The deadline for public comment on the US Roadless Rule arrives today, as opponents raise concerns in West Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia. In related news: a BC study finds protecting the forest floor helps preserve soil carbon; the Haida Nation is creating artificial dens for black bears; and BC Forest Professionals manage timber and water in the Koksilah watershed. Meanwhile: the US Supreme Court heard arguments in a major climate liability case; and the US Endowment launched a new forest carbon data platform.
In Business news: RYAM has begun an indefinite shutdown of its Témiscaming, Quebec mill; Montana’s Marks Lumber announced plans to close; Domtar names manager for Wisconsin paper mill; and Northwestern Ontario’s Boreal Springboard program will support forest-based business opportunities. Meanwhile: Canada’s trade surplus is driven by natural resources; Arkansas has a fuel cost crisis; US hardwood log exports rise; and UK housing starts decline.
Finally, BCIT is calling for wood product experts to develop a new industry micro-credential.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
Time after time, week after week, there is yet another story lamenting Canada’s continued reliance on its resource economy. Wood, minerals, oil, gas and more are written or spoken of as antiquated, crumbling foundations of an economy that must supposedly grow up and embrace the world of tech and renewable energy. In June 2026, Canadian merchandise exports reached a record $78 billion, while imports totalled $73.8 billion, producing a $4.2-billion trade surplus. Why? Because Canada’s natural resource economy has proven once again that it can generate enough export earnings to offset deficits elsewhere in merchandise trade, supporting national income and domestic production. According to Statistics Canada’s merchandise data, five resource and resource-based product categories stand out. …Combined, they accounted for $46.2 billion in exports, while accounting for just $18.9 billion in imports, for a surplus of around $27.4 billion. Compare that with every other merchandise category in Canada, which ran a combined deficit of roughly $23.2 billion.
UK residential construction remains in a slump, with the value of started projects 33% lower than the same period last year, according to new data from Glenigan. The value of started projects fell 8% in the three months to the end of September 2026, the construction experts found. The figures, published in the October 2026 edition of the Glenigan Construction Index, show weakness continuing across the housing market despite growing government ambitions to increase housebuilding. The index tracks underlying construction projects valued at £100m or less, unless otherwise stated. The residential figures underline the gap between the government’s housebuilding ambitions and the number of schemes actually getting under way. …Overall construction activity also remained subdued. The value of underlying projects starting on site fell 2% against the preceding three months and was 18% below the level seen a year earlier.
Nature-based infrastructure (NBI) delivers essential services like flood protection, water regulation, and climate resilience, but remains difficult to finance because its value shows up as avoided costs, not direct revenue. Drawing on 45 assessments across 29 countries, this report shows that for every USD invested, NBI delivers USD 3.21 in benefits, and sets out how to finance it at scale. Nature-based infrastructure (NBI), such as wetlands, forests, coastal systems, and urban green spaces, is increasingly recognized as a viable alternative to conventional “grey” infrastructure. NBI delivers essential services such as flood protection, water regulation, and climate resilience, while also restoring ecosystems and supporting local livelihoods. Despite this potential, NBI remains difficult to finance. Its value often shows up as avoided costs and co-benefits rather than direct revenue, making it hard to fit into conventional infrastructure appraisal and budgeting. IISD has spent five years building the evidence base to close this gap. 
Forest soils store an estimated 40% of the world’s terrestrial carbon, but estimates suggest that around 15–30% of that soil carbon is lost when a forest is harvested. Tracking such losses can be tricky: wildfires, insects, disease and past forest management can all affect forest soil carbon stores, and tree type, climate and harvesting method can all affect how much carbon is lost. The BC Long-Term Soil Productivity (BC-LTSP) study is a long-term forest experiment that researchers used to examine how organic matter removal and soil compaction have affected soil carbon over the past 20 years, how soil carbon and the forest floor recover after heavy harvesting, and how latitude and climate affect soil carbon. The research is published in the 
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas— The timber industry has been vital in Arkansas, contributing more than $7 billion to the state’s GDP. But today, that industry is struggling. …It all has to do with gas prices. …Jeremy Erwin, a 3rd-generation logger running Erwin Resources Services in Fordyce, says “a typical company probably burns a million dollars a year in fuel, and this year, it’s going to hit 2 (million dollars).” …”Our rates probably went up 14-15% on the logging side. …These lifelong loggers are urging Arkansas policy-makers to do something to help stop the bleeding. And as of last week, some relief could be ahead. On September 29th, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee-Sanders signed an executive order that would allow loggers and farmers to use dyed diesel fuel on public highways. This fuel is tax-free and could offer some much-needed assistance.
The Supreme Court appeared divided and searching for consensus Monday in a major case involving climate change that could determine whether local governments can sue producers of fossil fuels for potentially billions of dollars in damages over alleged marketing deception and the impacts of global warming. Boulder, Colorado brought the case against Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy. …A victory for the city would clear the way for its claims — and dozens of similar cases elsewhere — to move forward in state courts but would likely not be the final word in the dispute. “This case involves an unprecedented effort to use state law to regulate global conduct,” argued Kannon Shanmugam, an attorney for the energy companies. “If Boulder’s claims are allowed to go forward, some 90,000 municipalities across the country will have the ability to make national and international energy policy by asking juries to impose catastrophic damages on selected fossil-fuel producers.”
BOULDER, Colorado — To walk deep into the mountain forests at the doorstep of the Rocky Mountains, is to encounter the fragrant majesty of century-old ponderosa pine trees famous for lining ski slopes, National Park trails and residential neighborhoods. Now, those iconic Colorado trees — already under strain from record heat and prolonged drought — are threatened by a rapidly growing outbreak of silent killers: the mountain pine beetle. The mountain pine beetle is the size of a grain of rice but can inflict colossal harm to forests. …More than 700,000 acres in Colorado are affected, officials say. Climate change is blamed for supercharging the emerging outbreak, with no end in sight. …The cost of responding to the pine beetle outbreak, along with the financial impacts from other climate-change influenced environmental threats, are at the heart of a major