s public native forestry company has corrected the record in a parliamentary committee after earlier stating that all logs from public native forests were processed in Tasmania. Tasmanian sawmill operator James Neville-Smith confirmed that some logs had been sent to Victoria, where processors had received compensation from the Victorian government as part of its industry shutdown. Mr Neville-Smith said the decision was due to retooling a sawmill to be plantation-only, meaning that hardwood logs needed to be processed elsewhere. Logs displaying stickers from Tasmanian state forests were also spotted at a mill in Powelltown, in the Yarra Valley, that was also a recipient of millions in Victorian compensation payments. Victoria phased out native forest logging in 2024. Since then, environmental groups have raised concerns about large quantities of logs being transported to Victoria on the Spirit of Tasmania, but were told that all were from private forests.