Thank you for visiting the Tree Frog Forestry News
The Tree Frog Forestry News
September 8, 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.
Canada’s retaliatory tariffs worth $27.6 billion take effect as trade rift with U.S. deepens
By Jenni Reid
CNBC News
September 8, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States
Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on a swathe of U.S. goods took effect on Tuesday after trade talks collapsed last month, as relations between Washington and Ottawa continue to sour. The duties range from 15% to 50% across hundreds of U.S. products worth a total $27.6 billion, including dairy, agricultural equipment, paper, household appliances and electronics. Canadian tariffs on U.S. steel, aluminum and iron products doubled to 50%, while furniture, motorbikes, clothing and some beauty products were among the goods hit with the highest rate. …U.S. President Trump on Monday called for a boycott of Canadian airplane manufacturer Bombardier, posting on Truth Social: “NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES!” The U.S. exported $333.6 billion worth of goods to Canada, and imported $381.9 billion from its northern neighbor. …Economists say that while the impacted goods are a relatively small portion of overall trade, small- to medium-sized businesses and those in the most-impacted sectors face a severe blow.
Ottawa engages Forest Economic Advisors LLC to find five new markets for Canadian softwood lumber
The Western Standard
September 5, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada
Ottawa will pay BC consultant Forest Economics Advisors LLC of Port Coquitlam, $84,000 to identify five countries that could buy more Canadian softwood lumber, nearly a year after Prime Minister Carney announced a $1.2 billion plan to diversify the industry away from the US market. …The consultant will be tasked with estimating how much Canadian lumber could realistically be sold in each prospective market and how quickly exports could grow. The study will also examine demand forecasts, international trade patterns and transportation costs. Natural Resources additionally wants the consultant to calculate how much money Canadian sawmills would have to spend retooling their facilities to manufacture products suitable for the identified markets. “The department is seeking a comprehensive analysis that identifies likely offshore growth markets for softwood lumber demand and evaluates Canada’s ability to compete in and sell to those markets,” said the contract notice. The final report is due Jan. 29.
Negotiators to work with Domtar on potentially keeping Howe Sound mill open
By Sandra Thomas
The Coast Reporter
September 4, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West
It’s early days, but MLA Randene Neill says there is some “encouraging” news regarding the “indefinite idle” of the Howe Sound Pulp and Paper Mill and Bayview Fibre chipping facility in Port Mellon. “We have appointed two negotiators from the province and [mill owner] Domtar has accepted our offer of getting back to the table to see what we can do to save the mill and all of the jobs that depend on it,” Neill said. …The negotiators include Don Wright, who has served as the province’s deputy minister to the premier, cabinet secretary, and head of public service for years. …Don Kayne has also been named as negotiator. Kayne is the former president and CEO of Canfor. “These two are incredibly smart people and we’re confident that their experience and knowledge of the forest sector will support really good discussions with the Domtar team,” said Neill, MLA for Powell River – Sunshine Coast. “
Brink Forest Products to cut 50 jobs at its Prince George lumber plant
By Hanna Petersen
CBC News
September 5, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West
PRINCE GEORGE, BC — John Brink, CEO of Brink Forest Products, announced he will be cutting the number of employees from 85 workers to approximately 30 at his Prince George finger-joint lumber plant starting next week. …In the last year, Brink’s facilities in both Vanderhoof and Houston indefinitely ceased operations, resulting in more than 100 jobs lost. Between the three plants, Brink employed roughly 400 people. “In northern BC, it is a graveyard of sawmills through the communities,” he said. “Secondary manufacturers, in a lot of cases, rely on primary manufacturers for an input of fibre.” Brink says his company is not only navigating ongoing fibre supply challenges, but rising U.S. tariff costs, and limited access to financing. …As Canada is set to impose retaliatory tariffs on a number of products from the US, Brink expects costs to continue to rise. “Parts and pieces that we need imported from the US may be subject to duties.”
Tariffs have some mom-and-pop manufacturers considering move to United States
By Brett Bundale
The Canadian Press in CTV News
September 4, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East
A Canadian Muskoka chair maker hit hard by US tariffs is considering moving the bulk of its manufacturing to the United States. DFC Woodworks has been making outdoor wooden patio furniture including Muskoka chairs — also called Adirondack chairs — since 1955. The Kemptville, Ontario company exports about 70% of its furniture to the US, but those goods are now subject to a steep 50% US duty. …DFC Woodworks president François Bruneau said “If we raise prices, it will make us non-competitive and sales will go down. If we don’t, the tariffs will sink us.” The Muskoka chair maker’s dilemma illustrates the challenges facing many Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises, said Fen Hampson at Carleton University. DFC Woodworks makes all its outdoor patio furniture in Ontario using BC western red cedar and eastern select pine. …DFC Woodworks has diversified in recent years, growing sales to Europe with plans to export to Japan.
How a Pulp Mill Closure Could Cost Rural Alabama $7 Billion
By Ryan Dezember
The Wall Street Journal
September 4, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East
ALABAMA — The economic loss in the region around a pulp mill that closed in Alabama this spring could reach nearly $7 billion, according to a new study circulating around Southern statehouses and D.C. The Coosa Pines mill was relatively small compared with the containerboard mills that have shuttered throughout the pine belt and left timber growers without buyers for much of their wood. Forester Tom Richardson and Larry Wall, a financial adviser, crunched the numbers to show how economic losses extend beyond the more than 250 mill workers who lost jobs. …The bulk of the monetary loss is the mills’ direct economic impact over 10 years, but they also tallied losses in a region encompassing about a million acres southeast of Birmingham from which the mill had sourced wood. …They added the impact to loggers making fewer, longer trips to more distant mills. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]
To build in America, developers need to navigate the trade war
By Irene Galea
The Globe and Mail
September 7, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States
WASHINGTON, D.C. — West of the US Capitol Building, all that remains of a 50,000-seat football stadium are a few old signs and a dusty field full of gravel. …The site is now awaiting a new, US$3.7-billion stadium due for completion in 2030, with the surrounding parking lots later to be transformed into 5,500 housing units, commercial spaces and a new road system. But to give the NFL’s Washington Commanders a new home, the stadium’s developers will need to navigate a difficult construction environment that has slowed building across the US, one marked by rising material costs linked to tariffs, as well as fluctuating oil prices and a tight labour market. …“Just recently, we added a clause to our contracts about escalation of material costs,” said Justin Holtzman of Artisanal Builders, a general contractor, which works in Virginia and Washington. …Given the trade war with Canada, “we have to protect against that risk.” [Full story access requires a Globe and Mail subscription]
Upskill Employees in Industrial Wood Processing & Sawmilling
British Columbia Institute of Technology
August 14, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West
Are you looking to enhance your skills in the lumber and sawmill sector? Onboarding new employees that would benefit from formal education in the field? Are you seeking to provide your employees with essential business skills for professional development? BCIT is currently offering two Associate Certificates to help you: Industrial Wood Processing (IWP) and Business of Sawmilling (BOS). Both programs were developed with industry subject matter experts and informed by industry leaders to support upskilling and professional development for individuals in the lumber and sawmill sector. Each program is 1-year, delivered online and part-time to allow students to balance work and studies. The participants are new or existing employees in the North American lumber sector and are sponsored by their employers.
The Return of Wood: Mass timber, an innovation in construction, is changing architecture in Washington and beyond
By Lauren Gallow
The Seattle Times
September 5, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West
SEATTLE — Architect Susan Jones says …“For most of the 20th century, the architecture community has been separated from the origins of the materials we build with”. …Jones, along with a growing chorus of architects, engineers and forestry experts in Seattle and beyond, believes building with wood is better for our cities, and for our forests. …Mass timber buildings offer a more sustainable path forward. Steel and concrete release large amounts of greenhouse gases. …Erica Spiritos at the Washington Mass Timber Accelerator, promotes mass timber construction and research in the state. The organization recently helped get mass timber recognized in Washington’s 2025 Comprehensive Climate Action Plan, which sets out a road map for the state to cut greenhouse gas emissions while stimulating the economy. Today, Spiritos is focusing on the potential of mass timber for schools and is trying to make it easier for districts to use the material.
Lignin resin delivers flame retardancy without formaldehyde
European Coatings
September 8, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International
Researchers have developed a phosphorus-free and formaldehyde-free lignin-derived phenolic resin that combines intrinsic flame retardancy, robust adhesion and effective fire protection when applied as a coating on wood. The material offers a sustainable alternative to conventional petroleum-based phenolic resins. Conventional petroleum-derived phenolic resins face growing scrutiny due to sustainability concerns, inherent flammability and limited adhesion durability. In response, a recent study introduces a lignin-derived phenolic resin, designated SALG-PR, that is both phosphorus-free and formaldehyde-free. The material …delivers a fully bio-based network with multifunctional performance. The resin exhibits notable intrinsic flame retardancy, reaching a UL-94 V-0 rating and a limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 62.4 %, values comparable to established petroleum-based resins and to previously reported bio-based flame-retardant materials. Direct exposure to a butane torch for 300 s did not lead to burn-through, and infrared thermography confirmed effective localisation of heat within the flame-impinged region, indicating a strong barrier effect.
The Big Question: Is timber the secret to affordable housing in Europe?
By Hannah Brown & Angela Barnes
Euronews
September 7, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International
Subhra Bhattacharjee
Europe is scaling up its timber industry, but unsustainable growth could prove disastrous. According to the European Commission, the construction sector is responsible for over 35% of the EU’s total waste generation. …Dr. Bhattacharjee, director general of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) joined Angela Barnes to discuss whether Europe can scale up its sustainable timber industry and achieve its construction goals. With deadlines looming and environmental policy tightening, a clear shift towards the use of timber is under way in Europe …“There need not be a quality compromise, because recent innovations in engineered wood creates stronger and more versatile structures,” Subhra explained. And Subhra is confident it’s only going to get better as innovation continues. …“What would be an ideal scenario would be low-carbon cement, recycled steel and construction timber complementing in bringing down the carbon footprint of the entire sector and contributing to low-cost housing that is needed.”
B.C. wildfire salvage rate sparks debate over how much burned timber should be recovered
By Tchadas Leo
Chek News
September 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West
As B.C. recovers from another intense wildfire season, debate is growing over how much and how quickly timber from burned forests can, and should be recovered. B.C. Conservative Party MLA and forestry critic Ward Stamer says the province is moving too slowly and leaving too much valuable timber behind. …The province says that, on average, about five per cent of timber in wildfire-impacted areas is currently being salvaged. Stamer wants that rate to rise to 25 per cent and says the province should make better use of existing roads and infrastructure to improve access. …B.C. Forestry Minister Ravi Parmar says a 25 per cent salvage rate isn’t realistic, pointing to challenges including access, operability and safety. Stamer disputes that argument. …Stamer says the province could be doing more to get additional burned timber to market. A study from Université Laval found that fire-affected wood can split and is vulnerable to insects and fungal attacks.
B.C.’s deputy chief forester has determined the new allowable annual cut (AAC), the maximum amount of timber that can be harvested each year, for Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 30 in the Omineca region. The new AAC, which takes effect Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, is 340,000 cubic metres, a 17.6% reduction from the previous AAC. The deputy chief forester considered changes that have affected the amount of timber that can be sustainably harvested since the previous review. It includes the need to retain more trees for wildlife habitat, protect riparian areas and conserve rare ecosystems. TFL 30 overlaps the territory of the following First Nations: Lheidli T’enneh Nation; McLeod Lake Indian Band; West Moberly First Nations; and Tsay Keh Dene Nation. The determination considered issues raised by First Nations, including maintaining habitat for moose and protecting streams, riparian areas and fish habitat.
Cathedral Grove winner of The Search for B.C.’s Best Roadside Attraction
By Sophie Woodrooffe
CBC News
September 4, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West
Back in 1979 the narrow parking spaces were there, as were the trees. And so was Bill Beese. He was 23 at the time, working as a summer student for the forestry giant MacMillan Bloedel. And while he couldn’t conduct his field work inside the provincial park, his boss said he and the other students should stop there anyway. Just to look. Or rather, look up. “We were just awestruck,” said Beese. …”The name Cathedral Grove is very apt.” Nearly 50 years later, Beese is one of the thousands of voters who helped Cathedral Grove beat 31 challengers over the CBC’s five-week competition to determine the top thing people like to get out of their cars and look, or look up at. “It is literally a roadside attraction. The highway goes right through this magnificent old-growth forest. And it’s very unique,” said Beese, who, as a forest ecologist and retired Vancouver Island University forestry professor, admits bias.
People embedding metal spikes in trees in the Walbran Valley area are not associated with an activist group trying to stop old-growth logging, a member of the Walbran Watchdogs says. The tree spikes were identified in a B.C. Supreme Court ruling as an example of the “irreparable harm” suffered by Tsawak-qin Forestry Limited Partnership, which has rights to log in the area. The ruling extended an injunction against blocking roads and impeding logging in the area. The injunction had been set to expire on Sept. 13, but was extended to the end of January 2028. In an August ruling, Justice H. William Veenstra found that hundreds of trees had been spiked in the area, leading to damaged logging equipment and the potential for “significant risk of injury or death” to fallers and sawmill workers.
BC Timber Sales holding open house on controversial Mt. Rose Swanson logging plans
By Brendan Shykora
Summerland Review
September 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West
BC Timber Sales (BCTS) is holding an open house in Spallumcheen next week regarding its controversial proposal to harvest trees on Mount Rose Swanson, a popular recreation area in the community. The open house will take place at the Township of Spallumcheen Municipal Hall Thursday, Sept. 10. …The provincial agency that manages 20% of BC’s public timber harvest is proposing a new cut block and road development in its Rose Swanson operating area, located within the Okanagan-Shuswap natural resource districts. The planned timber licence would cover 35.7 hectares, spread over 15 smaller patches ranging from one to 4.3-ha openings. About 14,500 cubic metres of timber would be harvested, with an estimated 95 per cent of the areas’ deciduous aspen and cottonwood trees left standing. …The proposed cut block and logging road has drawn criticism since it was made public several years ago. …An online petition to halt logging on the mountain received 24,000 signatures.
State looks to boost salvage logging as wildfires scorch record amount of Washington lands
By Aspen Ford
Yakima Herald-Republic
September 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West
Don’t let the rain fool you. Summer wildfires burning through Washington just broke another record. They’ve scorched more than 886,000 acres. Of those, 93,000 acres are on state trust land, marking the record for the largest amount of state-managed land burned by fires in a season since recordkeeping began in 2000. Two-thirds of that state land was forests, meaning a hit to revenue from timber sales. Money from logging on Washington’s public land helps pay for schools and other parts of state and local government. Officials are now racing to sell the charred timber before it molds or becomes even less valuable. The state’s Board of Natural Resources this week voted to allow the Department of Natural Resources to sell more burned forestland without board approval. Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove touted it as a strategy to “maximize value to the trust.”
California’s wild forests need protection — not more roads
By Woody Smeck, 32 years with the National Park Service
San Luis Obispo Tribune
September 6, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West
California’s national forests contain some of the last truly wild landscapes in the American West. They protect drinking water, provide critical wildlife habitat, support recreation economies and give millions of people the chance to experience nature on its own terms. Today, those landscapes face a serious threat. The U.S. Forest Service is considering changes to its forest management rules that could weaken protections for roadless areas and expand motorized access across public lands. These may sound like technical regulatory changes, but they could open some of the most ecologically important and undeveloped parts of California’s national forests to new roads and motorized use. During 32 years with the National Park Service, including as superintendent of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and later as a regional manager overseeing parks across California and Nevada, I learned an important lesson: Once roads and motorized vehicles enter wild country, their impacts extend far beyond the road corridor itself.
Judge halts Washington forest buffer rule for timberlands
By Don Jenkins
The Capital Press
September 4, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West
A Thurston County, Washington, judge stayed a rule requiring larger riparian buffers on Western Washington timberland, putting on hold a regulation that would take 200,000 acres out of production. Superior Court Judge Christine Schaller on Sept. 3 granted a motion by two timber groups to stay the rule while they challenged the bigger buffers in the Court of Appeals Division II. The timber groups argue the expanded buffers will have negligible environmental benefits, while causing financial hardship to timberland owners and rural economies. …Schaller in August upheld the bigger buffers, saying she found no grounds to overrule the Forest Practices Board. The judge, however, acknowledged that the larger buffers will cause financial hardship and that the appeals court will review her decision. …The board adopted the bigger buffers in a 7-5 vote last year. The Washington Forest Protection Association and Washington Farm Forestry Association are challenging the buffers.
Climate change could increase pest and disease damage across North American forests
By Demetra Maragos
CTV News
September 4, 2026
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, United States
New research suggests climate change could leave Canada’s forests increasingly vulnerable to pests and disease in the coming decades, while a federal climate report projects a sharp increase in the area burned by wildfires across the country. A federal government report warns average temperatures in Canada could rise by at least 3.5 C by the end of the century, even if the world achieves net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, researchers at the University of British Columbia say climate change is expected to increase pest and disease damage across much of North America’s forests. The UBC study found more than 80 per cent of the forest area examined could experience higher levels of damage by the middle of the century. “Climate can influence the performance of both trees and the pests,” said Dr. Zihui Wang, a researcher in UBC’s Department of Botany.
The Yukon First Nations Wildfire (YFNW) organization has established a service to help homeowners, cabin dwellers, remote camps, and industrial sites figure out what might be needed and then they can supply good quality equipment. YFNW is customizing fire suppression kits for different locations. The most important piece is the pump. YFNW is a Waterax distributor. This brand is known for supplying professional wildland firefighting crews with versatile workhorse portable and mobile pumps. Their website (yfnwildfire.com) states “Yukon First Nations Wildfire (YFNW) is a partnership of nine Yukon First Nations stakeholders, providing emergency management and training services. …As a firefighting organization, YFNW deploys crews to fires in Yukon and elsewhere. …A water system can be viewed as an investment and one that could have a real impact … some thought to sprinklers- even ones set-up with no water, for fire crews to connect to on your home—is worth considering.
Records reveal complaints before deadly Washington pulp mill disaster
By Martha Bellisle
The Seattle Times
September 5, 2026
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US West
A Longview pulp mill where 11 workers died after a chemical tank collapsed in May had a history of safety complaints, poor maintenance and discharges of toxic chemicals, records reviewed by The Associated Press show. …The AP reviewed government records involving inspections and safety complaints at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging plant in Longview. Before the accident, the state Department of Ecology had issued 54 environmental violation notices against the company since 2016 and fined it $41,500 for eight serious violations. The state Department of Labor and Industries investigated more than a dozen safety complaints at the plant since 2018 and issued almost $7,000 in fines for violations. Its investigation into the tank collapse is ongoing, and it has opened two new investigations since May. …The multiple equipment failures and safety violations are a “red flag” for this company, said Stephen Kmiotek, a chemical engineering professor at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. [to access the full story a Seattle Times subscription is required]
Rain and cooler weather this week slowed several wildfires affecting Oregon’s national forests, letting crews strengthen containment lines and reopen trails and campgrounds closed by the flames. Officials warn the break won’t last, and Oregon’s fire season is far from over. The rain that fell over the Mount Hood National Forest this week has helped firefighters keep the Austin and Narrows Fires in check. In the wet, high-humidity conditions, both wildfires have burned slowly and crept with minimal growth. Crews will continue to build containment lines where the terrain allows and use heavy equipment to remove fuels — fallen logs, branches and shrubs — that allow fires to grow. As of Saturday, the Austin Fire has burned more than 12,500 acres and is 21% contained, while the Narrows Fire has burned just over 300 acres and is 25% contained. Level 3 “Go Now” evacuations remain in place for some community members impacted by the fires.
A major wildfire burning near Konitsa in northwestern Greece has put communities and protected forests at risk, forcing authorities to concentrate resources on stopping its advance through the rugged Northern Pindus landscape. The blaze started on Mount Trapezitsa on August 31 and later expanded after strong flare-ups. On Sunday, according to local media from the Epirus region, a massive firefighting operation is currently mobilizing 170 firefighters, 53 forest commandos, and 30 local volunteers, supported by 13 aircraft and over 70 ground vehicles. Local authorities and the Greek Armed Forces are also assisting with heavy machinery and water trucks to construct firebreaks, while the special Epirus drone unit has been deployed for the very first time to actively map the fire fronts. …Steep slopes and the lack of ground access have limited where firefighters can operate. Their immediate priorities are to prevent the flames from moving downhill toward Konitsa and to protect the wooded area above the town.
‘Truly scared’: Blazes outpace firefighters in Indonesian Borneo
Radio France Internationale
September 6, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International
Pontianak, Indonesia – Toiling around the clock, haggard Indonesian firefighters on Borneo island cannot keep up with the blazes devouring landscapes and shrouding communities in a cloying haze. They are fighting a perilous battle with limited weapons against fires blamed in part on a stronger-than-usual episode of the El Nino climate phenomenon parching Southeast Asia. Experts also blame climate change, decades of forest degradation and slash-and-burn land clearing practices that have changed the naturally fire-resistant landscape. “We are exhausted. Sometimes we carry out firefighting until dawn. Sometimes we don’t sleep,” said Sampe Ritonga, fire chief for Sintang regency. …Some 400 kilometres (250 miles) away in Pontianak — the capital of West Kalimantan province — people have been breathing foul air for weeks. …on Sunday, the level of PM2.5 pollution exceeded 500 micrograms per cubic metre, according to IQAir, a Switzerland-based monitor. That is more than 100 times the World Health Organization’s recommended safe limit
Record European fires burn over 500,000 hectares over summer
Associated Free Press in France 24
September 4, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International
Paris, France – A record-breaking summer that saw more than 1,000 wildfires has torched some 540,000 hectares of land across the European Union since mid-June, according to official data. Multiple back-to-back heatwaves fuelled by climate change scorched Europe, causing more than 30,000 excess deaths, widespread drought and devastating wildfires that forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes, particularly in Spain and France. Temperature records across the continent were smashed, triggering dangerous blazes even in normally cool, wet areas such as Belgium and Scotland. …Four of the EU’s 15 largest fires of the last 10 years occurred this summer, according to European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) data. …Before the end of July, France had already broken its record for the total area burned in a single year since records began. …Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy are among the other southern EU nations that experienced an active fire season, a common summer phenomenon in the region.
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.
Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on a swathe of U.S. goods took effect on Tuesday after trade talks collapsed last month, as relations between Washington and Ottawa continue to sour. The duties range from 15% to 50% across hundreds of U.S. products worth a total $27.6 billion, including dairy, agricultural equipment, paper, household appliances and electronics. Canadian tariffs on U.S. steel, aluminum and iron products doubled to 50%, while furniture, motorbikes, clothing and some beauty products were among the goods hit with the highest rate. …U.S. President Trump on Monday called for a boycott of Canadian airplane manufacturer Bombardier, posting on Truth Social: “NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES!” The U.S. exported $333.6 billion worth of goods to Canada, and imported $381.9 billion from its northern neighbor. …Economists say that while the impacted goods are a relatively small portion of overall trade, small- to medium-sized businesses and those in the most-impacted sectors face a severe blow.
Ottawa will pay BC consultant Forest Economics Advisors LLC of Port Coquitlam, $84,000 to identify five countries that could buy more Canadian softwood lumber, nearly a year after Prime Minister Carney announced a $1.2 billion plan to diversify the industry away from the US market. …The consultant will be tasked with estimating how much Canadian lumber could realistically be sold in each prospective market and how quickly exports could grow. The study will also examine demand forecasts, international trade patterns and transportation costs. Natural Resources additionally wants the consultant to calculate how much money Canadian sawmills would have to spend retooling their facilities to manufacture products suitable for the identified markets. “The department is seeking a comprehensive analysis that identifies likely offshore growth markets for softwood lumber demand and evaluates Canada’s ability to compete in and sell to those markets,” said the contract notice. The final report is due Jan. 29.
Are you looking to enhance your skills in the lumber and sawmill sector? Onboarding new employees that would benefit from formal education in the field? Are you seeking to provide your employees with essential business skills for professional development? BCIT is currently offering two Associate Certificates to help you: 
SEATTLE — Architect Susan Jones says …“For most of the 20th century, the architecture community has been separated from the origins of the materials we build with”. …Jones, along with a growing chorus of architects, engineers and forestry experts in Seattle and beyond, believes building with wood is better for our cities, and for our forests. …Mass timber buildings offer a more sustainable path forward. Steel and concrete release large amounts of greenhouse gases. …Erica Spiritos at the 
Researchers have developed a phosphorus-free and formaldehyde-free lignin-derived phenolic resin that combines intrinsic flame retardancy, robust adhesion and effective fire protection when applied as a coating on wood. The material offers a sustainable alternative to conventional petroleum-based phenolic resins. Conventional petroleum-derived phenolic resins face growing scrutiny due to sustainability concerns, inherent flammability and limited adhesion durability. In response, a recent study introduces a lignin-derived phenolic resin, designated SALG-PR, that is both phosphorus-free and formaldehyde-free. The material …delivers a fully bio-based network with multifunctional performance. The resin exhibits notable intrinsic flame retardancy, reaching a UL-94 V-0 rating and a limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 62.4 %, values comparable to established petroleum-based resins and to previously reported bio-based flame-retardant materials. Direct exposure to a butane torch for 300 s did not lead to burn-through, and infrared thermography confirmed effective localisation of heat within the flame-impinged region, indicating a strong barrier effect.
As B.C. recovers from another intense wildfire season, debate is growing over how much and how quickly timber from burned forests can, and should be recovered. B.C. Conservative Party MLA and forestry critic Ward Stamer says the province is moving too slowly and leaving too much valuable timber behind. …The province says that, on average, about five per cent of timber in wildfire-impacted areas is currently being salvaged. Stamer wants that rate to rise to 25 per cent and says the province should make better use of existing roads and infrastructure to improve access. …B.C. Forestry Minister Ravi Parmar says a 25 per cent salvage rate isn’t realistic, pointing to challenges including access, operability and safety. Stamer disputes that argument. …Stamer says the province could be doing more to get additional burned timber to market. A study from Université Laval found that fire-affected wood can split and is vulnerable to insects and fungal attacks.
B.C.’s deputy chief forester has determined the new allowable annual cut (AAC), the maximum amount of timber that can be harvested each year, for Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 30 in the Omineca region. The new AAC, which takes effect Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, is 340,000 cubic metres, a 17.6% reduction from the previous AAC. The deputy chief forester considered changes that have affected the amount of timber that can be sustainably harvested since the previous review. It includes the need to retain more trees for wildlife habitat, protect riparian areas and conserve rare ecosystems. TFL 30 overlaps the territory of the following First Nations: Lheidli T’enneh Nation; McLeod Lake Indian Band; West Moberly First Nations; and Tsay Keh Dene Nation. The determination considered issues raised by First Nations, including maintaining habitat for moose and protecting streams, riparian areas and fish habitat.
Back in 1979 the narrow parking spaces were there, as were the trees. And so was Bill Beese. He was 23 at the time, working as a summer student for the forestry giant MacMillan Bloedel. And while he couldn’t conduct his field work inside the provincial park, his boss said he and the other students should stop there anyway. Just to look. Or rather, look up. “We were just awestruck,” said Beese. …”The name Cathedral Grove is very apt.” Nearly 50 years later, Beese is one of the thousands of voters who helped Cathedral Grove beat 31 challengers over the CBC’s five-week competition to determine the top thing people like to get out of their cars and look, or look up at. “It is literally a roadside attraction. The highway goes right through this magnificent old-growth forest. And it’s very unique,” said Beese, who, as a forest ecologist and retired Vancouver Island University forestry professor, admits bias. 
People embedding metal spikes in trees in the Walbran Valley area are not associated with an activist group trying to stop old-growth logging, a member of the Walbran Watchdogs says. The tree spikes were identified in a B.C. Supreme Court ruling as an example of the “irreparable harm” suffered by Tsawak-qin Forestry Limited Partnership, which has rights to log in the area. The ruling extended an injunction against blocking roads and impeding logging in the area. The injunction had been set to expire on Sept. 13, but was extended to the end of January 2028. In an August ruling, Justice H. William Veenstra found that hundreds of trees had been spiked in the area, leading to damaged logging equipment and the potential for “significant risk of injury or death” to fallers and sawmill workers. 
BC Timber Sales (BCTS) is holding an open house in Spallumcheen next week regarding its controversial proposal to harvest trees on Mount Rose Swanson, a popular recreation area in the community. The open house will take place at the Township of Spallumcheen Municipal Hall Thursday, Sept. 10. …The provincial agency that manages 20% of BC’s public timber harvest is proposing a new cut block and road development in its Rose Swanson operating area, located within the Okanagan-Shuswap natural resource districts. The planned timber licence would cover 35.7 hectares, spread over 15 smaller patches ranging from one to 4.3-ha openings. About 14,500 cubic metres of timber would be harvested, with an estimated 95 per cent of the areas’ deciduous aspen and cottonwood trees left standing. …The proposed cut block and logging road has drawn criticism since it was made public several years ago. …An online petition to halt logging on the mountain received 24,000 signatures.
Don’t let the rain fool you. Summer wildfires burning through Washington just broke another record. They’ve scorched more than 886,000 acres. Of those, 93,000 acres are on state trust land, marking the record for the largest amount of state-managed land burned by fires in a season since recordkeeping began in 2000. Two-thirds of that state land was forests, meaning a hit to revenue from timber sales. Money from logging on Washington’s public land helps pay for schools and other parts of state and local government. Officials are now racing to sell the charred timber before it molds or becomes even less valuable. The state’s Board of Natural Resources this week voted to allow the Department of Natural Resources to sell more burned forestland without board approval. Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove touted it as a strategy to “maximize value to the trust.”
A Thurston County, Washington, judge stayed a rule requiring larger riparian buffers on Western Washington timberland, putting on hold a regulation that would take 200,000 acres out of production. Superior Court Judge Christine Schaller on Sept. 3 granted a motion by two timber groups to stay the rule while they challenged the bigger buffers in the Court of Appeals Division II. The timber groups argue the expanded buffers will have negligible environmental benefits, while causing financial hardship to timberland owners and rural economies. …Schaller in August upheld the bigger buffers, saying she found no grounds to overrule the Forest Practices Board. The judge, however, acknowledged that the larger buffers will cause financial hardship and that the appeals court will review her decision. …The board adopted the bigger buffers in a 7-5 vote last year. The Washington Forest Protection Association and Washington Farm Forestry Association are challenging the buffers.
New research suggests climate change could leave Canada’s forests increasingly vulnerable to pests and disease in the coming decades, while a federal climate report projects a sharp increase in the area burned by wildfires across the country. A federal government report warns average temperatures in Canada could rise by at least 3.5 C by the end of the century, even if the world achieves net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, researchers at the University of British Columbia say climate change is expected to increase pest and disease damage across much of North America’s forests. The UBC study found more than 80 per cent of the forest area examined could experience higher levels of damage by the middle of the century. “Climate can influence the performance of both trees and the pests,” said Dr. Zihui Wang, a researcher in UBC’s Department of Botany.
Pontianak, Indonesia – Toiling around the clock, haggard Indonesian firefighters on Borneo island cannot keep up with the blazes devouring landscapes and shrouding communities in a cloying haze. They are fighting a perilous battle with limited weapons against fires blamed in part on a stronger-than-usual episode of the El Nino climate phenomenon parching Southeast Asia. Experts also blame climate change, decades of forest degradation and slash-and-burn land clearing practices that have changed the naturally fire-resistant landscape. “We are exhausted. Sometimes we carry out firefighting until dawn. Sometimes we don’t sleep,” said Sampe Ritonga, fire chief for Sintang regency. …Some 400 kilometres (250 miles) away in Pontianak — the capital of West Kalimantan province — people have been breathing foul air for weeks. …on Sunday, the level of PM2.5 pollution exceeded 500 micrograms per cubic metre, according to IQAir, a Switzerland-based monitor. That is more than 100 times the World Health Organization’s recommended safe limit
Paris, France – A record-breaking summer that saw more than 1,000 wildfires has torched some 540,000 hectares of land across the European Union since mid-June, according to official data. Multiple back-to-back heatwaves fuelled by climate change scorched Europe, causing more than 30,000 excess deaths, widespread drought and devastating wildfires that forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes, particularly in Spain and France. Temperature records across the continent were smashed, triggering dangerous blazes even in normally cool, wet areas such as Belgium and Scotland. …Four of the EU’s 15 largest fires of the last 10 years occurred this summer, according to European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) data. …Before the end of July, France had already broken its record for the total area burned in a single year since records began. …Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy are among the other southern EU nations that experienced an active fire season, a common summer phenomenon in the region.