President Trump is expected to sign a bipartisan housing bill aimed at boosting homebuilding and improving affordability. In other Business news: BC Premier Eby is leading a trade mission to China; the EU eliminated tariffs on US wood products; Louisiana Pacific broke ground on a new Minnesota plant; the EPA denied a challenge to Humboldt Redwood’s air permit; and an update on the Longview paper mill investigation. Meanwhile: Vancouver’s newest timber tower is touted as one of Canada’s most earthquake-resilient buildings.
In Forestry news: BC created a new enforcement agency for the natural-resource sector; ENGOs call for BC to honour its forest-protection commitments; the US Forest Service launched a salvage logging project in Idaho and Montana; Oregon confirmed more emerald ash borer infestations; and SFI secured funding to improve aquatic habitat on certified lands. Meanwhile: the Saw Creek fire near Lytton, BC was declared held; a wildfire triggered evacuations in Utah; and crews made progress on Arizona’s Rock Canyon Fire.
Finally, a detector dog uncovers half a tonne of opium hidden inside industrial paper rolls.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
As part of ongoing work to diversify trade, Premier David Eby is leading a trade mission to China to strengthen commercial ties with the province’s second-largest trading partner and explore new opportunities to support good-paying jobs for people in British Columbia’s forestry, energy, tourism and agriculture sectors. … “China is the world’s second-largest economy and is our second-largest export market for B.C. goods and services. Encouraging tourism while selling more B.C. wood, agricultural products and energy will mean more money for families and more money to pay for the services British Columbians deserve,” said Premier Eby. …British Columbia and China share a longstanding partnership with collaboration across a range of areas from sustainable forest management to wood construction innovation and clean energy.
The European Union has formally removed its remaining tariffs on American wood-based industrial products after the European Parliament approved legislation implementing the long-awaited 
Local forest advocates gathered in Nelson on Monday to call on Premier David Eby’s government to increase protections for old-growth forests. Eby was in the region this week, visiting and touring local facilities. More than 140 people attended a demonstration outside Kootenay Central MLA Brittny Anderson’s office… Organizer Rita Corcoran said protesters relocated to Taghum Hall after learning Eby was expected to attend an event there. …“We were hoping to talk to him directly and give him that same message directly in person about what we want and that we feel disappointed in the leadership,” said Corcoran. “But he didn’t arrive.” …“I’ve seen the premier meet with protesters across the province, and I know he would have been happy to meet with them here in Nelson as well,” Anderson said. “The RCMP made a security assessment, and we have to respect the decision that they made.”
