Canada’s resource industry and (separately) a large group of environmental organizations are organizing to influence Ottawa’s post-covid recovery plans. In other Business news: Canada seeks to stem out-migration in Northern Ontario; BC’s log export plunge may violate the Trans-Pacific Partnership; the US furniture industry wants the Chinese tariff exclusions to be extended; recovered paper shipments to China could cease by year-end; and economic updates abound by Fannie Mae, MarketWatch, and the Mortgage Bankers Assoc.
In other news: BC’s wolf kill program is panned in The Atlantic; ENGOs seek protection for Alaska’s wolf population; lifting the Tongass Roadless Rule said to benefit China most; and Two Sides launches its Love Paper campaign.
Finally, biodegradable fleece clothing made from wood – yes it’s possible!
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
Federal Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the government remains “fully committed” to preserving a quarter of natural land and ocean habitat by 2025, following a call from hundreds of groups to ensure conservation is at the heart of any post-pandemic recovery. In an open letter published July 13 to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, 235 environmental organizations, including about 50 B.C.-based groups, said they “stand ready to provide staff, research and resource support” to help Canada devise a strategy to achieve its biodiversity and climate targets. The letter argues that government investments in forests, wetlands, grasslands, oceans, lakes and rivers can create jobs and help boost Canada’s economic recovery …following the initial wave of COVID-19. …In addition to BC Nature, officially the Federation of British Columbia Naturalists, there are 47 other B.C.-based organizations that have put their names to the letter, including West Coast Environmental Law, Wildsight and the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve Society.
Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) grants are supporting the Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) as it creates jobs, fights climate change and reduces wildfire risk near its community. To date, grants have supported the removal of 64,000 cubic metres of slash …and over the next two years, the total will reach 200,000 cubic metres. The ongoing project is also creating an estimated 26 jobs for both the WLFN and the Tŝideldel First Nation (TFN), which has partnered to grind the debris on site and ship it to local markets. “The WLFN have partnered with the TFN on this unique ongoing project that is seeing slash piles turned into biomass fuel instead of burning them,” said Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests. Three FESBC grants between 2017 and 2019, totalling more than $3 million, allowed WLFN to develop an ongoing program and enabled it to build several partnerships to grind the debris at site and truck it to local markets. 
The BC Forest Practices Board is searching for a seasoned professional to lead a multi-disciplinary team of professionals in delivery of investigative services consistent with the Board’s legal mandate. You will provide informed advice on a wide range of investigative issues, and provide direction, strategies and approaches to ensure the success of complaint investigations and special investigations of forest and range practice issues. The Director ensures investigations are conducted in a timely, thorough and impartial manner, consistent with principles of administrative fairness; develops and implements policies, procedures, and standards for investigations; and reviews investigations to ensure consistency and quality control. The successful candidate will understand the needs of both industry and government, and will work effectively in an environment of competing priorities amongst diverse stakeholders. 
Statistics on the environmental impact of plastic speak for themselves. It is estimated we are on track to lose 90% of marine bird life, while the weight of plastic in the ocean will exceed the weight of fish by 2050. …The traditional ‘linear’ manufacturing approach of produce > use > dispose needs to change to a ‘circular’ model. Avoiding landfill and litter requires goods to be reused or recycled at the end of their useful life, whether into similar products or for energy. Paper-based packaging is a demonstration of mainstream ‘circular ‘production: It is sourced from plantations that regrow after harvest; Virgin paper is made from a combination of residues of other wood processing and wood that is unsuitable for sawmilling; Paper is the mainstay of recycling worldwide; If not recycled, at worst, paper naturally biodegrades. As an alternative to many single-use plastics, paper represents a solution to a problem that is both economically and ecologically sustainable.
As demand increases for sustainable and environmentally friendly energy and products, the Mid-Atlantic region with its abundance of forests and abandoned mine land is poised to grow its biomass-based renewable energy and products economy. With the help of a $10 million competitive grant from the UDSA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, West Virginia University is spearheading the development of a perennial multi-feedstock production system that is sustainable and economically feasible for the region. At the heart of the project is the establishment of the Mid-Atlantic Sustainable Biomass for Value-Added Products Consortium, a regional group of universities, industry partners, national laboratories and governmental agencies interested in advancing the science and practice of sustainable bioproducts. …When it comes to maintaining a sustainable feedstock supply, the biomass crops will be blended with logging residue wood chips to create a massive regional multi-feedstock biomass supply chain with minimized costs, consistent quality and continuous supply.