Trump has the world on edge as he mulls a 20% tariff approach without exemptions. In related tariff news: US lumber dealers appeal to Trump; the US Senate faces a vote; the US Chamber comments on the Section 232 investigation; and Michigan foresters says tariffs are a two-edged sword. In other Business news: Sumitomo Forestry acquires Teal Jone’s Louisiana sawmill; Metsä appoints a new CEO; and the strike at Finland’s UPM Plywood continues.
In other news: BC looks to new opportunities; as policy is blamed for the squeeze; and COFI focuses on the future of forestry. Elsewhere: Nova Scotia’s hemlocks are under threat; Oregon’s timber industry is on the rebound; Colorado rehabs its wildfire ravaged forests; New York sets an ambitious planting goal; and Missiola backs the acquisition of timberlands.
Finally, stay alert as it’s April Fools’ Day! But where did it come from?
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
White House aides have drafted a proposal that would levy tariffs of roughly 20% on most imports, the Washington Post reported. The report cited three people familiar with the matter. It also said White House advisers cautioned that several options are still on the table, meaning the 20% tariffs may not come to pass. Another plan being considered is the country-by-country “reciprocal” approach, according to the Washington Post. The report comes a day before April 2, when President Donald Trump is set to announce his larger plans for global trade. The date has loomed over Wall Street, where stocks have been struggling in part due to uncertainty around rapidly changing global trade policy. Unlike the tariffs already announced by the Trump administration, the new plan is expected to be more widespread and permanent as opposed to targeting specific countries or industries. 
Another wave of sawmill closures swept across British Columbia in 2024, from West Fraser’s Fraser Lake facility to Canfor’s operations in Polar, Vanderhoof, and Fort St. John. As the Northern View reported, Chief Robert Michelle of the Stellat’en warned that “the economic impact for our communities will be dire,” citing job losses not just in the Fraser Lake mill but also among log haulers, restaurant workers and gas station employees… It is clear that current conditions cannot sustain profitable operations, leaving businesses struggling and workers unemployed. The fundamental issue lies in how Victoria approaches forest policy. The government faces mounting pressure from multiple stakeholders. Environmental groups advocate for reduced harvesting levels, while Indigenous communities seek both greater access to timber supplies and a larger role in forest management. While environmental protection and Indigenous rights are important considerations in forest management, and rightly so, the government’s approach has failed to balance these priorities with economic sustainability.
Vancouver, BC — This week, the BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) will welcome more than 600 industry, government, and Indigenous leaders to Prince George for a sold-out COFI 2025 Convention, running April 2-4. As one of the largest annual gatherings of the forest sector in Western Canada, the convention focuses on urgent challenges facing the industry—and the path forward. Attendees are set to explore how the sector can respond to rising US tariffs, global trade uncertainty and regulatory complexity. Discussions will center on strategies to improve industry competitiveness, strengthen partnerships with First Nations and sustain local jobs, while positioning BC as a global leader in sustainable forestry. … A highlight of the convention will be the release of a new study comparing international forest jurisdictions by Glen O’Kelly, CEO of O’Kelly Acumen, benchmarking BC’s performance against leading forestry regions—including Sweden, Finland, Austria, the US, and Brazil. 
Dear Deputy Assistant Secretary Longnecker: The U.S. Chamber strongly opposes the establishment of tariffs or quantitative restrictions on imports of timber, lumber, and their derivative products such as paper, cardboard, and pulp. Imports of these goods do not represent a national security risk, as addressed below. Imposing tariffs on these goods would raise costs for U.S. businesses and home construction, undermine the export success enjoyed by the U.S. paper industry, and reduce incomes in many U.S. communities… It is unreasonable to suggest that imports of these goods represent a national security risk, in part because the chief source of imports in this sector is Canada, a NATO ally and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) partner… It is not reasonable to claim that imports of these goods from a close ally somehow pose a threat to U.S. national security.
When it comes to reforesting areas made bare by natural causes, it’s the Ministry of Forests’ job to oversee the progress. “Wildfire…really is the biggest thing we’re focusing on,” said Shelley Barlow, the ministry’s regional silviculture specialist for the Cariboo. According to a February 2018 report by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, 80 per cent of the area affected by the 2017 wildfires in B.C. was in the Cariboo. About one million hectares of forests were burnt in the region, and 609,000 of those hectares were part of the Cariboo’s timber harvesting land base. Prior to 2017, the ministry was planting up to two million trees per year in the Williams Lake forestry district. Since then, Barlow said this number has at least tripled.
Nearly 18,000 acres in the lower Blackfoot River watershed prized for its habitat and wood products could become publicly owned if the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) follows through with its planned acquisition. Missoula County last week signed a letter of support backing the BLM’s proposed acquisition of the former private industrial timberland in the Gold and Twin Creek drainages northeast of Missoula. Chet Crowser, chief lands and communities officer with the county, said that acquiring the parcels would permanently protect public ownership and provide benefits for decades to come… More than 60% of Missoula County is covered with public lands – lands the county claims sustain local economies through restoration and active management.
A new study is bringing hard data to understand how butterfly numbers have declined steeply in recent years, due to the combination of habitat loss, climate change, and pesticide exposure. A group of scientists is hoping to fix at least one of these problems for one species, by moving an entire forest in Mexico. The sacred fir trees, where monarch butterflies spend their winters, are struggling under climate change. Recently a team of researchers planted a thousand sacred fir trees at a new location at higher elevations to kickstart a new, future-proof forest for the butterflies to overwinter. Quirks producer Amanda Buckiewicz spoke to Cuauhtémoc Saénz Romero, a forest geneticist at the University of Michoacán in Mexico, and Greg O’Neill, a climate change adaptation scientist with the BC Provincial Government in the Ministry of Forests.
