Canadian mass-timber pioneer Michael Green says steel and concrete are industrial-age materials. In related news: University of Alberta helps builders adopt timber; Portland developers deliver on affordable housing; Maine’s Bar Harbor college embraces wood; Taylor Guitars give trees a second life; and Cal Poly students earn sustainable packaging award.
In Business news: Paper Excellence defends recent acquisitions, pushes back on negative reports, and JD Irving and Twin River Paper secure property tax refunds. Meanwhile: a northeastern Ontario treaty dispute nears resolution, caribou habitat tracking in the Northwest Territories; heat and drought impacts on Pacific Northwest forests; and Pennsylvania combats invasive species impact.
Finally, Arbor Day foundation names Katie Loos as its new president.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
It is well known that Jackson Wijaya, the ultimate and sole owner of Paper Excellence, is the son of the current head of APP. In the early days, Jackson benefited from some experience gained from the family business early in his life, as well as support getting his company started. This is hardly a unique or exceptional circumstance. The situation is entirely different today. Jackson operates his Paper Excellence independently. Many stakeholders and regulators – global funding institutions, regulatory bodies and certifiers, among others – have acknowledged this reality. Paper Excellence’s acquisition of Resolute was extensively reviewed under the Investment Canada Act. As we have expanded our business, we have looked for companies and markets steeped in long traditions and with best practices to share in these areas. …Paper Excellence is committed to conducting business in a manner that protects the environment, conserves resources, minimizes its environmental footprint and ensures sustainable development.
President Biden announced new standards to require that all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects be made in America. But is it possible? And even if it’s possible, is it wise? The answer to both questions is “Yes, but it won’t be easy.” Even before Biden’s $1.7 trillion infrastructure bill, the U.S. was in a “construction deficit.” To meet pent-up demand… we need to construct another two and a half trillion square feet by 2060 — the equivalent of building another New York City every month for the next 40 years. And ramping up U.S. manufacturing capacity on multiple fronts at the same time multiplies that challenge. …Materials shortages are ongoing. Our ability to ramp up production varies widely depending on the material — for example, it’s far easier to do this with materials like lumber than with concrete. Lumber supply, by contrast, is easier to ramp up because it’s much easier to ship.
Swedish lumber prices are rising after the sharp fall in last autumn. Price growth was not due to increased demand, but to reduced supply, according to Danske Bank. …“There are many indications that the lumber market has now bottomed out, but we do not believe in a classic economic turnaround with a price rally for lumber. Construction is declining in large parts of the world with lower demand as a result,” said Johan Freij at Danske Bank Sweden. The reduced supply of lumber is due to… Damage from bark beetle in Canada and in Central Europe, but the biggest cause is likely Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. …But what really stands out is the U.S. market. Imports from Europe and Sweden have strengthened dramatically and in 2022 the U.S. has been established as Sweden’s most important lumber product market after the UK.
