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The Tree Frog Forestry News
September 1, 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.
Vancouver Island MP asks Ottawa to consider buying Crofton mill
By Kendall Hanson
Chek News
August 28, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West
The Member of Parliament for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford is calling on the federal government to explore how it could potentially use the Crofton mill. MP Jeff Kibble is floating the idea of it being used by the Department of National Defense. …On Friday, crews were loading logs onto a ship at its deep sea port. It’s one of the key assets of the property that has the region’s MP calling on Ottawa to consider the property’s purchase. “What I recommended is that the government immediately conduct a feasibility study to see if this is an opportunity to expand the base at Esquimalt. We know that the opportunity to have a deep water industrial site is rare and we also know that the navy is expanding rapidly,” said Kibble. Kibble served in the Royal Canadian Navy for 28 years. …When asked about Kibble’s proposal, Domtar said it’s “exploring a variety of possibilities for the future of the site”.
Northern Pulp’s demolition to close a hard chapter in Pictou’s history
By Aaron Beswick
The Chronicle Herald
September 1, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East
The half-century-old mill at the heart of debate and division in Pictou County is coming down. Environment Minister Timothy Halman issued an amended order allowing the mill’s current owner, Northern Timber Nova Scotia Corp., to tear it down and clean up the site at Abercrombie Point. …“As part of the company’s requirement, the updated ministerial order also requires the company to determine if any upgrades are needed to its surface water management process.” The company has said it intends to start work associated with the demolition “as early as September.” …Halman’s directive gives the company 18 months to complete the work, with all solid waste, including construction and demolition debris, going to a facility approved of by his department. …Northern Timber’s 172,000 hectares of forest land and its tree nursery were sold to Tidnish Holdings as part of Northern Pulp’s creditor protection proceedings. …$15M was set aside for winding up the plant.
Forestry workers in the spotlight on Day 2 of Canadian Council
Unifor Canada
August 29, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East
Stéphane Lefebvre
Delegates to Unifor’s Canadian Council in Ottawa turned their attention Saturday to advancing national bargaining priorities and defending workers in industries facing profound economic change. Council addressed the mounting crisis facing workers in Canada’s forestry industry, which employs close to 200,000 people, where mill closures, curtailments and workforce reductions have devastated communities already confronting U.S. tariffs, volatile export markets and insufficient investment. “Employers and governments have repeatedly underinvested in the forestry industry,” said Unifor Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier. …Stéphane Lefebvre, President of the Unifor’s Forestry Council, who himself is facing a workplace closure, presented a National President’s Recommendation: Fighting for the Future of Canada’s Forestry Sector, which calls for a comprehensive strategy to transform and strengthen the sector. Council adopted the recommendation that day at council. “We are going to have a National Day of Action in forestry communities all over the country,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne vowed.
Homebuilding crisis: Some producers face existential threat from US tariffs
By Fergal McAlinden
Mortgage Professional America
August 31, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States
Russ Taylor
Canada’s homebuilding outlook was already grim – and the fresh round of US tariffs introduced last week is only complicating that picture further, according to a Vancouver-based wood markets expert, Russ Taylor. Small and medium-sized wood product manufacturers, which produce a significant supply of Canadian homebuilding materials, are facing existential threats from the wave of levies announced by Donald Trump, Taylor said. …The current crisis arrives after years of pain for the forest industry in British Columbia, which could buckle even further from the US making it more difficult to supply buyers across the border. …Homebuilder sentiment, meanwhile, remains low. The Canadian Home Builders’ Association described “bleak conditions” from its first-quarter survey of builders this year, with its multi-family index hitting a record low for the third consecutive time. …Taylor sees the latest escalation in the US-Canada trade war spelling further bad news for the housing and homebuilding outlook on both sides of the border.
Eurozone inflation climbed to 3.3% YoY in August from 2.9% in July, according to Eurostat’s preliminary estimate this morning. The reading was the highest since September 2023 and moved inflation further above the ECB’s 2% target. The acceleration largely reflected surging energy prices resulting from the continuing conflict in the Middle East. This renewed pressure makes a September rate hike increasingly likely. …Beyond September, however, our view diverges from market pricing: we expect the ECB to remain on hold for an extended period, as energy prices are more likely to retreat than to generate a lasting second-round inflation shock. Even after two rate increases, Eurozone monetary conditions should remain relatively supportive. Together with Germany’s substantial fiscal expansion, this should help sustain the regional recovery. Following the stronger-than-expected Q2 GDP result, we raised our Eurozone growth forecasts to 0.9% for 2026 and 1.2% for 2027.
How Mass Timber and P3 Delivery Are Shaping MSU Denver’s Summit House
By Lindsey Coulter
School Construction News
August 31, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West
DENVER, Colorado — Construction recently topped out on Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Summit House, a 12-story student housing development that marks the university’s first on-campus residence hall in its 60-year history. Scheduled for completion in summer 2027, the approximately $118 million mixed-use development will provide more than 550 student beds. Located on the Auraria Campus and across from Ball Arena, the project expands affordable housing while demonstrating how mass timber construction can accelerate project delivery and enhance the student experience. When complete, Summit House will be the tallest structure on the downtown-adjacent tri-institutional campus. As the tallest mass-timber structure in the state, it will also be a showcase for the design and construction advantages of this highly renewable building material. Ryan Marshall, Superintendent for project builder PCL Construction, noted that the thoughtful use of mass timber helped accelerate construction, as many components could be fabricated off site.
Valmet delivers the first commercial-scale 3D Fiber line to Metsä Group
Valmet
August 27, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International
Metsä Group has selected Valmet to deliver a 3D Fiber molded fiber production line for their mill in Äänekoski, Finland. The investment responds to growing demand for alternatives to replace plastics by enabling high-volume industrial production of three-dimensional fiber-based packaging that is competitive with similar plastic solutions. This investment marks a significant milestone as the world’s first commercial-scale implementation of the innovation. …The start-up of the line is scheduled for 2028. …Valmet 3D Fiber technology enables the production of lightweight yet rigid end products, including trays, plates, and food packaging containers, offering alternatives to plastic. The technology uses cellulose fibers to form ready-to-use, three-dimensional products directly from pulp, eliminating the need for intermediate steps.
Europe’s Wooden Wind Turbine Blades Could Be The Answer To Fiberglass Pollution
By Brendan Knapp
BGR
August 31, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International
Wind turbines are a powerful alternative to fossil fuels, with wind power now accounting for about 10.5% of all utility-scale electricity generated in the United States. In Germany, the combination of wind and solar power has passed fossil fuels as the nation’s top electric generators. But the environmental impact of wind turbines and their massive blades cuts both ways. The blades are generally made of reinforced fiberglass, a material that is strong, light, and durable. They can last 20 to 30 years. But they’re so difficult to recycle that Europe came up with an unexpected new job for old wind turbines: Pedestrian bridge girders. A company in Germany has a solution that could make the recycling process easier. Voodin Blade Technology made 63-foot wind turbine blades from laminated veneer lumber (LVL). It’s not a completely new idea. In the 1980s, NASA approached Michigan boatbuilders Gougeon Brothers about applying their wood-composite techniques to wind turbines.
Consultation on proposed amendments to Part 8 of the OHS Regulation
WorkSafeBC
September 1, 2026
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada West
Our Policy, Regulation and Research Department is requesting feedback on proposed amendments to Part 8, Personal Protective Clothing and Equipment — Standard of Fit, of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. The consultation phase gives stakeholders an opportunity to share feedback before the proposed amendments are taken to public hearing. View the proposed regulatory amendments and information on how to provide feedback. Please provide your feedback by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, October 26, 2026.
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.
The Member of Parliament for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford is calling on the federal government to explore how it could potentially use the Crofton mill. MP Jeff Kibble is floating the idea of it being used by the Department of National Defense. …On Friday, crews were loading logs onto a ship at its deep sea port. It’s one of the key assets of the property that has the region’s MP calling on Ottawa to consider the property’s purchase. “What I recommended is that the government immediately conduct a feasibility study to see if this is an opportunity to expand the base at Esquimalt. We know that the opportunity to have a deep water industrial site is rare and we also know that the navy is expanding rapidly,” said Kibble. Kibble served in the Royal Canadian Navy for 28 years. …When asked about Kibble’s proposal, Domtar said it’s “exploring a variety of possibilities for the future of the site”.
Wind turbines are a powerful alternative to fossil fuels, with wind power now accounting for about 10.5% of all utility-scale electricity generated in the United States. In Germany, the combination of wind and solar power has passed fossil fuels as the nation’s top electric generators. But the environmental impact of wind turbines and their massive blades cuts both ways. The blades are generally made of reinforced fiberglass, a material that is strong, light, and durable. They can last 20 to 30 years. But they’re so difficult to recycle that Europe came up with an unexpected new job for old wind turbines: Pedestrian bridge girders. A company in Germany has a solution that could make the recycling process easier. Voodin Blade Technology made 63-foot wind turbine blades from laminated veneer lumber (LVL). It’s not a completely new idea. In the 1980s, NASA approached Michigan boatbuilders Gougeon Brothers about applying their wood-composite techniques to wind turbines.
The Canada Wood Market Insights has these headlines and more:
Our Policy, Regulation and Research Department is requesting feedback on proposed amendments to Part 8, Personal Protective Clothing and Equipment — Standard of Fit, of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. The consultation phase gives stakeholders an opportunity to share feedback before the proposed amendments are taken to public hearing. View the