Atli Resources, a First Nation-owned wood chip plant on Vancouver Island is shutting down after Crofton mill closure—CEO says this is “a necessary pause — not an exit”. In related news: the Natural Resources Forum focused on BC forestry challenges; and more on why Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper is exiting the newsprint business. In Wood Product news: the Softwood Lumber Board continuance referendum is postponed; Canada released its 2025 Model Building Code; Ontario WoodWorks focuses on prefabrication systems; and US homebuilders focus on affordability crisis.
In Forestry news: Oregon’s governor picks first woman state forester; Wyoming’s governor signs stewardship agreement with USDA; ENGOs sue Oregon over spotted owl habitat; Rogers Satellite courts Canada’s foresters; and BC’s professional accounting association (CPABC) releases commentary on sustainable forestry reporting.
Finally, Chile’s wildfire emergency follows a pattern seen in wildfires around the world.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
A wood chip facility primarily owned by the ʼNa̱mǥis Nation on north Vancouver Island says it is permanently shutting down as a result of the recent mill closure in Crofton, BC. Atli Resources CEO Jonathan Lok says the Atli Chip LP directly employed nine people, but the closure will affect many more in the small community of Beaver Cove, near Port McNeill. …Lok says a contractor the company hired to bring wood fiber into the facility would be affected as well, along with the 10 to 15 positions it hires. …Lok says the company announced the closure on Jan. 20. He expects the facility to operate until the end of February. Atli Resources is majority owned by the ʼNa̱mǥis Business Development Corporation. Its other two partners include Domtar. Lok says all of the materials from the facility were shipped to the Crofton pulp mill, which Domtar announced in December would permanently close by April.
The Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes (CBHCC) has released the 2025 editions of the National Model Codes which bring forward new revisions but some provinces – such as BC – have already implemented new standards or have outstripped the current codes. “The 2025 National Model Codes aim to create a harmonized framework that addresses building safety, accessibility, energy efficiency and climate adaptation,” said Silvia Garcia, co-chair of the CBHCC. The 2025 National Model Codes include the National Building Code (NBC), National Energy Code, National Plumbing Code and National Fire Code. …BC‘s building code (BCBC) allowed 18-storey encapsulated mass timber construction (EMTC) in 2024 with Ontario joining in a year later. The 2020 NBC set the structures at 12 storeys and 42 metres in height while the new 2025 NBC code retains the 12 storeys (for residential or Group C structures and office occupancies or Group D) but raises the height to 50 metres.
Mexico’s National Forestry Commission has issued the 2026 Rules of Operation for its Sustainable Forestry Development for Wellbeing Program, establishing requirements to access federal funding. The rules guidelines governing the allocation of public resources to strengthen sustainable forest development across Mexico. The program is structured around six support components: community forest management and sustainable value chains; commercial and agroforestry plantations; forest restoration; environmental services; forest protection; and capacity building and local development. Through these components, financial support will be provided to ejidos, Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities, women-led forestry enterprises, and landowners of forested and preferentially forested land. Eligible projects include sustainable forest management, forest and agroforestry plantations, ecosystem restoration, conservation of environmental services, and protection against wildfires, pests, and diseases. Support also covers training and research activities, with a cross-cutting gender approach designed to strengthen women’s participation—particularly Indigenous and Afro-Mexican women—in decision-making and forestry value chains.
BOGOTA, Colombia — Chile is reeling from one of its most serious wildfire emergencies in years. Deadly flames sweeping across central and southern parts of the South American country have turned large swaths of forest and towns to ash. Fire scientists say the blazes are being driven not only by extreme heat, drought and wind, but also by how human-shaped landscapes interact with changing climates — a lethal mix that makes fires harder to control. …The fires have razed forests, farmland and hundreds of homes. …What distinguishes Chile’s current fire season isn’t an unusual surge in the number of fires, but the amount of land they are burning. …Miguel Castillo, at the University of Chile… “almost tripling the amount of affected area,” even though the number of fires so far is “within normal margins.” That means fewer ignitions are causing far greater damage — a pattern increasingly seen in extreme wildfire seasons around the world.
The Quebec government says it’s pushing back its greenhouse gas reduction target by five years to protect the economy and jobs. Environment Minister Bernard Drainville announced today that the government will not meet its goal of reducing emissions by 37.5 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030. This target has now been set for 2035— a timeline the government describes as ambitious yet realistic. Drainville says in a news release that Quebec has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 20 per cent since 1990. He says achieving the other half of the target in just five years would risk economic damage at a time of uncertainty and tariff threats from the US. In response, environment group Equiterre says the government is letting young Quebecers down.