Daily News for February 23, 2026

Today’s Takeaway

US to stop collecting tariffs deemed illegal on Tuesday

The Tree Frog Forestry News
February 23, 2026
Category: Today's Takeaway

US Customs said that it will stop collecting tariffs deemed illegal by the Supreme Court on Tuesday. In response: Trump said he’ll use another law to raise tariffs; Quebec expressed mixed reactions; BC may challenge the lumber tariffs; the EU said their trade deal must be honoured; and China wants the tariffs cancelled. Meanwhile: Unifor says Canadian jobs remain at risk; the DOW dropped 600 points; ING bank says new tariffs means new uncertainty; and US builders says uncertainty will stall new construction.  

In Forestry news: BC is rethinking its FireSmart funding model; Oregon opens up more lands for logging; Arizona needs another biomass-burning power plant; Colorado Governor appoints Ponderosa Mountain Pine Beetle task force; the American Forest Foundation plants millionth tree; and after logging bans—Australia turns to forest thinning. Meanwhile: FPInnovations‘ latest technology updates; and FSC Africa partners to protect forests.

Finally, sustainable timber and steel hybrid solution specified for UK sports centre.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor

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Business & Politics

Eby says B.C. could fight lumber tariffs in U.S. courts

By Wolfgang Depner
Canadian Press in the Victoria Times Colonist
February 21, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

British Columbia Premier David Eby said a ruling by the United States Supreme Court that strikes down far-reaching global tariffs opens the door to challenge other tariffs that currently hurt his province’s softwood lumber industry. While Friday’s ruling does not lift long-standing American anti-dumping levies on B.C. softwood, Eby says it “opens up the possibility” of the province mounting a legal challenge in U.S. courts to the additional 10-per-cent tariff imposed last fall on national security grounds. …Eby added that the additional 10 per cent tariff “has been quite devastating” for the softwood lumber sector. …Eby said that while a future legal challenge falls “pretty squarely” within federal responsibility, B.C. might take a direct run at it. …About 40 per cent of Canadian lumber exports to the U.S. come from B.C., where the industry is dealing with low harvest levels and mill closures leading to hundreds of job losses.

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Shakeup at Nova Scotia Natural Resources intended to ‘modernize’ support for development

By Michael Gorman
CBC News
February 20, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston is shaking up the Natural Resources Department in what an internal memo describes as “a deliberate step” to align with the government’s priority of finding new ways to boost revenues. But one of the people affected by the changes says they will be “completely devastating to conservation” in the province. The changes were outlined by Natural Resources deputy minister Sandra McKenzie on Thursday in an internal email obtained by CBC News. …McKenzie’s email details “key changes,” including: The wildlife division is being renamed integrated resources planning, and will be grouped with integrated resource management, land administration, and surveys and research in a new land strategy and planning branch; The forest health division is being moved into the forestry branch of the department; and a new advisory function is being created within the associate deputy minister’s office to advance strategic priorities.

 

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Customs duties: mixed reactions in Quebec after Supreme Court decision

By Frédéric Lacroix-Couture
The Canadian Press in City News
February 20, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

The decision by the US Supreme Court to invalidate many of President Trump’s tariffs has been met with mixed reactions in Quebec, as the steel, aluminum and lumber sectors remain subject to US tariffs. Economy Minister Jean Boulet said, “its effects for Quebec seem limited,” noting that Quebec exports in accordance with CUSMA were already exempt. “American tariffs on lumber and other key sectors remain in place,” Boulet stressed. …Stakeholders from Quebec’s economic and union sectors pointed out that Friday’s ruling is far from putting an end to the trade war with our southern neighbors. …“While this decision is great news for free trade, its impact on Canada remains limited and we are not out of the woods yet,” said senior public policy analyst Gabriel Giguère in a statement. Moreover, the review of the USMCA planned for this year still looms over Canada-US relations.

In related coverage:

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Mill manager eulogizes final paper reel in Thunder Bay, Ontario

Northern Ontario Business
February 20, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

The last reel of newsprint produced at Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper on Feb. 19 became a photo op moment and a time of reflection for its manager of paper operations. Shane Moscrip eulogized the closing of an era that reaches back to the 1920s in the northwestern Ontario city’s industrial history. “For more than a century, this mill has converted wood, water, steam, and skill into paper. Generations have stood on five paper machine floors, listening to the cadence of the wire, the draw through the presses, the steady breath of the dryers. They measured their days by tonnage, quality, and uptime,” Moscrip wrote. “These paper machines have run through wars, recessions, ownership changes, grade transitions, rebuilds, and countless shutdowns and startups. It has been the industrial heartbeat of this town.” …The landmark mill, which dominates Thunder Bay’s skyline, will continue to operate as a single-line softwood kraft mill.

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US to stop collecting duties deemed illegal by Supreme Court

By David Lawder
Reuters in CTV News
February 23, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

The US Customs and Border Protection agency said it will halt collections of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act at 12:01 a.m. EST on Tuesday, more than three days after the US Supreme Court declared the duties illegal. The agency said in a message to shippers on its Cargo Systems Messaging Service that it will de-activate all tariff codes associated with US President Trump’s prior IEEPA-related orders as of Tuesday. The IEEPA tariff collection halt coincides with Trump’s imposition of a new, 15% global tariff under a different legal authority to replace the ones struck down by the Supreme Court on Friday. CBP gave no reason why it was continuing to collect the tariffs days after the Supreme Court’s ruling. The message noted that the collection halt does not affect other tariffs imposed by Trump under the Section 232 national security statute and the Section 301 unfair trade practices statute.

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New tariffs, new uncertainty

Think.ing.com
February 22, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

It took only a few hours after the US Supreme Court had ruled against the US administration’s emergency tariffs from ‘Liberation Day’, before President Trump announced a new round of tariffs. As expected, the US administration is invoking Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, which allows tariffs of up to 15% for as long as 150 days to quickly address “international payment problems”. The tariffs would expire after 150 days unless Congress extends them. …However, the use of Section 122 could bring new legal problems for Trump. …It’s a trade instrument that has never been used in practice, as the fixed exchange rate regime had come to an end when the 1974 Trade Act was finally approved. …We don’t think that President Trump will use the ruling to back down on his tariff agenda. On the contrary. …Uncertainty is back, and given the latest muscle-flexing by European leaders, the risk of escalation is now higher.

In related coverage:

 

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Finance & Economics

International Paper: The Great Split and the 80/20 Transformation of a Packaging Giant

By Finterra
Financial Content
February 23, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

International Paper stands at a historic crossroads. Long considered the titan of the North American pulp and paper industry, the company is currently navigating the most aggressive structural transformation in its 128-year history. Under the relatively new leadership of CEO Andrew Silvernail, International Paper is pivoting from a broad-based fiber conglomerate into a streamlined, “pure-play” packaging leader. The company is currently in focus due to a massive strategic pivot: the geographic separation of its North American and European operations into two independent public companies. Following the complex £5.8 billion integration of DS Smith in 2025, IP is now working to unlock “conglomerate-hidden” value by splitting its assets, a move that has captured the attention of institutional investors and analysts alike. …While the billion-dollar impairment charges related to the DS Smith acquisition initially rattled the market, the underlying strategy of focusing on core North American operations while spinning off European assets appears sound.

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What the Supreme Court tariff ruling means for construction

By Sebastian Obando
Construction Dive
February 20, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Contractors in certain niches can expect some meaningful materials price reductions after the Supreme Court struck down most of President Trump’s tariffs Friday. The court rejected Trump’s claim to authority to impose reciprocal tariffs. That would drive “a modest but meaningful reduction in materials price escalation” for specialty equipment, HVAC and electrical systems and fixtures, said Anirban Basu, chief economist at Associated Builders and Contractors. …But the administration quickly signaled plans for alternative tariff methods shortly after the ruling. AGC also noted other materials-specific tariffs on lumber, steel, aluminum and copper products are unaffected by Friday’s decision. Taken together, that means the Supreme Court decision “could be short-lived and completely counteracted,” said Basu. That back-and-forth tends to stall construction activity as owners and contractors weigh whether the decision will hold. …AGC has told builders not to hold their breath waiting for refund checks.

In related coverage:

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Sustainable timber and steel hybrid solution specified for sports centre

Local Authority Building & Maintenance
February 23, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

©BKStructures

United Kingdom — Specialists in engineered timber and hybrid construction, B&K Hybrid Solutions (BKHS), have played a pivotal role in the creation of Cozenton Park Sports Centre; a state-of-the-art leisure facility that exemplifies sustainable and innovative design. The project, located in Medway, replaced the ageing 1990s pool complex with an energy-efficient and aesthetically striking hybrid structure, setting a benchmark for leisure developments in the UK. … BKHS were appointed to manufacture and install the hybrid engineered timber and steelwork elements which underpin the facility’s design, combining the visual appeal and natural warmth of timber with the strength of steel. Working in collaboration with specialist supply chain partners Stora Enso for the Cross Laminated Timber and Rubner for the glulam components, BKHS delivered a precision-engineered solution tailored to the project’s sustainability and performance goals. …The pool hall features glulam columns and beams measuring 1,700 by 240mm at 5m intervals, creating a clear 26.3m span. 

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Forestry

FPInnovations highlights saw design upgrades, log truck approval and emerging technologies

FPInnovations
February 23, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

FPInnovations’ latest newsletter pulls articles from their blog that feature several developments of interest to Canada’s forest sector. An update to its saw design software tool supports mills pushing production and recovery limits, incorporating long-standing calculations around bite per tooth, gullet capacity and cutting power to help optimize performance while maintaining sawing accuracy and uptime. In Ontario, the Ministry of Transportation has approved a 72.5-tonne, 9-axle B-train log truck configuration for use on more than 1,200 kilometres of public roads—opening the door to broader deployment across the province. FPInnovations also convened a January knowledge-sharing session on continuous digester weld repairs and refurbishing, focused on safe mill operations. Looking ahead, the organization is launching a new group to assess emerging forestry technologies—including densified wood, lignin in batteries and drone seeding—with a public presentation scheduled for February 26.

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The old dogma of industrial forestry no longer cuts it

By Mike Morris, former MLA, Prince George-Mackenzie
The Prince George Citizen
February 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The forest industry and related associations, unions and community leaders have now coalesced behind the banner “forestry is a solution.” Their purpose, they say, is “to address the urgent challenges, from building affordable housing to reducing wildfire risks in our backyards” and to “rally British Columbians to support forestry workers and their families.” They will roll out the old dogma that BC practices the most sustainable forestry in the world. …The real purpose, I suspect, is that the coalition wants to continue the old model of intensive industrial forestry, despite the reality that our forests can no longer support this outdated model. In 2003, in an address at UBC, Pedersen, the chief forester of the day, stated that the forest industries’ plan was to harvest BC’s primary forests as quickly as possible and convert them into densely planted managed forests. Today, they have achieved that vision.

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City of Vernon will keep up program to make wooded areas safer from fire

By Darren Handschuh
Castanet
February 22, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) has approved the final funding required to complete fuel management treatments in the Ellison area of Vernon. A report to Vernon city council at their regular meeting Monday, states the $125,000 investment will support treatment of two units, bringing the total area treated on Crown land to 72 hectares. “Fuel reduction work on this project began in 2023, and these final units will be completed by Nakimu Ventures Inc. no later than March 31, 2027,” the report says. “The city applied to FESBC to support fuel management on these Crown lands as part of our efforts to reduce wildfire risk in one of the higher risk wildland–urban interface areas identified in the Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan.” The project counterparts and strengthens other recent initiatives in the area, including BC Timber Sales 2021 clearcuts and BC Parks hand treatments completed in 2022.

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B.C. forests minister says the province rethinking FireSmart funding model

By Mark Page
Parksville Qualicum Beach News
February 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

B.C. Forest Minister Ravi Parmar says the province is planning to rethink how it funds community FireSmart initiatives after topping up the program with a one-time $15 million boost in the latest budget. “There’s been a lot of success, but I need to ensure that that program is meeting the needs of communities,” Parmar said on Thursday, Feb. 20. …This fund began to run dry earlier this year, and the government imposed a closed intake starting on Jan. 30 to disburse the last $25 million. The deadline for communities to apply is April 30. …But they also sought more money. UBCM President Cori Ramsay wanted an additional $40 million. …Some communities, like West Kelowna, need this money — and more. West Kelowna has been forced to evacuate tens of thousands of residents and has lost hundreds of homes to fires in recent years.

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Oregon students discover forestry careers at logging conference

By Eli Kuhn
KEZI News 9 Oregon
February 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

EUGENE, Ore. – The 88th Annual Oregon Logging Conference is underway, drawing high school students from across the state in search of future forestry careers. The focus is on responsible forestry and youth involvement to help sustain one of Oregon’s largest industries. “We’re really proud of what we do and we think that people in the Pacific Northwest should be proud of the forest industry that’s here,” said Bodie Dowding, the Second Vice President of the Oregon Logging Conference. “I see that as the role of the logging conference is to get the message out that forestry is actually a great thing.” The second day of the conference featured the 8th Annual Future Forestry Workers Career Day, where more than 900 high school students interacted with industry professionals at the Lane County Fairgrounds. …The Oregon Logging Conference wraps up on Saturday, showcasing the community’s commitment to forestry education and career development.

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Keep ‘roadless rule’ in place, say former Forest Service officials

By Keila Szpaller
Kiowa County Press
February 23, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Montana — Punch more roads through the forest, and you’ll get more people starting fires, fewer bull trout and an even heftier maintenance bill. Keep the 2001 Roadless Rule in place, and you’ll ensure elk have a healthy habitat, and you’ll still be able to reduce wildfire risk. Those were some of the arguments former U.S. Forest Service employees made Friday at the edge of the Silver King Inventoried Roadless Area east of Missoula. Montana Trout Unlimited and the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers hosted the event as the Trump administration takes steps to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule. The rule prohibits building roads and harvesting timber on 30% of Forest Service land in the country, or 60 million acres. In Montana, that’s 6.4 million acres, or 37% of Forest Service land in the state.

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“Biomass bottleneck” will doom the forest – and forested communities

By Peter Aleshire
The Payson Roundup
February 22, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

ARIZONA — A coalition of local governments, timber industry representatives and environmental groups plans to tell congressional leaders and US Forest Service officials this week that Northern Arizona’s forests — and the timber industry that depends on them — face collapse without construction of a second, 30-megawatt biomass-burning power plant. The group will carry that message to Washington, DC, arguing that a “biomass bottleneck” threatens forest restoration efforts, watersheds and rural communities. Two concurring reports outline the concern: one issued by the Eastern Arizona Counties Organization and the Natural Resources Working Group in the White Mountains, and another from the Greater Flagstaff Forest Partnership (GFFP) and the Forest Biomass Coalition Working Group. …The report concludes that, while private industry may eventually develop products such as fiberboard or biochar from forest byproducts, only a second biomass-burning plant near Flagstaff or Winslow offers a proven, near-term solution.

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Ponderosa Mountain Pine Beetle Task Force Appointees Announced

Colorado Governor Jared Polis
February 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Jared Polis

DENVER – Governor Jared Polis and the Colorado Department of Natural Resources announced appointments to the Ponderosa Mountain Pine Beetle Task Force, a new multi-agency task force created by Governor Polis through Executive Action to address a significant and expanding mountain pine beetle outbreak impacting ponderosa pine forests along Colorado’s Front Range. “Colorado is at the forefront of reducing the impact of wildfires, floods, and protecting Colorado communities. By assembling our team of forestry experts and state and local officials we are taking action to deal with the impact of mountain pine beetles and helping to protect our forest and key water sources, and equipping homeowners to better protect their homes,” said Governor Polis. The task force is charged with developing coordinated, science-based strategies to protect Colorado communities, forests, water resources, infrastructure, and the state’s outdoor recreation economy over the next decade.

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Bureau of Land Management proposes quadrupling allowed logging on millions of acres in western Oregon

By Justin Higginbottom
Oregon Public Broadcasting
February 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The Bureau of Land Management has filed a notice of intent to revise the resource management plan for nearly 2.5 million acres of forests in Oregon, potentially quadrupling the amount of timber open to logging on O&C Lands (Oregon and California Railroad Lands). The agency is seeking to increase its sustained yield timber harvest to around 1 billion board feet annually, an amount matching levels prior to conservation restrictions in the 1990s. Last year, logging on those lands only yielded around 250 million board feet. …Travis Joseph, president of the timber-industry association American Forest Resource Council, celebrated the possibility of a new management plan. …He said the BLM currently allows for only 20% of annual timber growth to be logged, which defies the O&C Act of 1937’s mandate to harvest as much timber as grows annually. …But conservationists say increased logging and replanting of dense timber plantations will exacerbate wildfire risk in the region.

Additional coverage:

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American Forest Foundation plants millionth tree, expanding income opportunities for Alabama landowners

By Sherri Blevins
Yellow Hammer News
February 22, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US East

A national forestry initiative aimed at helping small landowners generate income and strengthen rural economies has reached a major milestone in Alabama, with the American Forest Foundation (AFF) announcing the planting of its millionth tree through its Fields & Forests afforestation project. The AFF’s milestone planting took place on land owned by Portia Fulford near Montgomery, highlighting Alabama’s role in a program designed to bring new economic opportunities to family landowners while supporting long-term timber production and conservation efforts. Launched in 2024, Fields & Forests works with landowners to convert underused acreage into managed forests, allowing participants to diversify income streams while maintaining full ownership of their land and retaining future timber profits. The program is available in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina, with a minimum enrollment requirement of 30 acres. According to the American Forest Foundation, the project’s first million trees have been planted across nearly 2,000 acres in the U.S. South. 

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The Nature Conservancy and Forest Stewardship Council Africa Sign Partnership

Forest Stewardship Council International
February 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Africa have signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a strategic partnership to advance sustainable forest management and climate focused forest conservation across Africa. The agreement, effective through 2030, provides a framework for the two organizations to scale efforts that protect forests, reduce emissions, restore degraded landscapes, and support sustainable livelihoods. Africa’s forests are central to climate regulation, biodiversity protection, water security, and economic development. Through this partnership, TNC and FSC Africa will align conservation science, credible forest certification systems, policy engagement, and community driven approaches to improve forest governance and expand responsible management across priority landscapes.

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After logging bans, Australia turns to “forest thinning”. Does it reduce fire risk?

By Rhett Ayers Butler, Mongabay founder
Mongabay
February 23, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International

As native forest logging ends in parts of Australia, governments and industry are turning to large-scale forest thinning as a tool to reduce bushfire risk, prompting a new debate over how best to protect communities in a warming climate. Research shows thinning can lower fire severity under some conditions, especially when paired with prescribed burning, but its effectiveness often diminishes during extreme fire weather — the very conditions driving the most destructive fires. Scientists warn that removing trees can alter forest structure, dry fuels, release stored carbon, and eliminate critical wildlife habitat, meaning the ecological and climate costs may be substantial in high-conservation forests. The controversy reflects deeper tensions over land use, public safety, and economic transition, with critics arguing that large-scale thinning risks becoming logging by another name while supporters see it as a necessary adaptation to escalating fire danger.

Additional related coverage by Rhett Ayers Butler: Is “forest thinning” just logging by another name?

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