The latest US lumber duty review drew criticism from Canadian producers and praise from the US Lumber Coalition. In related news: a US importer challenged duties on reprocessed cedar; a US congressman wants US duty monies to support homebuyers; Unifor plans forestry rallies across Canada; and BC’s NDP, logging contractors and community forests outline their election priorities. Meanwhile: Canada and EU are strengthening ties; tariff-related trade disruptions abound; US homebuilders face labour shortages; Smurfit Westrock’s Virginia workers fell ill; and a wrongful death lawsuit involving Nippon Dynawave is delayed.
In Forestry news: a US judge blocked the Forest Service headquarters relocation; BC is accused of backsliding on old-growth; a Quebec First Nation sued Ottawa over caribou conservation; an Idaho senator is calling for renewed wildfire funding, Arizona prepares for prescribed burns, and FSC addresses concerns in Europe. Meanwhile: the US Endowment advances wood fiber markets; Canadian Forest Owners expand its membership; Jason Krips joins the University of Alberta; and Amazon.com earns SFI recognition.
Finally: US consumer confidence weakened amid persistent inflation concerns.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
Canada and the European Union are laying out concrete steps to strengthen ties around digital security, critical resources and a would-be fleet of Canadian water bombers, according to a draft joint statement ahead of a major summit at month’s end. The document states that Ottawa and Brussels aim to let Canadian companies bid on cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure contracts typically reserved for European companies in another push away from dependence on the United States. Dubbed an “alliance for the future,” the renewed partnership also launches plans for Canada to join in Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system and wraps up a deal to facilitate European investment in Canadian critical minerals. It further announces the joint purchase of 50 Canadian-made De Havilland water bombers it claims will be ready for use in fighting wildfires in 2030. …The challenge lies in fending off backlash from the White House, said professor Patrick Leblond. 
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The United Steelworkers union (USW) welcomes the BC NDP’s commitments to support forestry workers and communities through new investments to keep mills operating, protect jobs and strengthen BC’s forestry sector. The union says the plan is a positive step toward addressing the challenges facing the industry. The BC NDP’s proposed $120-million Forestry Jobs Protection Fund, investments in mill modernization, improved access to fibre and efforts to expand international markets are welcome commitments for an industry hit hard by decades of unfair US tariffs, mill closures and job losses. …The USW is also calling on all candidates in the BC election to support a Working Forest strategy that balances conservation, reconciliation and good jobs. This includes securing a reliable timber supply for BC mills, directly tying logging rights to keeping mills operating and workers employed, and establishing a Forestry Jobs Protection Commissioner to help prevent further mill closures.
Western red cedar, resawn and kiln-dried in New Zealand and on its way to American lumberyards, is now before the US Court of International Trade, with a New Hampshire distributor challenging a customs finding that it evaded the duties charged on Canadian softwood. That is 
Tariffs and the trade war with Canada are hurting United States businesses, according to the latest U.S. Federal Reserve‘s Beige Book released. “Most of the trade tensions are mentioned in terms of the negative effect on manufacturing,” Robert Embree said of the U.S. economic survey. “We see that in New York. We see that in Boston. We see that in Minneapolis. They’re all reporting adverse effects from tariffs or trade conflicts with Canada.” Issues arising from damaged cross-border trade with Canada came up in reports from several Fed banks, including those in New York, Minneapolis, Boston and San Francisco. For example, “a number of manufacturing contacts reported that tariffs were raising input costs, disrupting supply chains and damaging cross-border trade, particularly with Canada,” the Federal Reserve of New York’s portion of the report said. As a result, businesses said they were delaying capital spending and their planning had become more complex.
The first article in this series explored the acoustical challenges associated with mass timber construction as building codes continue to enable more ambitious timber buildings across Canada. This article builds on that, discussing the construction details and processes that can determine whether a mass timber building meets its sound isolation targets, and why each one has an outsized effect on building performance and the user experience. The question facing project teams is no longer whether mass timber buildings can achieve good acoustic performance. Several projects across North America have demonstrated this. But that success is not universal. The next challenge is understanding how that success is achieved and replicating the process across all projects. …Mass timber may have roughly one-quarter of the mass of a comparable concrete assembly. The lower mass of the material reduces resistance to sound transmission compared to a concrete structure. Controlling flanking transmission also becomes correspondingly important. 
The Lac Simon Anishnabe Nation has filed a lawsuit against the federal government, arguing its failure to protect the caribou from the impacts of mining and forestry threatens their members’ constitutional rights. Since 2020, the last seven caribou of the Val-d’Or herd have lived in a 14-hectare forested enclosure in northwest Quebec. …The Val-d’Or caribou herd faces imminent extinction in Quebec as its habitat is fragmented by industry, with only one-third of its habitat intact. Though the caribou are listed under the federal Species At Risk Act, the nation says the government has focused on consultation rather than action, leaving the caribou vulnerable to the threat of ongoing environmental degradation. The Anishnabe Nation of Lac Simon argues its constitutional right to hunt relies on the continued existence of the caribou herd. If successful, the case could set a precedent at a crucial time when endangered species face escalating risks from major projects across Canada.
