US Wildfires have already set records that could foreshadow a smoky, fiery summer. In related news: snow drought is making its mark in Utah; and rural BC lacks air quality monitoring as smoke risks grow. Meanwhile: Oregon focuses on forest protections—wants more public input on federal logging plans; and Australia and New Zealand launch a forest valuation standard for plantation and native forests.
In Business news: Canada supports tariff-impacted Saskatchewan workers; challenges abound for companies seeking tariff refunds; the Wisconsin Senate passes biofuel incentive bill; Fibre Excellence seeks to avoid receivership in France; US consumer sentiment declines again; and why both SPF and SYP are essential to solving the US housing shortage. Meanwhile: Murray Wilson wins top award for BC is Burning documentary; Meggin Messenger is appointed chair of BC Forest Practices Board; Bruce Anderson is speaking at COFI’s 2026 Convention; and Simon Matthis highlights the Pulp & Beyond 2026 convention.
Finally, a different kind of creature — what keeps the Tree Frog hopping.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
It’s not behind a paywall. It doesn’t chase clicks. And it doesn’t try to be everything to everyone. Instead, it’s quietly become a daily habit for thousands across the forest sector—industry, government, First Nations, researchers, students, and retirees alike—all looking for a simple way to stay informed. What started as a small idea has grown into something much bigger than we imagined. Today, Tree Frog directly reaches more than 100,000 readers across BC, Canada, the US and beyond, with thousands more picking it up through company circulations, association newsletters, and even university classrooms. In many ways, it has become shared infrastructure for the sector—a common starting point for understanding what’s happening and why it matters.
The Council of Forest Industries 2026 conventions welcomes veteran strategist 
US companies stung by President Trump’s emergency tariffs had hoped for relief when the US Supreme Court ruled in their favor. But settling on a remedy – namely, rebate checks from the government – may be an even bigger headache. Fresh wrinkles are prompting businesses to take different routes as they try to recoup money, with many opting to sue to improve their odds. These lawsuits are also underscoring the complex ways that tariffs worked their way through corporate accounting. In some cases, their cost was a clear line item; in others, the impact was muddier – say, through changed supply lines or selective increases in retail pricing. And some have backed off from a legal fight altogether and sold their refund rights to investment firms, often at a deep discount, figuring that getting something is better than risk getting nothing. …Consider the different approaches taken by FedEx and the retail chain Costco.
Highly exposed to energy costs, today’s unpredictable global trade politics and the crisis in the Middle East are impacting the pulp and paper industry in many ways. These developments will certainly be reflected at Pulp & Beyond 2026, the leading forest-based bioeconomy event in Northern Europe, taking place on 15–16 April 2026 at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre in Helsinki, Finland. However, the main theme of this year’s event—focusing on the role of artificial intelligence in process industries, innovation within the forest sector, and the future of the bioeconomy—was defined before the Middle East war broke out, along with the subsequent oil and gas crisis, turbulence in global stock markets, and the growing risk of an unprecedented global recession. 
Lumber futures retreated toward $590 per thousand board feet as the cooling of the North American residential construction sector eroded the demand floor that had supported the market since January. The primary downward pressure stems from a slowdown in housing activity where single-family starts plunged 14.2% in March and building permits fell 5.4% signaling a sharp reduction in seasonal requirements. This demand destruction was catalyzed by a 11 basis point surge in mortgage rates to 6.45% following the Federal Reserve decision to hold interest rates steady alongside global inflationary spikes. While geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz initially pushed energy costs higher, the resulting increase in financing costs and a 10% drop in US housing starts outweighed the potential for supply chain disruptions. Furthermore a 2.4% increase in unsold builder inventory forced price cuts.
The United States is facing a housing shortage that continues to put upward pressure on home prices and limit access to affordable housing. According to the Up for Growth 2025 Housing Underproduction study, the country remains millions of homes short of meeting current demand – a gap that cannot be closed without increasing the pace and scale of home construction. …In residential construction, two primary lumber species underpin nearly all home building: Spruce-Pine-Fir (SPF) and Southern Yellow Pine (SYP). These are not interchangeable commodities, they are complementary materials with distinct structural properties, regional availability, and performance characteristics. SPF, largely grown in Canada and the Pacific Northwest, is valued for its strength-to-weight ratio, dimensional stability, and ease of use in framing applications. SYP, produced primarily in the U.S. Southeast, offers high density and strength, making it well-suited for other structural and composite uses. Both are essential, and neither alone can meet the needs of the U.S. housing market.
The Okanagan Screen Awards, a two-day celebration of film, creativity, and community, took place March 28–29, 2026 in the sunny paradise of Kelowna, BC. The Okanagan Screen Awards are proudly presented by the Okanagan Society of Independent Filmmaking (OSIF), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for independent filmmakers in the Okanagan region. Congratulations to “BC is Burning” for winning 1st Place in the Feature Docs category! 
Oregon’s congressional Democrats are asking federal officials to give the public more time to learn about and comment on new plans that would open up millions of acres of federal forests in Oregon to logging activity not seen since the 1960s. The Bureau of Land Management in late February announced it would change the Western Oregon Resource Management Plans that have governed logging and conservation in Oregon counties for decades. The stated goals were “maximum” timber production to “advance Trump administration priorities,” including logging in areas that are home to federally protected, vulnerable species. The announcement kicked off a month-long public comment period that ended March 23, but the agency did not hold any public meetings. Officials said in the announcement they would not hold any meetings before releasing a draft proposal for new logging. Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and [others], all Democrats, said such generational change in logging practices deserves far more public scrutiny.
Health officials and advocates are raising concerns about gaps in air quality monitoring across rural BC, saying some communities may be exposed to dangerous wildfire smoke levels if they don’t have access to accurate local data. It comes as the health impacts of wildfire smoke are becoming clearer, and as new monitoring stations are being installed in parts of the province to address the gaps. Air quality is typically monitored by federal and provincial governments and according to Environment Canada, 286 sites across every province and territory make up the National Air Pollution Surveillance program. “Even with nearly 300 sites, there are enormous gaps in geography — often at the expense of rural and remote communities,” said Christopher Lam, of the BC Lung Foundation. …Smoke from the record-breaking Canadian wildfires in 2023 caused an estimated 5,400 acute deaths and about 82,100 premature deaths worldwide.