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The Tree Frog Forestry News
April 24, 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.
Carney says lifting U.S. liquor ban depends on Trump ending assault on steel, autos, lumber
By John Paul Tasker
CBC News
April 23, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States
Prime Minister Carney said Thursday that the provincial ban on US liquor could end quickly if the Americans bend on the tariffs that have pummeled key sectors in this country like steel, autos and forest products. Carney said the provinces have barred American beer, wine and spirits because US President Trump launched a trade war that has crippled certain industries, and there’s no public appetite for a policy change until the White House delivers some relief. “We can make progress very quickly on that with progress in other areas,” Carney said. …Carney bristled at a question about US Trade Rep Greer’s threat to levy retaliatory measures against Canada if the liquor boycott continues. …”You know what’s an irritant? A 50% tariff on steel and aluminum, 25% on automobiles, all of the tariffs on forest products. Those are more than irritants. Those are violations of our trade deal, OK?” Carney said.
Major opposition heard in Nanaimo at second Cable Bay public hearing
By Jordan Davidson
Nanaimo News Now
April 23, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West
NANAIMO — A controversial rezoning application for a forested section of land in the Duke Point area held its second public hearing, with every one of the 60+ speakers strongly voicing their opposition. The Wednesady, April 22 hearing was a continuation from Thursday, April 16 when over 400 people filled the Vancouver Island Conference Centre, passionately voicing their support or opposition to the rezoning proposal of a 212-acre forested property adjacent to the cherished Cable Bay Trail. …Nanaimo Forest Products (NFP), which operates Harmac Pacific pulp mill, is attempting to rezone the majority of 950 Phoenix Way. Approval of this rezoning would allow NFP to plan for heavy industrial use near the Duke Point industrial strip. …Upon conclusion of the public hearing process, Council will consider third reading of the proposed rezoning. Potential fourth reading and adoption would not occur until Nanaimo Forest Products meets the necessary conditions, likely taking a few months.
Provincial plans to overhaul Heritage Conservation Act still need work
Union of BC Municipalities
April 23, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West
The Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) is calling on the province to test potential amendments to the Heritage Conservation Act through a pilot project initiative before new legislation is introduced. UBCM has written to Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests, to say that although the Province has taken some steps to address concerns identified by multiple stakeholders last fall, the proposed changes continue to lack sufficient detail and clarity for UBCM to support the introduction of legislation. “The current Heritage Conservation Act drives up the cost of construction and slows the permitting processes for new homes and industrial development,” said Ramsay. “Changes are needed, but the province is challenged with balancing the interests of homeowners, homebuilders, industry, local governments and First Nations. The only way to do this responsibly is through a pilot process in which concepts, practices and procedures can be tested and improved prior to new legislation being introduced.”
Northern Ontario sawmills idled ‘indefinitely’ because of U.S. tariffs
By Darren MAcDonald
CTV News
April 23, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East
Interfor has announced it is indefinitely curtailing operations at its facilities in Nairn Centre and Gogama facilities due to weak market conditions. Sudbury East-Manitoulin-Nickel Belt MP Jim Bélanger said that the decision “is expected to result in the loss of more than 200 good-paying forestry jobs beginning in early June.” Interfor spokesperson Svetlana Kayumova said the lumber market has been hit hard by tariffs imposed the United States as part of its trade war with Canada. “Like many others in our sector, we are navigating a combination of persistent market headwinds and the continued impact of US trade actions, including softwood lumber duties,” Kayumova said. …“These pressures have made it increasingly difficult to operate certain facilities in a sustainable way. We recognize the impact this has on our employees, their families, and the broader community, and we are working with these stakeholders as this decision is implemented.”
Subsidy Programs Provided by Countries Exporting Softwood Lumber and Softwood Lumber Products to the United States; Request for Comment
By International Trade Administration
The US Department of Commerce
April 24, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States
The US Department of Commerce seeks public comment on any subsidies, including stumpage subsidies, provided by certain countries exporting softwood lumber or softwood lumber products to the United States during the period July 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025. Pursuant to section 805 of title VIII of the Tariff Act of 1930 (the Softwood Lumber Act of 2008), the Secretary of Commerce is mandated to submit to the appropriate Congressional committees a report every 180 days on any subsidy provided by countries exporting softwood lumber or softwood lumber products to the United States, including stumpage subsidies.
Mass Timber Building Tops Out at Western State Hospital
Pacific Builder & Engineer Magazine
April 24, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: US West
LAKEWOOD, WA — Construction crews have placed the final structural beam on Western State Hospital’s new mass timber administration building in Lakewood, Washington. HOK is leading the design for the administration building and an adjacent 350-bed forensic psychiatric hospital, both currently under construction. The three-story, 57,000-square-foot administration building features a framing system comprised of regionally sourced wood columns and beams and cross-laminated timber decking. HOK worked with the structural engineer KPFF to develop concealed proprietary connections and fasteners that attach the glulam beams and columns. The design, with its exposed wood interior, celebrates the local history of the timber industry while pushing the envelope of sustainable design. Some of the building’s timber columns are made from trees harvested directly from the site. “The mass timber reinforces the state’s commitment to environmentally friendly design, creating a warm and calming environment that benefits well-being,” said Alan Bright, HOK’s Senior Principal.
Related news in the Construction Specifier: New Oregon cancer care center designed for patient comfort.The building incorporates mass timber structural elements, including 86 glulam beams and 30 cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels. The CLT panels make up more than 929 m2 of the roof and second-floor structure.
United voice formed to revive and represent wood industry occupations in UK
By Stephen Powney
The Timber Trades Journal
April 23, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International
A new unified voice to represent the UK’s carpenters, joiners, and shopfitters – the Wood Occupations and Materials Alliance (WOMA) – has been launched in London. A signing ceremony of a declaration of intent to form WOMA took place at the joint Members’ Day of the Institute of Carpenters (IOC) and National Association of Shopfitters (NAS) on April 22. …Both organisations will continue to retain their independence, but WOMA is intended to be a publicly facing voice for the benefit of individuals and businesses across the wood sector. …Outgoing IOC president Geoff Rhodes Rhodes said WOMA would be an umbrella organisation sitting above IOC and NAS. “In the future it may expand to include other like-minded organisations.” He said the existing Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI) was already an umbrella group for parts of the timber industries, with WOMA complementing this in the related carpentry, joinery sectors and shopfitting sectors.
Regional District of Central Kootenay asks province to protect two West Kootenay watersheds
By Bill Metcalfe
The Nelson Star
April 23, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West
The board of the Regional District of Central Kootenay voted on April 16 to write a letter to the provincial government in support of a group of rural water users near Nelway. The Rosebud Community Watershed Protection Group wants two adjacent watersheds preserved as a provincially protected area or as ecological reserve. The Lomond Creek and Rosebud Creek watersheds provide water for about 25 households… Rosebud Creek drains into the Salmo River and Lomond Creek into the Pend Oreille River. The total area of the two small adjacent watersheds is 2,250 hectares. “We’re trying to get the province of B.C. to declare this area a protected area to protect the wildlife corridor and to also protect our watershed from logging by B.C. Timber Sales,” said group spokesperson Dave Lang. B.C. Timber Sales is building roads, he said, preparing to log in the area, and residents are worried about … their water supply.
Category 2 & 3 open fire prohibitions in effect as of noon April 23
By Pat Matthews
My Cariboo Now
April 22, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West
Fire Information Officer Amanda Cullum said effective at noon tomorrow (April 23) all Category 2 and 3 open fires must be fully extinguished. “The prohibitions will remain in place until noon on October 31, 2026, or until the Orders are rescinded. These prohibitions apply to the entire Cariboo Fire Centre including the Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Title area, the 100 Mile House Forest District and the Quesnel Forest District.” …Cullum said the prohibition does not include Category 1 campfires that are 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide or smaller, and CSA-rated or ULC rated outdoor stoves for cooking, heat or ambiance that burns charcoal briquettes, liquid fuel or gaseous fuel, and has a flame height that is less that 15 cm tall.
Court says Nova Scotia woods ban was unreasonable, but premier says he would do it again
By Taryn Grant
CBC News
April 23, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East
Premier Tim Houston says he would institute a ban on entering the woods again, if the circumstances called for it, in spite of a judge saying last year’s province-wide decree was unreasonable. Houston was reacting to a Nova Scotia Supreme Court ruling that says the province failed to consider individual mobility rights — enshrined under Section 6 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms — when it told people to stay out of the woods on Aug. 5, 2025. The ban was imposed during an extended period of drought when wildfire risks were high to extreme. It remained in place across the province for several weeks. The court decision, released last week, suggested that Charter rights should be considered in a more meaningful way before the next emergency. Houston said he respects the decision but he stood by last year’s ban. He disputed the judge’s conclusion that the province did not consider Charter rights.
Chestnut Carbon Doubles Footprint in Southeast U.S. to Nearly 70,000 Acres of Restored Forests
By Chestnut Carbon
PR Newswire
April 23, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States
NEW YORK — Chestnut Carbon, a leading U.S. developer of nature‑based carbon removal projects, today announced the completion of its fourth planting season for its afforestation project, doubling its footprint in the Southeast U.S. since last year to roughly 70,000 acres of land restored to native forests. This is the company’s largest planting efforts to date, and one of the largest conducted in the U.S. this year. With the close of this most recent planting season, Chestnut has now planted over 46.7 million trees since 2022, 24 million of which were planted between November 5, 2025, and April 4, 2026. The Chestnut Sustainable Restoration Project remains the largest U.S.-based afforestation project on the Gold Standard® registry, spanning an area 1.5 times the size of Acadia National Park and five times the size of the island of Manhattan. With its first-of-its-kind debt financing secured in 2025, Chestnut was able to accelerate land acquisition and planting operations to achieve this year’s record‑setting scale.
Drones, also referred to as uncrewed aerial systems or UAS, have been increasingly complicating airspace around wildfires since the first consumer models came to market in 2013. They are a nuisance to wildland firefighting when they are operating unauthorized in restricted airspace, putting pilots, their crews, and aircraft at risk. When unauthorized drones are sighted, the fire manager must shut down the airspace for all air operations supporting the wildland fire suppression for safety reasons. This means crucial aerial firefighting and lifesaving capabilities – like air medevac and fire suppression aircraft – can’t fly. …The potential damage done from a drone strike can vary. It could hit the tail of the plane making the aircraft difficult or impossible to control. It could go down an intake and disable an engine. It could go through the windscreen and hit the pilot or copilot and directly injure or even kill them.
Performance Meets Decarbonization: Two Paths Forward at International Pulp Week
International Pulp Week
April 24, 2026
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada West
Rodrigo Marchi
Jouni Martiskainen
As the global pulp and paper industry navigates shifting trade dynamics, rising costs, and increasing pressure to decarbonize, the challenge is no longer just about producing fibre—it’s about producing it smarter. At International Pulp Week, two first-day plenary sessions will tackle that challenge from different, but highly complementary angles: how paper producers can optimize fibre use to stay competitive today, and how the industry can unlock new value streams from carbon tomorrow. Together, the presentations from Rodrigo Marchi and Jouni Martiskainen offer a practical look at how mills can improve performance, reduce costs, and position themselves for a lower-carbon future. …Both presentations focus on practical, actionable strategies that mills can implement today. …As the industry continues to evolve, the ability to adapt—to new market conditions, new technologies, and new expectations—will be critical. At International Pulp Week, these two sessions offer a clear view of how that adaptation is already taking shape.
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.
Premier Tim Houston says he would institute a ban on entering the woods again, if the circumstances called for it, in spite of a judge saying last year’s province-wide decree was unreasonable. Houston was reacting to a Nova Scotia Supreme Court ruling that says the province failed to consider individual mobility rights — enshrined under Section 6 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms — when it told people to stay out of the woods on Aug. 5, 2025. The ban was imposed during an extended period of drought when wildfire risks were high to extreme. It remained in place across the province for several weeks. The court decision, released last week, suggested that Charter rights should be considered in a more meaningful way before the next emergency. Houston said he respects the decision but he stood by last year’s ban. He disputed the judge’s conclusion that the province did not consider Charter rights. 
