Nova Scotia enters bidding for Northern Pulp assets, challenging Macer’s stalking horse bid. In related news: Nova Scotia invests $1.8 million in support of forestry innovation; Maine’s senators want tariff relief for forest products; the mayor of Williams Lake, BC says tariffs are killing my town; and the shuttered Acorn sawmill in Delta, BC is consumed by fire. Meanwhile: the Softwood Lumber Board’s solution to industry’s demand problem; Michigan’s support for mass timber use; and the UK’s 2025 Wood Award winners.
In Forestry/Climate news: a UN report says forests drive agricultural success; NRCan helps forest pest managers understand climate change impacts; Canada launches a new Climate Competitive Strategy, roles back it anti-greenwashing rules; Ontario’s opposition tables bill to address urban wildfire risks; Canada’s wood pellet industry on turning wildfire recovery into renewable energy; and Woodlots BC updates its tool kit.
Finally, considering the TLA Convention and Trade Show as an investment opportunity.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
For more than 80 years, the annual 
Sponsors enjoy high-profile recognition before, during, and after the convention, ensuring your brand stays top of mind among key industry players. Tracey Russell, Vice President-Equipment, Inland Truck & Equipment Ltd. is a regular at the Convention, “We sponsor the TLA Convention + Trade Show every year because it’s one of the best opportunities for exposure and relationship building – connections that have made a lasting impact on our business and our brand.”
The BC NDP’s new 
VANCOUVER, BC — A large fire broke out on the banks of the Fraser River in Delta on Thursday morning. Fire crews from Delta and Surrey were called between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. to the former sawmill under demolition north of the Alex Fraser Bridge on Alaska Way. The land is owned by the Port of Vancouver and the organization confirmed the fire is at the site of the former mill. There are currently no impacts to port operations. …The fire broke out on the site of the former Acorn mill, which stopped operations after a blaze in April 2024. The sawmill was built in 1963 and was acquired by forestry giant Interfor in 2001. It was used primarily to cut specialty timber for traditional Japanese home construction. In 2022, 
“The BCIT School of Construction and the Environment offers two Associate Certificate programs designed to support workforce development in the North American lumber and sawmill sector: 
The Nova Scotia Forestry Innovation Transition Trust is investing $1.8 million to assist private landowners and forest contractors in finding new markets for underutilized wood fibre and to support sustainable forestry management. According to a 
China’s recent environmental policy shift is transforming the global recycled pulp market. After years of tightening restrictions on solid waste imports, China has now expanded its scope even further by banning certain types of recycled pulp. This development highlights the country’s ongoing goal to eliminate “foreign garbage” and improve the quality and sustainability of its locally produced paper. …In January 2021, China fully implemented the National Sword policy — a sweeping ban on most solid waste imports, including unsorted and recycled paper. …In October 2025, China took its environmental agenda a step further by targeting specific types of recycled pulp — particularly those processed through dry-milling techniques. …The new restrictions have rippled across the global paper recycling supply chain. Exporters that previously relied on China’s massive demand are scrambling to find alternative markets, while Chinese paper producers face delays and shortages in pulp supply.
Futamura, a Japanese manufacturer of cellulose films and packaging products, has announced a solution to help reduce the quantities of microplastics generated from glitter products. Microplastics are defined as plastic particles less than 5mm in size, which can be either intentionally manufactured at that size (primary microplastics) or created when larger plastic items break down (secondary microplastics). Glitter has been particularly criticised in recent years for its contribution to microplastic pollution in oceans and soil. According to Futamura, biodegradable glitter can be created from its NatureFlex materials [wood pulp], which will safely degrade in the environment it was disposed of after use without producing harmful microplastics. …Currently, glitter based on conventional plastics can still be sold into cosmetic applications due to a transition period granted under the EU’s Microplastics Regulation. However, once this period ends cosmetic applications will also be banned.
Greenwashing experts are cautiously optimistic that Ottawa’s plan to roll back nearly half of Canada’s anti-greenwashing rules does not represent a wholesale abandonment of federal efforts to curb climate disinformation following comments by Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne. …Champagne did not elaborate on what could be included in the standard. A Department of Finance official told Canada’s National Observer in a statement that the “provisions are creating investment uncertainty and having the opposite of the desired effect with some parties slowing or reversing efforts to protect the environment.” …Announced this month in the 2026 budget, the changes ditched a requirement that companies prove their green claims using international, though unspecified, standards. The changes also prevent third parties from filing a greenwashing complaint with the Competition Bureau. …The budget claims the provisions were “creating investment uncertainty and having the opposite of the desired effect with some parties slowing or reversing efforts to protect the environment.” [A National Observer subscription may be required for story access]
Canada’s latest federal budget has earmarked tens of billion dollars over the next decade to kick-start the country’s clean economy. But according to a national association of accountants, it has failed to adopt national climate disclosure standards to transparently assess what will work. The latest federal budget lays out federal government spending through a new Climate Competitiveness Strategy. It earmarks a rolling $2 billion toward a Critical Minerals Sovereign Fund and $6 billion for a Build Communities Stronger Fund (over 10 years) to build and retrofit local infrastructure and clean energy projects. …It also seeks to create and expand investment tax credits for clean electricity, technology and critical minerals. …But on Tuesday, Chartered Professional Accountants Canada CEO Pamela Steer warned the lack of consistent and verifiable financial disclosure measures means there’s no reliable way to understand how government spending truly reduces emissions.