Daily News for September 21, 2026

Today’s Takeaway

British Columbia targets forest sector in $90M response to US tariffs

The Tree Frog Forestry News
September 21, 2026
Category: Today's Takeaway

The BC government announced $90M in tariff support with forest-dependent communities given priority. In related news: BC’s forest critic said mills could close within months; Canada gave Conifex Timber a $30M loan; New Hampshire enacted legislation giving preference to US-harvested lumber; and a First Nation filed lawsuit claims 14% of Vancouver Island. In Wood Products news: a fire demo highlights the benefits of wildfire-resistant construction; and a Long Island charter school showcases mass timber design.

In Forestry/Wildfire news: the pros and cons of BC’s proposed Working Forest Model; the Union of BC Municipalities backs call to ban log exports; BC Timber Sales seeks input on its Robson Valley plan; Murray Wilson responds to criticism of his BC Is Burning film; Ontario invests in Indigenous biomass projects; Quebec’s caribou are at a breaking point; Oregon will return federal forestland to Confederated Tribes; and forester Keith Coulter makes the case for rolling back the Roadless Rule. Meanwhile: the CIF and SFI celebrate National Forest Week; the ILMA WTF? Convention kicks off today; and Peggy McDougall, RPF Ret-SK receives the 2026 Christopher Lee Memorial Scholarship.

Finally, on herbicides: glyphosate’s role in forest management is defended; Bayer’s influence over EPA regulation of dicamba is questioned.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor

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Business & Politics

We can be a wealthy nation’: B.C. hereditary chief explains First Nation’s bid for large swath of Vancouver Island

By Gordon Hoekstra
Vancouver Sun
September 18, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Jerry Jack

…In late 2024, the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation filed a lawsuit in B.C. Supreme Court seeking a declaration of Aboriginal title to a large area that tracks inland from Yuquot, also called Friendly Cove, along Nootka Sound, and where the tiny communities of Gold River and Tahsis are located. The area the Mowachaht/Muchalaht are claiming Aboriginal title to is 4,300 square kilometres of sparsely settled, forested area, nearly 14 per cent of Vancouver Island. …In its filing, the Mowachaht/Muchalaht says the province has infringed its Aboriginal title by authorizing logging, forestry roads and log handling without fair compensation. …The Mowachaht/Muchalaht are seeking a declaration of title and infringement, an accounting and repayment of provincial revenues from the claimed territory, and unspecified compensation and damages. …Jerry Jack, a hereditary chief of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht said they don’t want to stop forestry, but they want control over resource extraction. …Jack stressed their title case is not seeking private land. [A Vancouver Sun subscription may be required for full access]

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New supports for businesses, communities affected by U.S. tariffs

By Ministry of Jobs and Economic Growth
Government of British Columbia
September 18, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

A comprehensive support package will fill the gap and help BC businesses affected by US tariffs produce and sell more of their products locally as well as overseas. … “President Trump’s unfair trade war is an attack on BC workers, businesses and communities – especially in our forest sector,” said Premier David Eby. “BThat’s why we’re enhancing proven programs to help BC businesses find new customers, create jobs and build a stronger, more resilient and self-reliant economy.” The support package provides new funding to existing programs:

  • An additional $30M for a renewed BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund
  • An additional $30M for the Integrated Marketplace initiative
  • An additional $15M for the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program
  • And, $15M will expand the BuyBC program beyond agriculture

With the biggest impact from US tariffs being placed on BC’s forest sector, this support package includes a commitment that funding applications from the forestry sector and forest-reliant communities will be prioritized.

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Government of Canada commits financial support to Conifex Timber

By Department of Finance Canada
Government of Canada
September 18, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

In the face of ongoing trade disputes, including those around softwood lumber, the Government of Canada is taking decisive action to support the forest sector. We are committed to protecting workers and jobs, and giving Canadian companies the stability they need to weather short-term shocks and retool for a stronger, more diversified future. In support of that commitment, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue, today highlighted a $30-million loan to Conifex Timber Inc. through the Large Enterprise Tariff Loan (LETL) facility. The funding provided through LETL will help the company adapt to current conditions, support its workers, and build a more secure future for the community of Mackenzie, British Columbia. This support comes as the Government of Canada enhances the LETL facility to better meet the needs of Canadian employers facing continued trade uncertainty.

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Kamloops-area mills could face closure within months, forestry critic Stamer says

By Michael Potestio
Castanet
September 20, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ward Stamer

More Interior mills could close within months as B.C.’s forestry sector struggles with permitting delays and limited timber access, according to Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer. His warning follows a letter to Premier David Eby calling for urgent action on permitting delays, U.S. tariffs and other challenges facing the industry. …Stamer, a B.C. Conservative MLA and the Opposition critic for forestry, told Castanet he is concerned the province has yet to announce any meetings in response to the letter. He pointed to the recent closures of Domtar’s Howe Sound pulp mill and Canfor’s Northwood mill as signs the industry is struggling. …He warned that more mills, potentially including those in the Kamloops area, could close within three to four months if markets remain soft. Stamer said the government needs to streamline permitting while maintaining First Nations consultation. …”Aspen Planers is screaming for fibre in Merritt, and they’ve been shut down for a year,” Stamer said.

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Georgia-Pacific tests autonomous drone system at Alabama pulp mill to monitor construction progress

Tissue Magazine
September 16, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Georgia-Pacific is testing an autonomous drone system at its Alabama River Cellulose mill in Perdue Hill, Alabama, to monitor construction progress on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. The company described the trial as its first use of an autonomous drone for this type of industrial work. …Georgia-Pacific began evaluating an automated approach to standardise image collection, reduce the amount of manual work required and limit a pilot’s exposure to hazards within the industrial facility. The system is intended to provide regular and more consistent progress information to project leaders and other decision-makers while allowing employees to dedicate more time to higher-value work. …The work is intended to support reality capture, three-dimensional modelling and integrated data workflows, with the longer-term objective of developing a connected digital twin that can enable safer project execution, faster decisions and greater operational value.

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Australian Timber Gets New Watchdog for Dumping and Import Surges

By Jason Ross
Wood Central Australia
September 18, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

Timber, furniture, and textile workers will have a new weapon against wood products shut out of the United States and Canada, after Federal Parliament passed laws handing a renamed Anti-Dumping Commission the job of investigating import surges. That is according to the Timber, Furnishing and Textiles Union, which said on Thursday that the vote caps a campaign of more than a decade. “When the US, Canada, the EU, China and other major economies shut products out of their markets, those goods don’t disappear,” said Leo Skourdoumbis, the union’s acting national secretary. …Canada placed a provisional 25% safeguard surtax on certain imported wood cabinets and vanities from 31 July, the example the union holds up for Australia. …The Albanese Government will rename the Anti-Dumping Commission the Australian Trade Remedies Commission under the Customs Amendment Bill 2026. Dumping, subsidy, and safeguard cases will go before that one body, which reports through Industry Minister Tim Ayres.

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Finance & Economics

US pulp prices hold flat as NBSK and BHK spot markets show recovery signs ahead of closures

By Bryan Smith
RISI Fastmarkets
September 18, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States, International

Bryan Smith

Preliminary September US contract pulp prices were flat across paper-grade bleached softwood kraft (BSK) and bleached hardwood kraft (BHK) market pulp, while fluff pulp declined by as much as $30 per tonne during a time when offshore erosion continued. As the industry prepared for a fall season that typically sees demand improve during a time when maintenance downtime keeps producer inventories in check, market participants cast an eye on spot markets globally for signs of what’s next. …US northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp preliminary September effective list prices held unchanged at $1,570 per tonne, according to Fastmarkets surveying. Southern bleached softwood kraft (SBSK) was also flat, with the preliminary list at $1,505 per tonne. …The announced closures of Canfor and Domtar market NBSK mills in Canada have market participants wondering if prices could recover once the physical impact of closures takes place. So far, they have not had much impact.

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Wood Framing Continues to Dominate Single-Family Construction

By Jing Fu
NAHB Eye on Housing
September 21, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Wood framing continues to dominate the U.S. single-family home construction market, according to NAHB analysis of 2025 Census Bureau data. In 2025, wood framing accounted for 94% of all completed single-family homes, maintaining its position as the leading construction method. Concrete-framed homes represented 5% of completions, while steel-framed homes remained relatively rare, comprising half a percent of the market. On a count basis, approximately 947,000 wood-framed homes were completed in 2025. This was a 1% decrease compared to the 2024 total. Despite the decline in the number of wood-framed homes, the wood-framed market share remained unchanged at 94% in 2025. Steel-framed homes, while still uncommon, continued to increase. About 5,000 steel-framed homes were completed in 2025, representing a 25% increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, concrete-framed homes also experienced a decline. The concrete market share remained at 5% in 2025, while the number of concrete-framed homes completed fell to approximately 53,000, a 4% decrease compared to the prior year. 

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Fire demo shows what happens when a home is built for wildfire — and what it’s like when it’s not

By Emma VanderEinde
NPR News, Colorado
September 20, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

©IBHS

Two small mock homes stood outside the West Metro Fire Rescue Training Center in Lakewood. Firefighters intentionally lit the mulch and surrounding plants on fire in front of both of them, but only one home went up in flames. That home, constructed with normal building materials, was quickly fully engulfed in large flames with smoke and soot flying everywhere. It had a wood fence, spare firewood up against the side of the house, and evergreens on either side. The other home, however, was essentially untouched. It was designed with wildfire in mind – plants are five feet away, and it used multi-paned glass and a metal fence.  The gathering of local and state fire leaders aimed to show what happens when a home is built with wildfire-conscious materials. …The wildfire-mitigated home was designed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.

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Evergreen Charter School: Mass timber, community, and inclusive design

By Tiffany Coppock
The Construction Specifier
September 19, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

NEW YORK — In the Village of Hempstead on Long Island, NY, architecture is doing much more than providing educational infrastructure. At the Evergreen Charter School, which opened in August 2025, the mass timber building itself has become part of the educational mission. Students learn not only about curriculum subjects but also experience how sustainability, wellness, and community identity come together to support an immersive learning experience. Located in an economically challenged part of Nassau County, Evergreen Charter School defies the notion that high-performance or mass-timber architecture is reserved for affluent districts. Instead, the school showcases how intentional design and applied building science can serve communities that have historically had limited access to architecturally ambitious learning spaces. …Rather than pursuing an all-timber structure, the design team employed cross-laminated timber floor decks on a steel frame for the primary school building. A full mass-timber cafeteria was added, becoming the “crown jewel” of the project.

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New Hampshire gives US lumber preference in state-funded buildings

New Hampshire Senate Bill 529
September 18, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

CONCORD, New Hampshire — The State of New Hampshire has enacted legislation requiring state-funded building projects to give preference to lumber harvested in the United States. Senate Bill 529, which took effect August 18, requires material specifications for state-funded buildings to favour US-harvested lumber unless design requirements necessitate imported material. The law also directs construction drawings and specifications using US softwood framing lumber to reference US-sourced spruce-pine-fir. In its fiscal analysis, the state’s Department of Administrative Services said the financial impact could not be determined, noting that stronger demand could strain domestic lumber production. The department also said higher demand, combined with tariffs on Canadian lumber, could lead to higher US lumber costs. New Hampshire has separately amended its building code to require locally harvested and milled Spruce-Pine-Fir South (SPFS) lumber to be accepted wherever SPF is specified, provided applicable grading and structural-design requirements are met. That provision takes effect October 15.

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Forestry

People, Forests And The Future: Peggy McDougall Receives 2026 Christopher Lee Memorial Scholarship

By Sandra Bishop
Canadian Forest Owners
September 16, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Peggy McDougall

Ottawa, ON—Canadian Forest Owners (CFO) is pleased to announce Peggy McDougall, RPF Ret-SK, as the recipient of the 2026 Christopher Lee Memorial Scholarship, recognizing her commitment to forestry education and supporting her graduate research into innovative approaches to building forest literacy. McDougall is a retired forestry professional with more than 35 years of experience in the sector. She is currently a high school librarian and a part-time Master of Science in Forestry student at the University of New Brunswick (UNB). A seventh-generation woodlot owner in New Brunswick, she brings to her studies a lifelong connection to forest stewardship, combined with extensive professional experience and a passion for public education. …The Christopher Lee Memorial Scholarship was established to honour the memory of Christopher Lee and his contribution to Canada’s forestry community. The scholarship supports students pursuing education and research that will contribute to the future of forestry in Canada.

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How to participate in National Forest Week

The Canadian Institute of Forestry
September 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

The sustainable future of Canada’s forests is shaped by science and innovation. From advanced monitoring technologies to evolving management practices, innovation-driven forestry balances ecological integrity with economic opportunity. By embracing science, innovation and diverse global perspectives, we support resilient forests that will provide environmental, social, and economic benefits in a changing world. Discover how innovation is shaping a sustainable forestry future by following #NationalForestWeek. From September 20-26, 2026, we’re inviting Canadians to learn more about the forest sector and its significance to Canada’s culture, history, and future, while also supporting a greater recognition of forests as a valuable, renewable and green resource. To help you celebrate, we have created daily sub-themes, a social media content schedule, activities, contests, and resources. There are also a number of NFW events that take place across Canada, and additional ways to participate such as taking a walk in the woods nearby or organizing a tree plant.

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The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Celebrates National Forest Week in Canada

By the Sustainable Forestry Initiative
LinkedIn
September 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

This week (Sept. 20-26) marks National Forest Week in Canada, a time to recognize the importance of our forests and the people who help steward them for future generations. Indigenous leadership plays a vital role in advancing sustainable forest management, conservation, and wildfire resilience across Canada. At SFI, we recognize that advancing forest sustainability requires meaningful partnership with Indigenous Peoples and are committed to elevating Indigenous voices and perspectives. Our latest Indigenous Rights and Relationship Building Spotlight video features the Tsuut’ina Nation, highlighting voices from the community to share their knowledge, experiences, and leadership. The series showcases the Tsuut’ina Nation’s leadership in forest stewardship, wildfire mitigation, and youth education across its Traditional Territories, as well as its collaboration with SFI-certified West Fraser Cochrane. This work aligns closely with Objective 10 of the SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard, which focuses on fire resilience, wildfire risk reduction, and community awareness…

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BC Is Burning: Setting the Record Straight on Wildfire and Forest Management

By Murray Wilson, Producer, B.C. Is Burning, Retired Forester
Tree Frog News Submission
September 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Filmmaker Murray Wilson responds to criticism of the documentary’s case for active forest management:

I welcome criticism of BC Is Burning, but Emily Milne’s article misrepresents the film. The film argues that fuel is the part of wildfire risk we can directly manage on the ground, and that BC has not treated enough of it near communities. The tools include, where appropriate, thinning, prescribed and Indigenous cultural burning, and regeneration harvesting. I do say we should increase harvest to reduce fire risk. I mean where risk warrants it, particularly around communities, not logging more everywhere. … What the article largely lacks is an alternative. I agree prescribed fire and Indigenous cultural burning are important, but they will not be enough or appropriate everywhere. If the argument is that we should not thin or harvest and should largely leave these forests alone, say so and explain how that reduces wildfire risk to communities. We need active forest management particularly where wildfire risk is high, with measurable results and treatment at a scale large enough to make a difference.

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BC Timber Sales seeks input on Robson Valley forest plan

By Kevin Gibson
The Rocky Mountain Goat in the Penticton Herald
September 19, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Residents will have two months to comment on an amended forest stewardship plan covering BC Timber Sales operations in the Robson Valley and surrounding areas. BC Timber Sales’ Prince George Business Area has amended its Forest Stewardship Plan for operations within the Prince George and Mackenzie forest districts. The Prince George district includes the Robson Valley. The draft amended plan will be available for public review and comment from September 21st until November 20th. The amended plan is relevant locally because its geographic scope includes BC Timber Sales operating areas in the Robson Valley. It establishes the rules and strategies BCTS must follow when proposing future roads and timber harvesting, including measures concerning water, wildlife, biodiversity, visual quality, recreation and cultural heritage. Inclusion within the plan does not mean the entire area is scheduled to be logged; individual roads and cutblocks would still be planned and considered separately. 

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The province is proposing a ‘working forest’ model — but what does that mean?

By Arden McLeod
CBC News
September 19, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

B.C.’s Ministry of Forests announced it would begin piloting its new Working Forest Landscape Model. The model aims to support the province’s goal of an annual timber harvest of 45 million cubic metres, while reducing industry red tape, such as cutting permits. It will be tested out in an area near Campbell River. …Instead of relying on individual cutblock permits for Crown land, this model would divide areas in the province into three zones. A working forest zone would prioritize commercial timber harvest. Forestry companies operating within it would be able to plan for the broader area from the start rather than incrementally adding more cutblocks. …A multiple-use zone would have various functions aimed at “the restoration and enhancement of biodiversity and ecosystem functions,” such as wildfire mitigation, according to the province. And a conservation and protection zone would ensure “long-term ecosystem function and biodiversity.”

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UBCM endorses Nanaimo call to ban raw log exports

By Jessica Durling
Comox Valley Record
September 18, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Paul Manly

The Union of British Columbia Municipalities have endorsed Nanaimo’s request that the province ban raw log exports out of B.C. …Originally coming from the City of Nanaimo, the resolution argues that “the lack of adequate and affordable fibre supply has been identified as a key factor in the continued curtailment or permanent closure of B.C.’s sawmills and pulp mills, causing loss of employment and tax income for resource-based and resource-dependent communities.” …Under the B.C. Forest Act, currently raw logs have to be offered to domestic buyers before it can be exported raw, known as a surplus test. …“There is a surplus test, but the more mills that are closed, the easier it is to pass that surplus test,” Nanaimo Coun. Paul Manly explained. …According to the 2025 Economic State of British Columbia’s Forestry Sector, the value of log exports remained stable at around $400 million in both 2024 and 2025.

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Millions of dollars in funding but still no plan: can Quebec save its caribou from extinction?

By Danielle Beurteaux
The Gaurdian
September 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

©Govt of Quebec

The caribou of Quebec are at breaking point. The province, home to 15% of Canada’s population of woodland caribou, has seen numbers crash to about half of what they were a decade ago. For years, local First Nations people, researchers and environmental groups have criticised the provincial government’s lack of action on protecting caribou, an animal considered a keystone species by Indigenous peoples. A recently announced agreement between the federal and Quebec governments has raised hopes that the province will finally be compelled to release a protection strategy. The federal government has committed C$25m to the province for caribou over five years, with an additional C$15m for the First Nations communities on whose land the herds live. But the continued reliance on maternity pens remains a concern. …The Quebec government does not have a caribou strategy, says Alain Branchaud, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, even though the creation of one was announced a decade ago.

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Holland outlines ‘silver buckshot’ strategy for forestry sector

By Clint Fleury
Northwest Ontario Newswatch
September 18, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

©Kevin Holland, MPP

HURKETT – There is no silver bullet to reverse the forestry sector’s downturn, says MPP Kevin Holland, the solution is more like silver buckshot. The associate minister of forestry and forest products announced a $850,000 investment in four Indigenous-led projects in the region. “The programs that we have announced today…are good examples of how we are finding alternative uses for our forest biomass to replace that void that was left as a result of the downturn in the paper market,” Holland told Newswatch in a press conference on Friday. Webequie First Nation, the Wanagekong Biiwega’iganan Clean Energy Corporation and Constance Lake First Nation will each get $250,000 for their biomass projects. Webequie First Nation is planning to develop a community-operated 25-megawatt electricity facility powered by forest biomass.

Press Release: Ontario Investing Over $1.1 Million in Indigenous Forestry Projects

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Viewpoint: How to ecologically damage America’s forests: Ban glyphosate

By Emily Bass, Associate Director of Federal Policy, Breakthrough Institute
Science Literacy Project
September 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

A recent Mother Jones’ investigation ran under the headline “We Are Bombarding America’s Forests With Roundup.” …While it can be sprayed aerially, the U.S Forest Service most often applies glyphosate via targeted methods. Crews use ground equipment to spot-treat specific vegetation to …manage invasive species, and reduce hazardous fuels for fire management. …In 1994, the United States Forest Service said less than 0.1% of National Forest land was treated with chemical herbicides in a typical year. …The problem? The vast majority of glyphosate use in forest contexts in California happens on private forestland, not in National Forests. …we found that about three-quarters of California’s reported forest glyphosate use by weight occurred on private land. …There isn’t a one-size-fits-all vegetation-management technique that is better for the environment. Good forest management requires balancing the ecological risks of treatment against the ecological risks of leaving vegetation unmanaged. 

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US environment agency let Bayer pick regulations for destructive weedkiller, documents show

By Tom Perkins
The Guardian UK
September 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

The EPA allowed pesticide giant Bayer to pick from a menu of regulation options for the controversial and destructive weedkiller dicamba, newly released agency documents show. The documents provide an unusually clear look into the process of developing pesticide regulations, which is typically done out of public view. It shows in detail how the EPA asked Bayer which regulations it wanted, received a response from Bayer, then put Bayer’s choices into a proposed federal rule. …Bayer chose the least protective for one regulation, and the middle of three levels of protection for another regulation. It also got one other change it requested into the rule. Pesticide regulations are typically a negotiation between industry and the EPA, but the exchange that the documents reveal is “crossing a line”, said Nathan Donley with the Center for Biological Diversity.

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A bid to right a historic wrong gets Oregon congressional support

By Gosia Wozniacka
The Oregonian
September 18, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Oregon — U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley and Rep. Andrea Salinas have introduced legislation that would transfer 18,626 acres of federal forestland to the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, a federally recognized tribe in western Oregon, amid concerns from conservation groups about the extent of logging and potential impacts to wildlife habitat. The legislation is part of a larger push by tribes across the U.S. to regain ancestral lands. Such land transfers have been rare in Oregon, where tribes retain only a small fraction of their historic territories. The bill is backed by all seven Democrats in Oregon’s congressional delegation who said it addresses historic dispossession and will allow the tribe to sustainably manage the land and boost economic opportunity in the region. Other supporters are U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Maxine Dexter and Janelle Bynum. [A subscription to the Oregonian is required for full access]

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The Roadless Rule rollback is an opportunity not a threat

By Keith Coulter
The Alaska Beacon
September 17, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Keith Coulter

While environmentalists oppose the Trump administration’s proposed rollback of the Roadless Rule … I see this as an opportunity for professional foresters to manage federal land, reduce wildfire risk and boost the economy.  I’ve spent 30 years in the industrial logging sector of the Western U.S. in states such as Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Alaska. …Recently, I read a commentary in the Alaska Beacon that argued for maintaining the Roadless Rule and I was not surprised to view the typical laundry list of doom from one side of the debate. Words like “threatened” and “imperiled” come up as authors weave their case for almost certain environmental ruin unless we curb industrial activities immediately for what can only be described as the “do-nothing alternative.” As a professional forester with decades of boots-on-the-ground experience, a few obvious counterpoints come to mind. …We already know how to solve forest management issues: with roads and active forest management. 

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Forest History & Archives

A forward-thinking Agriculture secretary gifted us a wonder 100 years ago

By Becky Rom
The Minnesota Reformer
September 18, 2026
Category: Forest History & Archives
Region: US West

©Save the Boundary Waters

This week marks the 100th anniversary of the policy directive by U.S. Agriculture Secretary William Jardine that 640,000 acres of forests and waters in northern Minnesota be managed as a roadless wilderness area. …The U.S. Forest Service’s first landscape architect, Arthur Carhart, paddled the canoe country many times during the period from 1919 to 1921. He saw the unique value of the canoe country of the Superior National Forest as a recreational wilderness area that excluded automobiles. Carhart’s perspective on a roadless wilderness area was advanced by Paul Riis and the Izaak Walton League. They were supported by Aldo Leopold, a giant of public lands conservation. Leopold articulated his land ethic by urging that wilderness protection preserve unique and representative natural areas, wildlife and scenery. …The 1926 policy ushered in a new and fundamental change in forest administration; Jardine’s policy explicitly acknowledged that societal uses of national forests for recreation were as important as timber harvesting.  

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