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The Tree Frog Forestry News
June 17, 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.
What you need to know as the deadline for formally extending CUSMA approaches
By Kelly Geraldine Malone
The Canadian Press in Calgary City News
June 17, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States
WASHINGTON — A major benchmark is coming up for the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, known in Canada as CUSMA. July 1 is the deadline for the three countries to either formally extend the agreement for 16 years or continue under annual reviews. …What happens if there is no extension on July 1? The trade pact will remain in place even if the United States doesn’t agree to extend CUSMA on July 1. Peisch said CUSMA will continue for another 10 years before “automatically terminating if the parties can’t come to agreement on extension.” In the near term, Peisch said, the countries will continue to negotiate possible changes to the agreement that could lead to an extension. …Can a country leave CUSMA? If the United States does not agree to the extension on July 1, the trade agreement stays in place unless one of the countries gives six months’ notice that it is pulling out of CUSMA.
The European Parliament approved legislation on Tuesday to implement the EU’s trade deal with the United States, marking one of the final hurdles in a process that has repeatedly frustrated the Trump administration. Lawmakers voted by 440 in favor, with 151 against and 50 abstaining, to approve changes to legislation to remove tariffs on U.S. industrial goods and some agricultural products — fulfilling the EU’s side of the agreement struck last July at President Donald Trump’s golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland. Washington had agreed to cap tariffs on most EU exports at 15 percent and to lower levies on European cars. Those changes took effect last fall. …The Council of the EU — representing EU governments — is now expected to rubber-stamp the texts on June 26, before they are officially published in the EU’s Official Journal and enter into force.
Timber Investment Group acquires Jamestown’s timberland platform
Timberland Investment Group
June 10, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East
NEW YORK — BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group, timberland investment managers, announced the acquisition of approximately 90,000 acres of US timberland formerly managed by Jamestown, a global design-focused real estate investment and management firm. …The portfolio of high-quality timberland spans five U.S. states, including approximately 50,000 acres of pine timberland in Georgia and Alabama and approximately 40,000 acres of diversified hardwood timberland across Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New York. All properties are certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). The acquisition increases BTG Pactual TIG’s core U.S. timberland strategy’s portfolio to more than 1.7 million acres. The firm manages 3.3 million acres globally. The transaction creates further opportunities for BTG Pactual TIG to scale positive conservation outcomes through its long-term collaboration with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Conservation Advisor to the firm’s core U.S. timberland strategy.
New Zealand’s PF Olsen and Forest360 unite as Stand Forestry
NewsTalkZB.co.nz
June 17, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International
NEW ZEALAND — PF Olsen and Forest360 have merged to become New Zealand’s biggest independent forestry manager, trading as Stand Forestry. The companies announced their merger late last year, backed by new investment from Adamantem Capital’s Environmental Opportunities Fund and supported by PF Olsen’s Quayside Holdings. …The new brand will combine 75 years’ experience, a workforce of more than 200 skilled professionals and 480,000ha of forestry under management on both sides of the Tasman, the companies said. …The company recently launched a new carbon joint venture model in New Zealand to make it easier for farmers and landowners to participate in the Emissions Trading Scheme. …The merged group has more than 1000 clients, from major institutional investors to family-run businesses and private landowners. PF Olsen also has a large operation in Australia, managing 212,000ha.
Second official linerboard increase in four months started in North America
By Gregory Rudder
RISI Fastmarkets
June 15, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States
North American producers are pursuing a second formal linerboard increase in four months, faster than the typical five-month cadence. Roughly 10% and 3.9 million tons of US containerboard capacity were permanently retired from February 2025 through March 2026. Cost pressures mount as inflation hits a three-year high, OCC rose $5–10 per short ton and diesel jumped 50% to $5.259 per gallon. PCA reported legacy box demand up 4.5% in April and 3.5% in May, selling 90,000 tons of inventory across March and April. Packaging paper increases of $50–$60 per ton take effect July 1 and August 1 across multiple producers, including Smurfit Westrock and ND Paper.
The instant high-rise. Novel modular construction using AI and robots
By UBC Applied Science
The University of British Columbia
May 5, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West
For decades, populations in North American cities have been growing faster than housing can accommodate. …Dr. Yang is the director of UBC’s Smart Structures Lab, where researchers combine advanced structural simulation and large-scale experimental testing to design building systems that are safer, more environmentally friendly, and quick to assemble. Integrating artificial intelligence, robotics, and modular assembly to automate key stages of construction—and even monitor structural health in real time—the lab has evolved into a hub for next-generation infrastructure research. It also plays a central role in an $8.27-million national initiative led by UBC Civil Engineering to address housing supply through sustainable modular construction. …Dr. Yang’s team is already applying their research in the field, testing out large-scale construction machines to automate the construction sequence. …Instead of performing repetitive or hazardous physical tasks, workers become machine operators and systems managers, while supervisors monitor multiple projects remotely.
Design for Mass Timber Hospital in Canada Wins Fast Company 2026 World Changing Ideas Award
HDR Inc.
June 16, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East
ONTARIO — The Quinte Health Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital (PECMH) in Picton, Ontario, Canada, is a winner of Fast Company’s 2026 World Changing Ideas Awards in the “general excellence” category. Upon completion in 2028, it will be the first acute care hospital in North America constructed with an unencapsulated all mass timber structure. …The new 23-inpatient-bed, 97,000-square-foot hospital represents a deeply collaborative effort between Quinte Health, Infrastructure Ontario, HDR, M. Sullivan & Son Limited, and the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation. Currently under construction, the hospital establishes a new benchmark for sustainable healthcare infrastructure. …PECMH’s timber structure, geothermal energy systems, building-integrated photovoltaics, high-performance envelopes, public gardens and green roofs position the hospital as a pioneering example of how one of the most energy-intensive building typologies can be reimagined for a lower-carbon future.
Forest management must shift from profit to prevention
Nature
June 17, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada
Canada’s forest disturbance costs have been rising quickly. We propose that silviculture must be reframed as a risk mitigation tool under an ‘avoided costs’ framework as proactive investments become essential to prevent far greater damage to society and ecosystems. Increasing forest disturbances…are profoundly disrupting forest ecosystems and the viability of the forest sector across the globe. Unprecedented disturbance levels in the past decades have caused immense losses … causing a surge in economic costs for disturbance control and significant infrastructure damage. Critically, some disturbances like wildfires incur devastating, irreparable consequences, from irreversible biodiversity loss to severe impacts on human health and life. …We argue that existing adaptive silviculture knowledge and technologies can stabilize forest resources and reduce the risk of catastrophic losses. Leveraging Canadian silvicultural investment data, we illustrate the need to move beyond the traditional cost-benefit paradigm—generally analyzed from the perspective of the forest products industry—to one that explicitly incorporates avoided costs for society.
Osoyoos Indian Band launches large-scale tree nursery focused on reforestation
By Sarah Crookall
Castanet
June 17, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West
Osoyoos Forestry Nursery, a one-of-a-kind tree-growing initiative, held its grand opening Tuesday. “This is our first green project, so we can stand up as Osoyoos Indian Band and be proud that we’re not just cutting down trees, we’re one of the few First Nations — in fact, the only one that will be growing millions of trees each year,” Chief Clarence Louie of the Osoyoos Indian Band, said. The new 10.5 hectare project is in partnership with K&C Silviculture, operating on solar energy and recycled canal water at 7637 Tucelnuit Dr. The aim is to give back to the environment through wildfire reforestation with funding from Government of Canada’s 2 Billion Trees program. … Peter Fleet, Head of Forestry Operations for Nk’Mip Forestry said that many First Nations groups have been involved in forests, but not growing trees. He said giving back to the land is a foundational principle to the OIB and community.
‘Extremely concerning’: B.C. environmentalists outraged by minister’s caribou commentsrning
By Evert Lindquist
Victoria News
June 16, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West
Ravi Parmar
B.C. environmental organizations have expressed outrage over comments made by the minister of forests about caribou and old-growth during an interview in Revelstoke last Tuesday. …His comments included calling caribou “not the smartest animal” for fleeing long distances when disturbed, as well as pointing to wildfires as a main cause of destruction for caribou habitat, and claiming that logging in B.C. today relies on far fewer “1950s-style” cutblocks. Black Press Media fact-checked these claims from the minister and found they all have inaccuracies. …Provincial data indicates that while fire is the leading disturbance for caribou in northern B.C., forest extraction remains the biggest threat for southern B.C. herds’ habitat, as well as for central B.C. herds’ wider matrix habitat. …Anneke Rosch said that “blaming caribou is a new low” for the minister and B.C. government, along with that “sustainable forestry isn’t just for caribou — it’s needed for the future of forestry jobs too.”
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek declares emergency due to wildfire threat
Oregon Public Broadcasting
June 16, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has declared an emergency due to the imminent threat of wildfires in the state. “Increasing heat, dry vegetation, and shifting winds continue to align and create dangerous conditions that demand immediate action,” Kotek said in a press release Tuesday morning. “I am declaring a State of Emergency to ensure all available resources — firefighting crews, aerial support, ground resources, and emergency personnel are prepared for deployments — to protect people, property, and our natural landscapes.” The declaration ensures that the Oregon Department of Forestry and the state fire marshal’s office have the wildfire crews and equipment they need. And it directs the Oregon Department of Emergency Management to activate the state’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. From Tuesday morning through Tuesday evening, the National Weather Service in Pendleton declared a red flag warning throughout much of eastern Washington and northeast Oregon.
Stanford study finds surprising upside of prescribed burns
By Anna FitzGerald Guth
SF Gate
June 15, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West
…In a study published in the journal Science on June 11, Stanford University researchers found that intentionally burning 500,000 acres of conifer forests in California every year could reduce wildfire smoke pollution overall by about 10% over a decade. “This study highlights that yes, prescribed fire is good, but sometimes the benefits take a while,” Marshall Burke, a professor in the Doerr School of Sustainability at Stanford and the senior study author, told SFGATE. The study relied on two decades of satellite measurements of fire severity and smoke particulate matter across California. Reflecting similar findings in previous research, it documented that low-severity wildfires, a stand-in for prescribed burning, can cut the immediate likelihood of future severe wildfires in the same area by 92%. …California burns less than the study’s recommended 500,000 acres in prescribed burns, although the state’s goal is to incinerate about that much fuel every year.
Connecticut Opens $1.23 Million in Urban and Community Forestry Grants
Environment Energy Leader
June 15, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East
Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced two federally funded grant programs totaling $1.23 million for urban and community forestry projects, with application deadlines in August 2026. The programs are available through DEEP’s Urban and Community Forestry Grant Opportunities webpage and target different eligible applicant pools with different project scopes. The Urban Forest Resilience Grant Program makes $230,000 available to municipalities and 501(c)(3) organizations for tree removal and replanting in response to forest pest and disease losses, particularly from the Emerald Ash Borer. …The Resilient Forestry Practices Grant Program provides $1 million to rural municipalities and federally recognized tribes with populations under 50,000. It focuses on proactive forest management practices targeting pests, invasive species, and climate-related stressors in municipally and tribally owned woodlands.
West Fraser fined $111K after trapped worker dies at B.C. mill
By Stefan Labbé
Business in Vancouver
June 16, 2026
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West
A major B.C. timber company has been fined almost $111,000 after a worker who was cleaning wood fibre from inside a silo was buried, trapped and killed. The incident occurred in January 2025 after a fire ignited inside a silo at West Fraser Timber Co.’s Westpine sawmill in Quesnel. …“The fibre blocked access to the silo hatch and engulfed the worker, who sustained fatal injuries,” stated WorkSafeBC. …The resulting investigation from B.C.’s occupational health and safety agency later determined that as the prime contractor, the timber company was responsible for a multi-layered, high-risk failure. The investigation found West Fraser failed to appoint an adequately trained person to oversee the confined space entry program. …The company was also found to have failed in its rescue preparedness: The worker’s harness was not attached to a lifeline managed by a standby person, and the standby worker was not equipped or capable of using lifting equipment for an immediate rescue.
Urging preparedness as wildfire, drought risks increase
Government of British Columbia
June 16, 2026
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada West
As British Columbia enters another summer that could be hotter and drier than usual, the Province is urging people and communities to prepare for potential impacts of wildfire, drought and water scarcity. “Climate change is rewriting what we consider normal in British Columbia, with warmer, drier conditions increasing the risk of wildfire and drought,” said Kelly Greene, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. …The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR) is working closely with local governments and First Nations to prepare for the summer hazards, including hosting preparedness sessions throughout the province. EMCR is available 24/7 to support communities before, during and after emergencies. …Temperatures are increasing throughout B.C., and with that comes an elevated risk of wildfire. …Regardless of where people live or travel in B.C., it’s critical that everyone does their part to reduce the risk of wildfire.
Evacuation alert issued as wildfire west of Princeton grows again to 22 hectares, still deemed out of control
By Sarah Crookall
Castanet
June 16, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has issued an evacuation alert for properties west of Princeton due to the Grasshopper Mountain wildfire. The alert covers properties along Lawless Creek Road and Tulameen River Road in Electoral Area H. …The BC Wildfire Service is now reporting on its website that the Grasshopper Mountain wildfire has grown to 22-hectares from its previous 15. …At around 4 p.m., the Tulameen and District Fire Department said BCWS crews were on site of the 15-hectare blaze on Grasshopper Mountain.
Hundreds of families return home after crews bring West Kelowna, B.C., wildfire under control
By Rhianna Schmunk
CBC News
June 16, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West
Hundreds of people were allowed to return to their homes in West Kelowna, B.C., on Tuesday evening after a fast-moving wildfire forced several neighbourhoods to evacuate earlier in the day. The local fire chief said the human-caused fire started in Kalamoir Regional Park in the late morning and quickly threatened hundreds of homes, some of which he said crews have saved by inches. …The fire started in Kalamoir Regional Park late Tuesday morning and quickly spread toward the Casa Loma and Lakeview Heights neighbourhoods, on a hillside above Okanagan Lake. …West Kelowna Fire Rescue said more than 100 firefighters worked to contain the flames against strong, gusting winds and dry conditions…. The fire, which officials say burned at least eight hectares of land, is listed as human-caused.
The forest fire known as “Timmins 9” is now being held, after the latest update from the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). Now listed at 3,151 hectares in size, the fire is located approximately 10 kilometres from the community of Gogama, 7 kilometres west of Mattagami First Nation, and 1.5 kilometres west of Highway 144. “The crews continue to strengthen hose lines, establish new lines along dozer guard built by heavy equipment operators, and demobilize values protection equipment in areas where the wildland fire risk has been reduced. Infrared scanning was conducted early this morning, and hot spots have been identified for crews to prioritize,” reads the MNR statement. The fire was first reported on May 31. As it increased in size and severity, Mattagami First Nation was forced to evacuate its approximately 200 residents by June 3. Residents received word on Sunday evening that would be able to return home starting Monday.
Kemp signs order after two massive South Georgia wildfires finally end
By Vanessa Johns
Savannah Morning News
June 15, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: US East
As South Georgia continues recovering from a destructive spring wildfire season, Gov. Brian Kemp has signed an executive order intended to help landowners and the forestry industry reduce economic losses caused by fire-damaged timber. The order temporarily increases allowable truck weights in 17 wildfire-impacted counties, giving landowners and timber operators more flexibility to move salvageable timber before it loses market value. State officials said timber damaged by wildfire can only be harvested and sold within a limited timeframe, making transportation a critical part of recovery efforts. The temporary weight allowance is designed to help speed the removal and transport of timber from wildfire-affected properties. The order comes as two of Georgia’s most significant wildfire incidents this year have finally reached 100% containment…
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.
WASHINGTON — A major benchmark is coming up for the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, known in Canada as CUSMA. July 1 is the deadline for the three countries to either formally extend the agreement for 16 years or continue under annual reviews. …What happens if there is no extension on July 1? The trade pact will remain in place even if the United States doesn’t agree to extend CUSMA on July 1. Peisch said CUSMA will continue for another 10 years before “automatically terminating if the parties can’t come to agreement on extension.” In the near term, Peisch said, the countries will continue to negotiate possible changes to the agreement that could lead to an extension. …Can a country leave CUSMA? If the United States does not agree to the extension on July 1, the trade agreement stays in place unless one of the countries gives six months’ notice that it is pulling out of CUSMA. 
NEW YORK — BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group, timberland investment managers, announced the acquisition of approximately 90,000 acres of US timberland formerly managed by Jamestown, a global design-focused real estate investment and management firm. …The portfolio of high-quality timberland spans five U.S. states, including approximately 50,000 acres of pine timberland in Georgia and Alabama and approximately 40,000 acres of diversified hardwood timberland across Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New York. All properties are certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). The acquisition increases BTG Pactual TIG’s core U.S. timberland strategy’s portfolio to more than 1.7 million acres. The firm manages 3.3 million acres globally. The transaction creates further opportunities for BTG Pactual TIG to scale positive conservation outcomes through its long-term collaboration with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Conservation Advisor to the firm’s core U.S. timberland strategy.
NEW ZEALAND — PF Olsen and Forest360 have merged to become New Zealand’s biggest independent forestry manager, trading as Stand Forestry. The companies announced their merger late last year, backed by new investment from Adamantem Capital’s Environmental Opportunities Fund and supported by PF Olsen’s Quayside Holdings. …The new brand will combine 75 years’ experience, a workforce of more than 200 skilled professionals and 480,000ha of forestry under management on both sides of the Tasman, the companies said. …The company recently launched a new carbon joint venture model in New Zealand to make it easier for farmers and landowners to participate in the Emissions Trading Scheme. …The merged group has more than 1000 clients, from major institutional investors to family-run businesses and private landowners. PF Olsen also has a large operation in Australia, managing 212,000ha.
Canada’s forest disturbance costs have been rising quickly. We propose that silviculture must be reframed as a risk mitigation tool under an ‘avoided costs’ framework as proactive investments become essential to prevent far greater damage to society and ecosystems. Increasing forest disturbances…are profoundly disrupting forest ecosystems and the viability of the forest sector across the globe. Unprecedented disturbance levels in the past decades have caused immense losses … causing a surge in economic costs for disturbance control and significant infrastructure damage. Critically, some disturbances like wildfires incur devastating, irreparable consequences, from irreversible biodiversity loss to severe impacts on human health and life. …We argue that existing adaptive silviculture knowledge and technologies can stabilize forest resources and reduce the risk of catastrophic losses. Leveraging Canadian silvicultural investment data, we illustrate the need to move beyond the traditional cost-benefit paradigm—generally analyzed from the perspective of the forest products industry—to one that explicitly incorporates avoided costs for society.
Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced two federally funded grant programs totaling $1.23 million for urban and community forestry projects, with application deadlines in August 2026. The programs are available through DEEP’s 
As British Columbia enters another summer that could be hotter and drier than usual, the Province is urging people and communities to prepare for potential impacts of wildfire, drought and water scarcity. “Climate change is rewriting what we consider normal in British Columbia, with warmer, drier conditions increasing the risk of wildfire and drought,” said Kelly Greene, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. …The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR) is working closely with local governments and First Nations to prepare for the summer hazards, including hosting preparedness sessions throughout the province. EMCR is available 24/7 to support communities before, during and after emergencies. …Temperatures are increasing throughout B.C., and with that comes an elevated risk of wildfire. …Regardless of where people live or travel in B.C., it’s critical that everyone does their part to reduce the risk of wildfire. 
Hundreds of people were allowed to return to their homes in West Kelowna, B.C., on Tuesday evening after a fast-moving wildfire forced several neighbourhoods to evacuate earlier in the day. The local fire chief said the human-caused fire started in Kalamoir Regional Park in the late morning and quickly threatened hundreds of homes, some of which he said crews have saved by inches. …The fire started in Kalamoir Regional Park late Tuesday morning and quickly spread toward the Casa Loma and Lakeview Heights neighbourhoods, on a hillside above Okanagan Lake. …West Kelowna Fire Rescue said more than 100 firefighters worked to contain the flames against strong, gusting winds and dry conditions…. The fire, which officials say burned at least eight hectares of land, is listed as human-caused.
As South Georgia continues recovering from a destructive spring wildfire season, Gov. Brian Kemp has signed an executive order intended to help landowners and the forestry industry reduce economic losses caused by fire-damaged timber. The order temporarily increases allowable truck weights in 17 wildfire-impacted counties, giving landowners and timber operators more flexibility to move salvageable timber before it loses market value. State officials said timber damaged by wildfire can only be harvested and sold within a limited timeframe, making transportation a critical part of recovery efforts. The temporary weight allowance is designed to help speed the removal and transport of timber from wildfire-affected properties. The order comes as two of Georgia’s most significant wildfire incidents this year have finally reached 100% containment…