Despite bipartisan and industry support, President Trump postponed enactment of the housing bill, saying he will not sign it until Congress passes voter legislation. In other Business news: BC trade slowed in April as forestry exports declined; US core inflation accelerated in May; new US home sales fell in May; and US sawmill output slipped as industry capacity declined. Meanwhile: Kurt Niquidet announced his departure from COFI and the BC Lumber Trade Council; and Mike Doss was appointed CEO of Global Cellulose Fibers.
In Forestry news: Indigenous-led forest rehabilitation work continues in BC’s Chilcotin; the Syilx Okanagan Nation seeks emergency order on caribou; Newfoundland explores how forest management can benefit pollinators; Arizona employs soil sensors to manage flooding and wildfires; and the UK plans tougher rules to curb illegal deforestation. Meanwhile: Quebec banned open fires in or near forests; the growing severity of California wildfires; and wildfire updates from BC and Utah.
Finally, US firefighters will be encouraged to wear N95 respirators in major policy reversal.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
A volatile trade picture in B.C. continued into April as goods exports fell four per cent month-to-month (unadjusted for seasonality) to $4.5 billion, while imports fell by a more rapid clip of 14 per cent to $6.2 billion. That said, exports were still up significantly year-over-year by 6.7 per cent, while imports rose a more modest 2.1 per cent. …Current year-over-year growth has been driven primarily by energy products, which rose 9.7 per cent (+$128 million), along with metal ores and non-metallic minerals… In contrast, the beleaguered forestry sector declined nine per cent (-$81 million) to $823 million, although April marked the highest monthly export value for the sector in nine months. Forestry continues to face headwinds from elevated U.S. softwood lumber duties, broader trade measures (including Section 232 tariffs), timber supply constraints and softer demand conditions. Year-to-date … forestry exports fell 24.8 per cent (-$1 billion)… In B.C., building permit activity receded sharply in April…
A sprawling legislative package aimed at lowering the cost of housing and spurring more home construction won bipartisan approval from Congress this week, but it’s hit a major roadblock in becoming law: President Trump. The White House supported the 
The Federal Reserve’s primary price gauge rose at its highest level since 2023, reinforcing the central bank’s recent tough talk on inflation. Excluding food and energy, the personal consumption expenditures price index showed a 3.4% annual rate after rising 0.3% for the month. The annual core reading was the highest since October 2023. For the all-items reading, the PCE index showed inflation running at a 
ATLANTA — At 
SINGAPORE — The Alliance to End Plastic Waste today published 
The Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC) recently highlighted the Indigenous-led efforts of the Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd. (CCR) at the Palmer Lake forest fire site. Through an article and video, WPAC described CCR’s work and how it treats fire-affected stands by removing dead and damaged material, reducing fuel loading, and spacing young lodgepole pine to support forest recovery. It is also demonstrated how the CCR uses recovered fibre to be put to productive use rather than leaving it at the site. “It’s such a good news story,” wrote Gord Murray, WPAC executive director. “CCR is turning what might otherwise be seen as waste into jobs, economic development, community pride, and contributions to the biomass industry.”
The Syilx Okanagan Nation is petitioning the federal government to act swiftly to protect a prized and threatened caribou species that continues to fall off the map near Revelstoke and Nakusp. On May 28, the Nation announced it had filed for an emergency order under Section 80 of Canada’s Species at Risk Act to press Environment and Climate Change Canada to conserve federally threatened southern mountain caribou. The Nation says continued logging of critical old-growth habitat falls out of line with its forestry principles and standards, and jeopardizes the future of the three caribou herds that remain on Syilx territory. The Frisby-Boulder herd west of Revelstoke is already functionally extinct with just eight caribou, while the Central Selkirk herd … sits at around 27 caribou. The Columbia North herd, roughly 185 caribou strong in the Monashee Mountains north of Revelstoke, has the greatest likelihood of survival, though the Nation says long-term forest habitat recovery remains a challenge.:quality(65))
PHOENIX — New technology is coming to Arizona to predict flooding and prevent wildfires. Moisture sensors are going in the ground to gauge just how dry the land is. Soil that is too dry cannot absorb water, which creates a higher risk for flooding and wildfires. This advancement should help predict wildfires and flooding across Arizona. Salt River Project (SRP) officials say plant moisture, in both dead and alive plants, is one of the most important indicators of wildfire danger. However, taking field samples by hand is tough, so this new technology will do the heavy lifting. SRP crews in the Tonto National Forest are planting tiny pieces of technology in the ground to provide data. …These moisture measurements should provide important clues, like the risk of a wildfire at a given location, how likely it is to spread, how big it might get, and predicting floods.
Forest fires now burn ten times more acreage annually than in 1985, while wildfire severity has gotten even worse. In California, 30 times more acreage burned from high-severity, forest-killing fires, according to new UCLA research. In the 1980s and 1990s, California’s forest fires burned mostly at low or moderate severity, generally benefiting ecosystems. But as fires have grown in size, severe fires causing widespread tree death have overtaken beneficial fire as the most common fire type in California’s forests. Changes are tied to the increasingly warm and arid environment. These aridity-driven changes were also stronger in more densely forested areas, said senior author Park Williams. …The two main causes for the increase in fire severity are fuel density [and] environmental dryness. …The researcher’s conclusions show that the state can make some headway in protecting California’s forests with changes in forest management, such as doing more manual clearing of underbrush and conducting more prescribed burns.
LONDON — The world’s rainforests are to be better protected from deforestation as the government will confirm during London Climate Action Week, that plans to take forward new rules in Great Britain including using powers in the Environment Act alongside legislation strengthening the UK Timber Regulation. Under the proposals UK businesses who trade in commodities sourced from rainforests… will need to check that their supply chains are not contributing to illegal deforestation. …UK companies have been at the forefront of global efforts to tackle deforestation within their supply chains, but voluntary action alone cannot tackle this global challenge, and several major supermarkets have been calling for stronger regulation. Rainforests and other forests are vital for storing carbon and sustaining biodiversity, yet they are increasingly threatened by deforestation. … Rules will be enforced using powers in the Environment Act, alongside legislation strengthening existing timber rules.
