Daily News for September 10, 2026

Today’s Takeaway

BC forestry leaders call for crisis action group as sector hits breaking point

The Tree Frog Forestry News
September 10, 2026
Category: Today's Takeaway

BC forestry leaders say the sector is at a breaking point, calling on Premier Eby to establish a crisis action group. In related news: Prince George backs call for a public inquiry; BC provides $2M to help a Chemainus wood-products firm; and Metsä Fibre moves on layoffs at its Finnish pulp mill. On the Canada-US trade war front: Mark Carney convenes his cabinet; BC Premier Eby and Quebec’s Fréchette back Ottawa’s retaliatory tariffs; and Washington’s lumber industry braces for the fallout. In related news: tariffs put pulp and tissue supply chains under pressure; a Mississippi politician defends lumber duties; a former UK parliamentarian says Canada has leverage; and border communities work to preserve cross-border ties.

In Forestry/Wildfire news: AF&PA and FPAC sought changes to the EU’s deforestation rules; the US Hardwoods says they are ready for the EUDR; Canadian Forest Owners says private forests can help with fibre challenges; and the US Congress unites on a major wildfire bill. Meanwhile, AI-powered sensors are being deployed to detect BC wildfires; Thunder Bay receives federal support for planting; and given forest loss—can the world meet the rising demand for wood.

Finally, BC Wood’s GBM kicks-off today; FEA’s Forest Products Forum nears, and CEO Nick Arkle reflects on 50 years at Gorman.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor

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Business & Politics

Carney convenes inner circle with Canada-U.S. trade war at fever pitch

CTV News
September 10, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Prime Minister Carney will convene his cabinet today in Banff, Alta., a day after US President Trump claimed Canada is “dying” to make a trade deal. Both countries have imposed levies on a wide range of imported goods. Canadian counter-tariffs, which went into effect on Tuesday in response to American levies, cover $27.6 billion in American steel, dairy, paper, and other goods. The same day, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders, barring a series of Canadian imports to the U.S. outright, including motorcycles, booze and whey. He has also signed an order to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” criticized Canada’s relative lower dollar, and posted a series of memes – one which called Carney “governor,” and another depicting Canada and Greenland under an American flag. …Canada will scale back environmental review for major energy projects. …Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre heads to Washington. …Democrats call Trump’s trade offensive “pointless”.

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Eby invokes Canadian kindness in support of Ottawa’s retaliatory tariffs

By Wolfgang Depner
The Canadian Press in Yahoo
September 8, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

BC Premier David Eby invoked the memory of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Canadian efforts to help their “closest friend” as he voiced support for Ottawa’s counter tariffs on the United States. …”Nobody wanted this trade war. Canadians sure didn’t start it,” he said. …The forestry sector and those who depend on it are already hurting, he said, promising to work with the industry directly. Eby said his government would also protect public services, though his pledge comes as the current forecast projects a record-setting deficit of $13.3B… adding it was “appalling” that it was cheaper for Russian lumber to get into the American market than it was for lumber from BC. …Eby also unveiled plans for new signs at border crossings bearing a message saying welcome to BC, Canada: “strong, proud and will never be the 51st state. Sorry!” He said the message was one of confidence and good humour.

Related coverage in:

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Forestry stakeholders sound the alarm, secure emergency meeting with province

By Michael Reeve
CFJC Today Kamloops
September 9, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

KAMLOOPS — Forestry stakeholders in British Columbia, from loggers to truckers, First Nations, unions and specialty groups have signed an open letter to Premier David Eby demanding immediate action on the forest sector. Pulp is the main game for forestry in Kamloops, with the Kruger mill employing hundreds in the community either directly or indirectly. U.S. Section 338 tariffs are expanding, expected to hit the pulp sector. “Unlike lumber, the tariffs aren’t as dramatic of a direct hit because we sell about 90 per cent of our pulp offshore, not to the United States,” said Joe Nemeth from the B.C. Pulp and Paper Coalition. …Kamloops MLA and forest critic Ward Stamer was in favour of the actions outlined, highlighting the need for a quick response from government to save the sinking industry. …Solutions around permitting and increasing allowable cut, some of the quicker changes the province could enact. Without that change, Nemeth is worried for the future.

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Nick Arkle: From assembling apple bins to CEO of the Gorman Group

By Andrew Snook
Canadian Forest Industries
September 9, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Nick Arkle

When Nick Arkle attended his cousin’s wedding in the U.K. more than 50 years ago, he had no idea that day would be the beginning of his long and impressive career with the Gorman Group. On that important day, Nick was introduced to his cousin’s new father-in-law during the dinner service. That man was Ross Gorman. … Ross invited Nick to come to Canada and work at his small sawmill in the B.C. Southern Interior. …Nick’s passion for the forest products sector was firmly planted. So, Nick approached Ross and expressed his interest in learning more about the business. Ross advised him that he should go back to school and attend university. Nick listened and went back to school attending the British Columbia Institute of Technology and then the University of British Columbia and earned his degree in forestry. …Nick officially announced his retirement this past March saying it’s been a great privilege to be part of the Gorman Group for more than half a century … helping lead the company through challenging times and helping it grow. 

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B.C. forestry industry says it’s at ‘breaking point’ in letter to Eby

By Brenna Owen
Canadian Press
September 9, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

VANCOUVER – British Columbia forestry groups have written to Premier David Eby saying the industry is at a “breaking point” and calling for urgent action to address challenges ranging from slow-moving provincial processes to steep U.S. tariffs. The letter dated Sept. 4 said the entire industry is at risk, from logging and transportation to pulp and paper and value-added manufacturing. “…Government must respond with the urgency that crisis demands,” said the letter from contractors, manufacturers, unions and others linked to the sector. …But other challenges are “homegrown,” it said. The province “can control many of the costs, regulations, policies, permitting processes and fibre-access decisions that determine whether those companies survive it,” the letter said. …Eddie Petryshen, with Wildsight, said the “falldown” of the forest industry has been predicted — and ignored — for decades. …Parmar highlighted the province’s plan to shift to a “working forest” model, saying that it would address concerns the industry has been raising.

Additional coverage in:

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Chemainus wood-products firm gets $2M boost from province

By Darron Kolster
The Times Colonist
September 9, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

A Chemainus company is getting a $2-million boost from the province to expand its operations and create new jobs, amid punishing duties and tariffs from the U.S. Ron Anderson & Sons, which makes prefabricated wall systems, plans to diversify its product line to include prefabricated floors, roof panels and stairs for builders, creating about 35 new jobs. “With the US targeting our manufacturing industries, it has never been more important to help local businesses like Ron Anderson & Sons sell more of what they make here at home,” Adrian Dix, acting minister of jobs said Wednesday. Ron Anderson & Sons says it has already invested in advanced manufacturing equipment, hiring of 20 new employees. Jack Downing, CEO, said the government funding will help the company expand its capacity and invest in advanced automation. …Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said that amid “economic attacks” from the U.S., the province is unlocking the full value of BC wood.

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US-Canada trade war squeezes Washington’s lumber industry

KGW News, Washington
September 9, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

Washington businesses are bracing for the impact of Canadian tariffs on American goods. One of the state’s largest industries, lumber, is already feeling the pressure. One company says uncertainty over trade policy is raising the cost of imported materials, weakening demand, and making it harder to budget projects. Tariffs might be a short term thing, but the repercussions of them play out for years. Canada is Washington’s 2nd largest export market with more than $7 billion in goods shipped north of the border last year. Governor Bob Ferguson says exports have already topped $4 billion this year. [.5 min video]

Related coverage in The Minnesota Star Tribune: Along the northern border, towns fight to preserve friendship amid escalating trade war. As Canada and the US accelerate their clash over tariffs, places like International Falls, Minnesota, and Fort Frances, Ontario, are clinging to a longstanding kinship.

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Mississippi Senator Cochran was right on Canadian timber

By Delbert Hosemann, Mississippi’s Lieutenant Governor
The Magnolia Reporter
September 9, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

There has been significant recent conversation about Canadian tariffs on many products, more specifically timber. This matters to Mississippi because timber is one of our state’s most important agricultural and economic commodities. Over 80% of the timber in Mississippi is privately owned. In 2003, Senator Thad Cochran warned: “Canada subsidizes its lumber mills by subsidizing the cost of stumpage price for pine timber, and those mills are dumping lumber in our domestic market.” The issue remains the same today. Most of the timber in Canada is owned by their government. The various provinces set the price at the stump. Most are significantly lower than the price paid here to private landowners. …This issue continues today to be challenged in various courts. …That is why Senator Cochran was right. And we need to support a final resolution by President Trump which provides us a fair ability to compete with this valuable Mississippi commodity.

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Metsä Fibre starts lay-off negotiations for 160 workers at Joutseno pulp mill in Finland

Metsä Fibre
September 9, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

FINALND — Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, is starting change negotiations concerning potential temporary lay-offs at its Joutseno pulp mill. The negotiations will involve the entire personnel of the mill, approximately 160 people in total. “The pulp market situation remains challenging. Due to the demand outlook and the situation in the wood market, we need to prepare for adjusting pulp production for a longer period than previously anticipated,” says Ismo Nousiainen, CEO of Metsä Fibre. “For this reason, we are now compelled to initiate new change negotiations concerning potential temporary lay-offs at Joutseno.“ The change negotiations will begin in week 37. [END]

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Canada’s trade war with the US won’t end with tariffs

By J.D. Waverley, former member, UK House of Lords
The Hill
September 9, 2026
Category: Business & Politics

Lord J.D. Waverley

America’s global trade war is entering a more dangerous phase. Canada’s counter-tariffs target roughly $27.6 billion of American goods. Ottawa has conspicuously left energy and other strategically important commodities off the table. Decision-makers in Washington may perceive that restraint as an affirmation of America holding a stronger position. The other possibility is that Canada is saving a card it would rather not play just yet. …A pressing issue for Washington is how to secure supplies from sources considered politically and strategically acceptable, alongside the challenge of building domestic processing infrastructure [for minerals like nickel and copper]. …Ottawa would not need to impose an outright embargo to cause problems — the credible prospect of disruption could be enough to force American buyers into the market for alternative supply, pushing them into competition for available material. ..The vulnerability is Washington’s assumption that Canadian mineral supply can always be replaced by buying the same commodity somewhere else.

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Finance & Economics

U.S.–Canada tariff war puts pulp and tissue supply chains under pressure

METissue
September 9, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

U.S. 50% duties on covered Canadian pulp and paper products meet Canada’s new tariffs of up to 50% on U.S. tissue, paper and dissolving pulp. …The flashpoint for pulp and paper came after the U.S. imposed additional duties under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 on covered Canadian goods, with the measures taking effect Aug. 22. Among the affected products are: Chemical bleached softwood pulp, including NBSK, a key strength fiber used in U.S. tissue and towel production, and Toilet or facial tissue stock” and other specified household and sanitary paper products used by U.S. converters. …The tariff shock is also affecting corporate planning. …The broader concern for tissue manufacturers is the potential combination of higher fiber costs, changing sourcing strategies and pressure on margins. …Competitive pressure could limit how much of the increase is passed through immediately, but prolonged tariffs could eventually put pressure on manufacturing costs, tissue prices and product economics.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Expanding Secondary Market Opportunities for Recovered Construction, Renovation and Demolition Wood

Canadian Wood Council
September 10, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

The next market opportunity for wood may begin with material already in circulation. The Canadian Wood Council’s new report, Expanding Secondary Market Opportunities for Recovered Construction, Renovation, and Demolition Wood, examines the infrastructure, regulatory, economic, and operational constraints limiting the reuse and reprocessing of reclaimed wood products. It identifies near-term product opportunities and the technical, commercial, and standards foundations needed to support market growth, including grading and testing, centralized processing hubs, policy sequencing, pilot projects, risk management, and performance measurement. Download the full report to explore opportunities for expanding secondary markets for recovered wood.

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FEA’s Forest Products Forum One Week Away!

FEA – Forest Economic Advisors
September 9, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: US West

Join us September 15 at the World Forestry Center in Portland, Oregon, for the 2026 Forest Products Forum, where industry experts and investors will explore the trends, opportunities, and challenges shaping the forest products market. FEA analysts and guest speakers will deliver timely insights and analysis across macroeconomics and housing, lumber, timber, trade, engineered lumber, and wood panels. Why You Should Attend:

  • Stay ahead of the latest market trends, developments, and forecasts.
  • Go beyond the numbers to understand the forces shaping the industry.
  • Build valuable connections with leaders across the forest products and investment communities.
  • Earn continuing education credits for appraisers and foresters.
  • Gain the insights, analysis, and connections you need to navigate today’s market with confidence. 

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Forestry

US and Canadian forest industry sought to weaken EU deforestation rules

By Elizabeth Schell
Mongabay.com
September 10, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

When the European Union’s new anti-deforestation law threatened to expose the environmental costs of logging in North America’s forests, the American paper industry, supported by the U.S. government, mobilized an intense lobbying effort to weaken the legislation. According to lobbying disclosures, the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), have spent nearly $11 million dollars on lobbying efforts since 2023, including on the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). …At stake is relations with a major trading partner. The U.S. exported $879.7 million worth of forest products to the EU in 2025, according to the USDA. It’s not just U.S. officials pushing to weaken the regulation. Canadian industry group Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) and Canadian officials have also been outspoken against the rules. …More recently, FPAC and the AF&PA released a joint statement this year — along with the Australian Forest Products Association, the Japan Paper Association, and the New Zealand Forest Owners Association — requesting reduced oversight in low-deforestation-risk countries.

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Beyond the Fire Line: Why Private Forests Matter Now

By Andrew de Vries, Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Forest Owners
September 10, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Canada is being forced to rethink its relationship with wildfire. The fires burning across the country are no longer an occasional disruption to the forest sector. They are becoming a defining economic, environmental and community challenge. …At the same time, Canada is confronting another challenge: how to secure enough fibre to keep mills operating, attract investment and sustain the rural communities that depend on forestry. These two issues are connected. And they point to one of Canada’s most underused forest-sector assets: its private working forests. When Mark Carney announced the Canadian Forest Sector Transformation Task Force in November 2025, Canadian Forest Owners (CFO) saw an opportunity to challenge the traditional boundaries of Canada’s forest policy. When we presented to the Task Force in February and submitted our recommendations in March, our message was straightforward: Canada cannot build a stronger, more competitive and more resilient forest sector while leaving privately managed forests at the margins.

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Prince George backs call for public inquiry into forestry practices

By Cheryl Jahn
CKPG News Prince George
September 9, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

PRINCE GEORGE – The City of Prince George will add its voice to growing calls for a provincial examination of the link between forest management practices and the severity of wildfires in British Columbia after council voted to support pursuing an independent public inquiry. The resolution, brought forward by the city’s Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, received council support despite concerns from some members about cost and effectiveness. Coun. Brian Skakun, co-author of the resolution, said the province must take a closer look at how forests are managed and whether current approaches are helping or contributing to increasingly destructive wildfire seasons. “I think the province, along with First Nations, have to look at what we’re doing wrong,” Skakun said. …Council will take the resolution to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities and send letters to the Premier, the Minister of Forests and the Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness requesting provincial action.

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AI-powered cameras provide ‘eyes’ and ‘nose’ to detect Island wildfires

By Hannah Link
Business in Vancouver
September 9, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

©Mosaic

A new wildfire-spotting camera on Sidney Island can detect fires so well that the first five alerts crews received were for blazes burning on the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island, as far away as the Malahat. The AI-powered machine serves as “eyes” on the small island east of the Saanich Peninsula, while 45 sensors work as a collective “nose,” detecting air changes that could signal a fire, said Triana Newton, director of the Sidney Island Fire Brigade. …The growing wildfire risk prompted Mosaic Forest Management to install SenseNet cameras atop Mt. Benson, near Nanaimo in early August. The two high-resolution cameras work day and night, providing a 360-degree view of the area, said Steve Mjaaland, manager of forest protection for Mosaic. …Shahab Bahrami, co-founder and chief technology officer for SenseNet, said that about a third of the 200 detection cameras installed across Canada are in B.C.

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Private Managed Forest Lands: Part of the Solution

By Megan Hanacek, RPF, RPBio
Private Forest Landowners Association
September 10, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The BC forest sector is facing structural shifts that are limiting fibre supply on public lands and impacting rural communities throughout BC. Although not the only solution, private managed forest lands provide a vital avenue for sustainable, regulated timber production and economic stability… They act as economic engines, balancing commercial enterprise with environmental stewardship to support local communities. Private managed forest lands are the backbone of many regional economies in BC. [They] account for 32% of the coastal harvest and support nearly 5,000 jobs… Private managed forest landowners ensure that timber from private lands continues to flow to local mills, which otherwise struggle with the diminished timber supply from Crown lands. Private managed forest lands consistently prove that economic viability and environmental stewardship can go hand-in-hand. Ultimately, a stable regulatory environment for all BC forest lands will ensure the Private Managed Forest program continues to attract participants and support BC communities for years to come.

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Planting of nearly 34,000 trees in city backed by new federal funding

By Gary Rinne
Thunder Bay News Watch
September 9, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

THUNDER BAY — The City of Thunder Bay is benefiting from an infusion of government cash as it continues to plant thousands of trees, largely to mitigate the destruction of the urban forest canopy caused by the invasive emerald ash borer. The federal government and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities have announced details of a recent round of funding under the Growing Canada’s Community Canopies program. Ottawa provides the money, but the program is delivered and administered by the FCM. Thunder Bay has received $4.6 million, one of the largest allocations in the country, and is using the money to plant 33,550 trees and seedlings. According to the FCM, the project includes targeted planting across city parkettes, waterfront lands, wetland areas, and urban infrastructure. Cory Halvorsen, the city’s manager of parks and open spaces, said the city applied for the funding over a year ago, but only recently received word it had been approved.

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With support from loggers and (some) environmentalists, Congress unites on major wildfire bill

By Noah Haggerty
The Los Angeles Times
September 10, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

A sweeping bipartisan bill that seeks to prevent catastrophic wildfires and restore fire-ravaged forests has revealed a schism in the nation’s environmental movement as some conservation advocates find themselves allied with a longtime foe: loggers. The Fix Our Forests Act, which Congress is close to passing, aims to speed up forest management projects on public and tribal lands by reducing regulatory and legal hurdles. The proposed legislation comes at a time of increasingly devastating wildfires and has garnered wide support among Republicans and the timber industry. However, the traditional Democratic coalition of environmental groups is split over the role humanity has to play in forest management. …Among the major environmental groups that oppose the legislation are the Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity. …But the Nature Conservancy and other groups have voiced support for the bill, citing the constant and imminent threat that increasingly severe wildfires pose to communities and ecosystems.

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American Hardwood Industry Stands Ready to Tackle EU Deforestation Regulation

By Ben Stanley
RISI Fastmarkets
September 9, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, International

After a long journey towards implementation, the controversial European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will become law on December 30, 2026, for large operators in the EU, and on June 30, 2027, for smaller operators. When it finally does, the likes of White Oak, Red Oak, Ash, and Walnut from the US will continue flowing into the European market without major hold-ups, thanks largely to the latest tweaks made to the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC)’s free compliance platform. “I’m very confident in saying that we are 100 percent EUDR compliant,” AHEC’s Tripp Pryor told HMR/Fastmarkets about the American Hardwood Assured (AHA) platform. …Last year saw AHEC make additional changes to ensure full compliance with the European Commission’s specifications around geo-coordinates and harvest sourcing. …Recent tweaks have incorporated preparatory AI to upload US Forest Service data and identify individual harvest sites within counties. “This is a natural fit for using an AI system,” Pryor said.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

As forest loss accelerates, can the world meet the rising demand for wood?

By Angeli Mehta, Ethical Corporation Magazine
Reuters
September 9, 2026
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

With the impacts of climate change being felt across the globe, forests are under pressure as never before. While agriculture is the main driver of permanent deforestation, wildfires contributed 30% of tree cover loss and logging accounted for a 25% loss, according to WRI. This loss may be temporary, but forests can take decades to recover and may never return to full health. …Five years after countries pledged to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030, there has been scant progress. And demand for timber, which is expected to grow 37% by 2050, could rise even higher if more wood is used for construction – a climate solution to replace high-carbon steel and cement. The most ambitious regulatory solution on offer is the EU’s deforestation regulation (EUDR), which will come into effect at the end of this year. …Supply chain leakage risks pushing illegal timber into less regulated markets. …Just 11% of timber firms can prove 90% of sourcing is deforestation-free.

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Health & Safety

Wildfire is the top risk for Kootenay town Creston, new assessment finds

By Amber Wang
CBC News
September 9, 2026
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada West

©Town of Creston

Creston, B.C., had a relatively quiet wildfire summer in town this year. Still, wildfire sits at the top of a new assessment of the risks facing the community. The Town of Creston looked at 51 possible hazards, including floods, extreme heat, drought and wastewater problems. Wildfire was the only one rated as a current high risk. Officials say the finding is not a prediction for one fire season. Instead, it is a reminder that Creston is a mountain community surrounded by forests and dry slopes, and that preparation needs to happen before a major fire reaches town. The assessment comes as B.C. communities prepare for new provincial emergency management rules taking effect in January 2027, including new requirements for hazard risk assessments and emergency planning.

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Forest Fires

More schools close in Indonesia due to worsening haze from forest fires

By Muhammad Hatta and Niniek Karmini
Associated Press
September 9, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

PALEMBANG, Indonesia — Schools in the capital of Indonesia’s South Sumatra province switched to remote learning Wednesday as worsening haze from forest and peatland fires pushed air pollution to unhealthy levels, adding to disruptions that have already affected more than 1.4 million students across the country, officials said. Indonesia has been plagued by forest and land fires for decades but an intensifying El Nino pattern and a prolonged dry season made the impact of the fires especially dire this year. Toxic haze and smoke have spread far beyond Indonesia’s borders in Southeast Asia, creating a regional health crisis. The smoke has drifted as far as the Philippines, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) away, and breached Malaysia’s emergency-level threshold, forcing authorities to declare an emergency last week in a town in Sarawak state on Borneo Island. …Large fires have burned thousands of hectares in Indonesia’s Kalimantan and Sumatra regions.

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