Daily News for September 16, 2025

Today’s Takeaway

Canada’s inflation rate eases, interest rate cut now all but certain

Tree Frog Forestry News
September 16, 2025
Category: Today's Takeaway

Canada’s inflation rate eased in August, interest rate cut tomorrow is now all but certain. In other Business news: Steelworkers are frustrated with the forestry strike on Vancouver Island; Unifor is set to meet on future of Domtar’s Kénogami and Dolbeau plants; Arkansas State University recognized West Fraser’s workforce contributions; and CO280 initiated carbon removal project in Canada. Meanwhile: CWC and FPAC applaud the creation of the Build Canada Homes agency; Canada’s housing starts tumble 16%; and China’s weakened economy drives lower log imports.

In Forestry/Climate news: Sweden and Finland urge revision of EU’s forestry climate targets; the US agencies issue memorandum on wildfire response reforms; US forestry stakeholders promote biomass power; US Senators seek renewed funding of Women in Wildfire Boot Camp; BC Forest Minister Parmar visits the UBC Malcolm Knapp Research Forest; and the BC Forest Practices Board to audit biodiversity practices in the Mackenzie District.

Finally, via Zoom tonight, BC Forest History Association Speaker Series presents Larry Pedersen, BC’s 14th Chief Forester.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor

Read More

Business & Politics

‘Frustrating’: Forestry strike continues on north Island

By Dean Stoltz
Chek News
September 15, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

VANCOUVER ISLAND — Over 3 months later, 105 forestry workers are still on the picket lines this week after walking off the job June 6, and it doesn’t look like they expect to be going back to work anytime soon. …“I didn’t think we’d get to this point,” said United Steelworkers’ Jason Cox. …The union says the company wants to contract out jobs but La-kwa sa muqw Forestry says that’s not the case, it just wants to give new employees the choice. Operations manager Greg DeMille said, “They are demanding that we agree to mandatory union certification. And so with that and the fact we can’t agree to that because we feel it impacts employee’s rights to choose and has an impact to First Nations rights to free, prior and informed consent. …The union says it respects First Nation rights but insists this should be considered a “normal labour dispute” and nothing else. 

Read More

Uncertain future for 400 employees of Domtar’s Kénogami and Dolbeau plants

By David-Alexandre Vincent
TVA Nouvelles
September 15, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

QUEBEC — Just over 400 Domtar workers in Kénogami and Dolbeau, in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, are uncertain about the future of their plants. Unifor is scheduled to meet with senior management shortly to provide an update on the situation. “This year, production shutdowns have been more significant and longer than usual,” said Unifor Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier. The decline in demand for newsprint is forcing the company to adjust and review its business model. According to him, Domtar is managing the decline, but this strategy does not position the regional facilities for the long term. The union wants to discuss alternative solutions to ensure future prospects. …”It’s not necessarily about reassurance, we want the truth,” says Gilles Vaillancourt, of the Kénogami Pulp and Paper Workers Union. …Domtar assures it “continues to operate its various mills responsibly in order to address market trends,” while maintaining dialogue with the unions. [original article in French, translation by Google Translate]

Read More

Arkansas State University Trustees name workforce training center ASU Three Rivers for West Fraser

By Ryan Anderson
The Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette
September 13, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

JONESBORO — The Arkansas State University System board of trustees approved several policy changes during a meeting Friday at Arkansas State University. Trustees approved a policy to “ensure the efficient disposition of real property,” effective immediately. …Trustees also approved creation of a new hire and annual employee training policy — effective Jan. 1, 2026 — as the system doesn’t currently have a mandatory training policy. …Trustees approved naming the workforce training center at Arkansas State University Three Rivers for West Fraser for the next decade. …West Fraser “has made significant contributions to ASU Three Rivers, of a magnitude worthy of special gratitude and lasting recognition, including funding that will provide program support for workforce development and generous support through sponsorships, donations, resources, and collaboration that has created significant revenue for the college,” according to the resolution. …Over the past eight years, the college has collaborated on more than 15,000 training hours with West Fraser.

Read More

Finance & Economics

Canada’s inflation rate rose to 1.9% in August

By Jenna Benchetrit
CBC News
September 16, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada

Canada’s annual inflation rate rose to 1.9% in August, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday, the final piece of economic data to be released before the Bank of Canada’s next interest rate decision. The higher rate was largely expected. Gas prices, which dropped at a rate of more than 16% in July, were still declining in August — but at a slower pace than they had previously, contributing to the upward tick in the overall inflation rate. …With gas stripped away from the overall inflation rate, the numbers mostly ticked down in August. Economists anticipate that the central bank will cut rates by 25 basis points during its Wednesday meeting — which would mark the bank’s first cut since March. “This report was mostly a low-drama affair,” wrote Douglas Porter, chief economist at BMO, in a note to clients. The pace of price growth “won’t cause the Bank of Canada much stress,” Porter wrote.

Read More

Canada’s annual pace of housing starts in August down 16% from July

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
September 16, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada

The six-month trend in housing starts increased (1.6%) in August (267,259 units), according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). …The total monthly SAAR of housing starts for all areas in Canada was down 16% in August (245,791 units) compared to July (293,537 units). “The slowdown in the SAAR that we saw in August is notable as it is well below the six-month trend line. If sustained, this adjustment in the level of housing starts would be consistent with both our forecast and current market intelligence indicating a slowdown in the pace of housing construction. It is worth noting that current housing starts levels are generally reflective of decisions made when interest rates were receding and investor confidence was higher than it is today,” said Kevin Hughes, CMHC’s Deputy Chief Economist.

Read More

China’s Engineered Wood Shift and Its Impact on Sawlog Demand

By Audrey Dixon
ResourceWise Forest Products Blog
September 15, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

A 56% decline in China’s softwood sawlog imports between 2021 and 2024 was driven in large part by its weakened economy, compounded by supply-side constraints including Russia’s 2022 log export ban and Central Europe’s spruce bark beetle infestation. With a high dependence on New Zealand logs making it vulnerable to future shortages, China is also shifting towards sustainable, engineered wood construction practices while exploring the construction potential of its domestic timber resource. …China’s domestic timber resource is not close to meeting the country’s substantial demand for wood. There are also challenges in dispelling some negative perceptions about wood construction among the Chinese public and some builders. …However, with continued investment in timber plantations and research under way on the use of engineered wood in large buildings as well as finding practical, low-cost solutions for rural housing, domestic timber likely has the potential to play a bigger role in the Chinese construction sector in future.

Read More

Wood, Paper & Green Building

Canada’s Wood Industry Applauds Build Canada Homes Initiative, Calls for Bold Action on Rapid Housing Delivery

CWC and FPAC
September 15, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) welcomes the federal government’s launch of the Build Canada Homes (BCH) agency, announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney. Backed by a $13 billion investment and a plan to construct 4,000 homes across six federally owned sites, BCH will fast-track the delivery of affordable, sustainable housing nationwide. “This commitment to factory-built housing and prefabricated building components, including both mass timber and light wood frame systems, directly supports the architects, engineers, and builders we work with every day. It enables them to rapidly deploy quality homes at scale, while meeting Canada’s sustainability and affordability goals,” said Rick Jeffery, President and CEO of CWC. “We’re especially encouraged by BCH’s plan to adopt a ‘Buy Canadian’ policy and streamline permitting for bulk projects.”

Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) welcomes the federal government’s creation of the Build Canada Homes (BCH) agency. “The top priority of our sector continues to be seeing the federal government get the best trade deal possible at the Canada-US negotiating table. There are no measures that will offset the impacts of a prolonged trade dispute with our biggest trading partner. That said, we welcome Prime Minister Carney’s commitment to working with us on a plan for the long-term, which includes building more with Canadian wood products here at home and finding new pathways to bring more Canadian wood exports to other parts of the world,” said Derek Nighbor, President and CEO of FPAC.

Read More

Forestry

Recognizing Canada’s Emerging Forestry Professionals

Forest Products Association of Canada
September 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

This summer, five exceptional students from across Canada were selected for the Forest Products Association of Canada’s (FPAC) 2025 Green Dream Internship Program, an initiative that continues to spotlight the next generation of forestry professionals. Now in its twelfth year, the Green Dream Internship offers students a unique opportunity to explore the forest sector from the inside out. Over six weeks, interns shared their experiences through creative storytelling—capturing everyday moments in forest operations, conducting interviews, and reflecting on their career journeys. Each intern received a $1,000 scholarship to support their studies. “As these students return to their studies and continue building their expertise, they now carry with them an even deeper understanding of the sector’s challenges, innovations, and opportunities,” said Derek Nighbor, FPAC’s President and CEO. 

Read More

Larry Pedersen: Reflections from BC’s 14th Chief Forester

BC Forest History Association
September 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Zoom Presentation TODAY, 7:00 pm. The BC Forest History Association Speaker Series presents Larry Pedersen! Larry was BC Provincial Chief Forester from 1994 to 2004. A graduate from UBC with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry in 1975, he became a registered Professional Forester in 1977. During his career, he advanced through a number of positions in the Forest Service and he also worked in the private sector. Larry will discuss some important historical events that helped shape forestry in the province, explain how he ended up in the job, discuss some of the challenges that he faced, and will tell some stories about things that were said and done during his tenure. The presentation is intended to highlight just a few of the many important events that have shaped forestry in the province. To register for this free Zoom presentation use this Zoom Registration Link

Read More

Old-growth protesters in Walbran Valley stay put as BC Supreme Court approves injunction

By Robyn Bell
The Capital Daily
September 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The ancient forests near Fairy Creek, where the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history took place in 2021, have been fairly silent for nearly four years. But as logging in Vancouver Island’s old-growth forests picks up, protesters have returned to protect these ancient trees. On Friday, BC Supreme Court judge Amy Francis approved an injunction requested by Tsawak-qin Forestry Inc.—co-owned by Western Forest Products and the Huu-ay-aht First Nations—after two days of hearings. Those named in the injunction—including Elder Bill Jones…are banned from blocking the logging company’s access to old-growth forests in the Tree Farm License 44 area. …The removal of the sculpture and the people protesting could happen at any time. Today, blockaders at Cougar Camp—named for the sculpture blocking the logging road—said they were ready and waiting to be arrested while protecting Upper Walbran. 

Read More

Minister of Forests visits Malcolm Knapp Research Forest

By the Faculty of Forestry
The University of British Columbia
September 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

On September 11, 2025, UBC’s Faculty of Forestry welcomed British Columbia’s Minister of Forests, Ravi Parmar, to the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest (MKRF) to witness the critical work being done to advance sustainable forest management and educate the next generation of foresters. The tour, led by Dr. Dominik Roeser, Associate Dean of Research Forests and Community Outreach, and joined by Dr. Robert Kozak, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Forestry and Hélène Marcoux, Malcolm Knapp Research Forest Manager, provided an important opportunity to showcase MKRF’s role in bridging scientific research, education and practical forest management. Minister Parmar’s visit included important conversations focused on forest stewardship and the role research plays, not just in understanding forests, but also in driving innovation, education, and creating future opportunities. Minister Parmar was able to see firsthand the vital research taking place to support both industry and government, and the advancement of sustainable forest management practices in British Columbia.

Read More

Fire-damaged road to Bamfield set to reopen at end of October

By Cindy Harnett
Victoria Times Colonist
September 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The fire-ravaged Bamfield Main Road, which connects Bamfield and several First Nation communities to Port Alberni, will reopen by the end of October, the Transportation Ministry announced. The ministry said temporary closures could still occur, however, during periods of heavy rain and strong winds. It said a geotechnical assessment to identify hazards, and assessments of the stability of trees are ongoing. Based on those findings, thresholds are being established for wind and rain events that will trigger increased patrols of Bamfield Main and potentially closures. A weather station and closure gates will be installed in the coming weeks, according to the ministry, which is leading efforts to reopen the road with Mosaic Forest Management, the company that oversees the affected stretch. …Ditidaht Nation Chief Judi Thomas said she suspects the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, Huu-ay-aht First Nation and Mosaic and Bamfield would be more than happy to support a provincial paved alternate route.

Read More

Forest Practices Board to audit stand-level biodiversity practices in Mackenzie District

BC Forest Practices Board
September 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

MACKENZIE – The Forest Practices Board is launching a limited-scope audit in the Mackenzie Natural Resource District to assess how licensees manage biodiversity in forest stands through the use of block reserves. Fieldwork for the audit will begin Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, and will examine forestry activities of three licensees from Sept. 1, 2023, to Sept. 26, 2025, to evaluate compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act. The three licensees selected for the audit are BC Timber Sales Prince George area, the McLeod Lake Mackenzie Community Forest and Conifex Timber Inc. The Mackenzie district spans about 6.41 million hectares within B.C.’s Omineca region. …Sixteen First Nations have overlapping territories in the area, including the Kwadacha and Tsay Keh Dene Nations and the McLeod Lake Indian Band. First Nations rely on the area for cultural practices, sustenance and spiritual well-being. Recent years have seen an increase in woodland licences and forest-industry partnerships with local Nations.

Read More

Vancouver Island municipality’s move to consider logging upsets collaboration efforts, says First Nation

By Edzi’u Loverin
CBC News
September 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

First Nations in the North Cowichan region on Vancouver Island say a motion by the municipality is undermining collaborative efforts on the future of logging in the region’s forest reserve. …Cindy Daniels, chief of Cowichan Tribes, said the move by the council “undermines the collaborative nature” of work to date on a joint plan for the forest. …The North Cowichan council has been in discussions for a collaborative framework with Quw’utsun Nation since 2021 and announced a commitment to establish a co-management strategy for the forest reserve in April 2024. …Gary Merkel, director of the Centre for Indigenous Land Stewardship at UBC…. “It’s a little bit ahead of itself that motion, but not too far. I mean, they haven’t said ‘we’re just going to go and log,’ they’ve allowed the possibility”. …”We are going to get a staff report outlining some of the implications and next steps,” North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas said.

Read More

What fish in northwestern Ontario reveal about the impact of climate change, forestry

By Rajpreet Sahota
CBC News
September 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Researchers from Trent University are immersing themselves in forests and streams in northwestern Ontario to understand how forestry practices and climate change affect brook trout populations and freshwater ecosystems. The team is working in the Walkinshaw and Wolf watersheds, northeast of Thunder Bay. They are focusing on headwater streams, which are small rivers that feed larger waterways across the Great Lakes. “Northern freshwater ecosystems are currently experiencing major disturbances, two of which are forest harvest and climate change. One of the effects of climate change is an increase in water temperatures. And the consequences of these predicted increased temperatures on the stream ecosystem are still unclear,” said PhD student Celeste Milli, who is leading the fieldwork. …Milli said the research could help inform science-based policy decisions in Canada’s northern forests, ensuring that both forest ecosystems and freshwater resources remain resilient in a changing climate.

Read More

USDA and DOI Announce Bold Federal Reforms to Improve Nation’s Wildfire Response System

The US Department of Agriculture
September 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

US Secretary of Agriculture Rollins issued a new memorandum to modernize and strengthen America’s wildfire prevention and response system. Concurrently, US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum issued his own memorandum to streamline capabilities and strengthen federal, state, and local partnerships. ….“We started this work in the spring and have continually updated our policies and programs to properly manage our forests through common-sense timber production and management, protecting our national forests and grasslands for generations to come,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins. …“We are cutting through the bureaucracy and building a unified, modern wildfire response system that works as fast and as fearlessly as the men and women on the front lines,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. …The USDA will unify operations, strengthen partnerships with state, Tribal, and local governments, and modernize tools and training to better protect American communities from the escalating threat of wildfire.

Read More

The Secret Lives of Dead Trees

By Stephen Ornes
Scientific American
September 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Mark Harmon, a longtime faculty member at Oregon State University, has been watching number 219, and more than 500 other logs nearby, decay for 40 years. He has trekked to this site in the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest, a watershed nestled in Oregon’s western Cascade Mountains, at least 100 times. His goal: establish an exhaustive baseline dataset that any scientist could use to test hypotheses about tree decomposition or to compare patterns of decomposition in the Pacific Northwest with those in other regions. …In a 2020 analysis, Harmon and his colleagues estimated that decay rates can vary by a whopping 244-fold across species and climates. …Scientists used to assume that decomposition was instantaneous, Harmon says—that when a tree dies, it essentially disappears. “But that’s not true anywhere on Earth, and it’s never been true,” he says. A dead tree is “just a transition to something else.”

Read More

Cortez Masto, former women firefighters urge return of training program struck by anti-DEI cuts

By Jeniffer Solis
Idaho Capital Sun
September 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

©USDAFlickr

…The Women in Wildfire Boot Camp program was established in 2011 and continued for more than a decade before it was terminated because of President Donald Trump’s executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government. …At a July 10 U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, U.S. Forest Service Acting Chief Tom Schultz was asked to explain why the boot camp program was eliminated. He responded, “there are still ample opportunities for all firefighters to be trained without singling out solely women.” …U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, and six other senators on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee sent a letter to the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior on Friday requesting an explanation for the elimination of the boot camp program and its immediate reinstatement.

Read More

Lingít elders, Tongass advocates in Juneau gather in favor of keeping Roadless Rule

By Yvonne Krumrey
KTOO
September 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced this summer it was moving to rescind the Roadless Rule, a 2001 law that protects large swaths of National Forest land from development. That includes more than half of the Tongass National Forest, where Juneau is located. On Saturday, more than 100 people gathered in the state capital to protest the move. …Alaska’s Congressional delegation unanimously supports the rollback of the Roadless Rule. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has said that most of the Tongass would still be protected without it — the parts of the forest that are already designated as wilderness. …But protesters say Alaskans have more to lose in risks to the land and waterways than what they have to gain through further development. Lingít elders and fishing and tourism industry experts took the mic Saturday to deliver a message: the Roadless Rule should be left alone.

Read More

Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

CO280 Awards Pre-FEED Contracts for an 800,000 Tonnes per Year Carbon Removal Project at a Pulp and Paper Mill in Canada

By CO280
Cision Newswire
September 16, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada

VANCOUVER, BC – CO280 Solutions Inc. (CO280), a leading developer of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects, in collaboration with a pulp and paper partner, has awarded Preliminary Front-End Engineering and Design (Pre-FEED) contracts to technology and engineering suppliers for a groundbreaking carbon removal project in Canada. The project is designed to capture and permanently store over 800,000 tonnes per year of biogenic CO2, beginning in 2029. The resulting CDR credits will be sold to buyers in the carbon market. The award of the Pre-FEED contracts follows the successful completion of a Pre-Feasibility study by CO280 and the pulp and paper mill partner in 2024. The Pre-FEED study will evaluate the integration of commercially proven liquid amine carbon capture technology into the existing mill infrastructure. In parallel, CO280 and its partners have initiated marketing and sales of CDR credits to buyers in the carbon market, community engagement consultations, and project financing.

Read More

Forestry stakeholders call on Trump to promote biomass power, expand definition of woody biomass under Renewable Fuel Standard

By Erin Krueger
Biomass Magazine
September 15, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States

The American Biomass Energy Association and Pellet Fuels Institute are among 400-plus associations, businesses and landowners representing the forest products sector that sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Sept. 8 urging immediate action to stabilize the U.S. forestry sector and its access to markets in the face of mounting mill closures, devastating natural disasters, pests and diseases, and unfair foreign trade practices. “Together, these forces are pushing many landowners to exit forestry altogether,” the groups wrote. “If forests are abandoned or converted, the consequences for our domestic timber supply, as well as markets for housing, infrastructure, consumer products, energy, rural livelihoods, and environmental security, will be severe.  …The letter outlines four immediate steps the Trump administration can take to spark job creation and economic growth. This includes promoting the use of biomass for electricity and expanding the definition of qualifying wood biomass under the Renewable Fuel Standard. 

Read More

Sweden and Finland urge revision of EU’s forestry climate targets

By Simon Johnson
Reuters in Yahoo! News
September 16, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

STOCKHOLM — Sweden and Finland could suffer “dire” economic consequences if they are forced to harvest less forest in order to meet their EU-mandated climate targets, the two countries said this week. As part of the European Union’s plans to reach net zero emissions by 2050, Sweden and Finland have been tasked with increasing the amount of CO2 bound up by forests. But both countries say they are on track to miss the EU’s Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) targets for the period 2021-2025 and 2026-30, blaming climate change for slower tree growth and the war in Ukraine for increased demand. ” …Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said “To severely restrict large parts of Nordic forestry is the wrong path to take.” Industry and environmental groups both see forests as a key part in fighting climate change. Forestry firms stress sustainable management and the role of biofuels and wood in replacing fossil fuels, plastic and concrete.

Related coverage in Bloomberg: Sweden, Finland Urge EU to Rethink Climate Targets for Forests

Read More

Forest Fires

Wildfire burning near Coquihalla Highway south of Merritt now being held

By Kristen Holliday
Castanet Kamloops
September 15, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

A wildfire that swept across the Coquihalla Highway earlier this month and forced the closure of the major transportation corridor is not expected to grow any further. The BC Wildfire Service updated the status of the Mine Creek wildfire from out of control to being held — meaning the fire is expected to stay within its current perimeter, based on fire fuel and weather conditions. It’s now estimated that the wildfire, burning between Merritt and Hope, grew to 2,904 hectares in size — a little less than an earlier estimate of 3,000 hectares. The cooler temperatures and rainfall seen in recent days have assisted wildland firefighters working to suppress the fire. The BC Wildfire Service said two millimetres of rain fell over parts of the fire on Sunday, which will help temper fire behaviour.

Read More