In a statement, BC’s Forest Minister expressed disappointment with the US response to an earlier anti-dumping finding by NAFTA panel. In other Business news: Kitsumkalum First Nation buys Terrace BC-based Skeena Sawmills; Twin Rivers Paper sells its Arkansas mill to American Kraft Paper; and more on Canfor’s purchase of Resolute’s El Dorado lumber mill. Meanwhile, the US Fed holds interest rates steady; and NAHB’s plan for US housing.
In other news: Ontario signs MOU supporting First Nations land management; Alberta studies tree genomes to help with forest resilience; a BC firm employs night vision on helicopters to fight Alberta wildfires; and pending warm weather begets wildfire warnings in BC. Meanwhile: how hemp could transform construction; and America’s potential termite invasion.
Finally, news on Saudi WoodShow 2024, and CWC’s Design and Building Awards program.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests, has released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s redetermination of its anti-dumping decision following October 2023 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) panel ruling: “I am deeply disappointed with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s redetermination in response to the finding from the NAFTA panel that they had erred. We will continue to stand firm against unfair actions taken against our forestry workers. Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued its redetermination in response to the NAFTA panel. I am disappointed with the Department of Commerce’s reissued decision. The only correct outcome would see a reversal of their original decision. Instead, the Department of Commerce has chosen to make minor adjustments that fail to address the NAFTA panel’s instructions. We continue to work … relentlessly pursue our claims… Rest assured that we will do everything we can to seek a better outcome for our softwood lumber exporters.”
Invasive termites that can munch their way through your home might be expanding into new territories, thanks to climate change. As temperatures climb due to the effects of the changing climate, highly destructive termites could start invading urban cities from Miami to New York, according to a new paper in the journal Neobiota. This could be catastrophically expensive, as termites already cost $40 billion every year. There are over 2,000 known termite species worldwide, with a large diversity in terms of behavior, size, and habitat preferences. Termites primarily feed on cellulose, a major component of wood, which they are able to digest with the help of symbiotic microorganisms in their guts. …Invasive termites are responsible for considerable economic damage to buildings, crops, and forestry, and can undermine wooden structures rapidly. …The dense populations and interconnectedness of an urban sprawl provide the perfect environment for termites to invade, putting several U.S. cities at risk.
The sustainability of materials used to generate electricity through wind power took a step forward today, as a German manufacturer announced a prototype turbine spinning with blades made from wood. Based at Lichtenfels, near Kassel in central Germany, 
TORONTO – The Ontario government is investing an additional $6 million in the Provincial Forest Access Roads Funding Program to help construct and maintain forestry roads used for regional travel between communities, the transport of goods and emergency preparedness and response along with providing access routes for the tourism sector and industry. The investment will increase funding for the program to over $59 million in 2024-25. “Many people rely on this road network every day for travel between work and home and everywhere in-between,” said Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. “This investment will keep people and vehicles moving safely, support efficient business operations and build safer, stronger communities.” The Provincial Forest Access Roads Funding Program provides funding for new construction and maintenance of over 19,500 kilometres of public forest access roads and other essential infrastructure. …Public forest access road infrastructure is vital to Northern, rural and Indigenous communities. 
