The Biden administration announced tougher new standards for soot emissions—US forest industry says they defy common sense. In other Business news: a New Brunswick judge sides with forest companies in Aboriginal title claim; unions say the Quebec forestry roundables exclude workers; Canfor Pulp is selling it shuttered Taylor, BC pulp mill site; Norbord’s 100 Mile House plant site will be redeveloped; the Williams Lake, BC power plant may have to close due to lack of fibre; and Sonoco is closing its paperboard mill in Sumner, Washington.
In Forestry/Climate news: a report says Alberta lags progress on caribou protection; BC’s lack of snow foretells 2024 drought woes; a former scientist slams Canada’s climate plan; Randy Moore called the indictment of a US burn boss highly inappropriate; and six US governors pan Biden’s old-growth policy.
Finally, a new lignin study says inexpensive, carbon-neutral biofuels are finally possible.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
Canfor Pulp Products says it’s entered an agreement to sell its Taylor pulp mill. The mill in northeastern B.C., which produces bleached chemi-thermo mechanical pulp for use in packaging and tissue products, is being sold for $7 million to an undisclosed buyer. Canfor Pulp CEO Kevin Edgson says the new owner is committed to repurposing the site and developing a long-term plan that will benefit the community, which is home to just over 1,000 people between Fort St. John and Dawson Creek. The sale is expected to close during the first quarter, at which point the buyer will be identified. The mill has been closed since the end of 2021. Those curtailments were extended until the beginning of 2023 when Canfor said it did not see a path to reopening due to “a reduction in the long-term supply of fibre in the Peace region.”
The owners of New Brunswick’s big timber companies are breathing a sigh of relief after a judge presiding over a large Indigenous title claim ruled in their favour on an important legal question. In a decision issued Feb. 1, Justice Kathryn Gregory upheld a motion filed by three industrial defendants asking that she strike the request of the six Wolastoqey Nations in New Brunswick to issue certificates of pending litigation against the thousands of acres of land they use for commercial timber operations. Those certificates, if issued, would have made it very difficult for the defendants to keep running timber operations, particularly if they were seeking business loans. The defendants, which include J.D. Irving, H.J. Crabbe and Sons, Acadian Timber, Irving Oil, AV Group and Twin Rivers, own more than 5,000 parcels of land that are part of the title claim, which the judge described as more than half of the province’s territory.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Commerce signalled its intention to raise current duties on Canadian softwood lumber, further aggravating a trade dispute that stretches back more than 40 years. …Softwood lumber has become one of the most enduring trade disputes between Canada and the U.S., tracing its history back to 1982. …But the Montreal Economic Institute has found that the only people benefitting from the U.S. imposed duties on Canadian softwood lumber are American lumber producers. In Canada, the duties have had detrimental effects on the country’s forestry sector. …And between 2017 and 2021, the U.S. government collected $5.6 billion in duties. With a limited supply of Canadian softwood lumber being imported, U.S. consumers are also suffering. …According to the MEI, U.S. consumers are hurt 26 times more by the duties than Canadian lumber producers. In 2017, U.S. consumers lost the equivalent of $1.56 billion due to inflated prices caused by the duties.
The American Forest & Paper Association CEO Heidi Brock and American Wood Council CEO Jackson Morrill responded to the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement of an updated National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter. “EPA’s rule delivers a devastating blow to U.S. manufacturing and the economy while doing nothing to address the largest sources of particulate matter, including wildfire smoke. …”We are very concerned that many of the modernization projects in the paper and wood products industry and across U.S. manufacturing will no longer be able to move forward. “The new rule defies common sense. This Administration has set the standard at near background levels, ensuring permit gridlock for most manufacturing sectors, while failing to address 84% of overall PM2.5 emissions. …Our industry has demonstrated a continued commitment to be a good steward and community partner. We need sustainable regulation to make environmental progress and keep vital manufacturing jobs in America.
WASHINGTON, DC – The Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index® increased 3.5 points in January to 70.7, its highest level since March 2022, due primarily to increased consumer confidence in job security and another significant jump in the share of consumers expecting mortgage rates to decrease. In January, 82% of consumers indicated that they are not concerned about losing their job in the next 12 months, up from 75% last month. Additionally, an all-time survey-high 36% of respondents indicated that they expect mortgage rates to go down in the next 12 months, while 28% expect them to go up, and 35% expect rates to remain the same. However, consumer perceptions of homebuying conditions remain overwhelmingly pessimistic, with only 17% of consumers indicating it’s a good time to buy a home. Overall, the full index is up 9.1 points year over year.
Mortgage rates that hit more than a 20-year high, coupled with elevated construction costs and excessive regulatory costs, left housing affordability in the fourth quarter of 2023 virtually unchanged from the previous quarter and holding near its lowest level in more than a decade. According to the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), just 37.7% of new and existing homes sold between the beginning of October and end of December were affordable to families earning the U.S. median income of $96,300. This is nearly identical to the 37.4% posted in the third quarter of last year, which was the lowest reading since NAHB began tracking affordability on a consistent basis in 2012. 
On Tuesday, Vancouver City Council took its first steps towards creating a new policy program to “remove barriers to mass timber” and encourage more developers to utilize the building form. The proposed Mass Timber Policy for Rezonings would allow additional height and density through the rezoning process, allowing up to two additional storeys on sites that currently allow for eight to 11 storeys, and up to three additional storeys on sites that currently allow for 12 or more storeys. The City says … additional density was “one of the most compelling incentives” that was identified during consultations. …The City will also provide support to those looking to utilize mass timber construction on a new project. Staff will convene for consultation during the development enquiry stage, before an application is officially submitted because “uncertainty of entering into the permit process with a new building form” was something that offset the advantages of using mass timber construction.
HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today led a coalition of six governors in criticizing federal agencies for plans to adopt new forest management rules without addressing state concerns. In 
Pique’s reporting on March 31, 2023, offered a glimmer of hope that the Cheakamus Community Forest’s Carbon Credit scheme “would not be exploited by large corporations for greenwashing.” The liquefied fossil gas plant being constructed in Squamish claims to achieve “net-zero” emissions by purchasing carbon credits from the Cheakamus Community Forest. This situation uses the growth of trees in Whistler to justify a fossil-fuel megaproject, with the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) directly supporting fracking and fossil-gas expansion. This stance is in stark contrast to the values of a community known for its natural beauty and commitment to conservation. …I urge the RMOW and the Cheakamus Community Forest to halt the sale of carbon credits to fossil gas projects and to publicly denounce a project that contradicts the environmental principles they profess to uphold.
