Five plus years after a devastating fire, Notre Dame Catherdral’s medieval timber roof is restored. In Business news: Trump tariff concerns spur Canada to strengthen its border, while BC lobbies for a dedicated port police; Western Forest Products and United Steelworkers have a new collective agreement; West Virginia adds a new sawmill; and the EU Deforestation Regulation is upending the UK hardwood market.
In Forestry/Climate news: what today’s political headwinds mean for climate policy; a South Korean MP calls for a moratorium on Indonesian wood pellet imports; a BC First Nation proposes a new protected area; and the latest from Woodlots BC and the Forest Enhancement Society of BC.
Finally, a new study on the health impacts of wildfire smoke, and the BC Forest Safety Council celebrates 20 years of safety progress.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
2024 has been an interesting year on a number of fronts. More importantly, it marked BCFSC commemorating 20 years of service to the industry, where a number of Forest Safety News stories were shared over the course of the year through the lens of industry and staff reflecting on the forest industry’s journey to improving safety. The first theme shared in these stories related to acknowledging the history of the unacceptable number of injuries and work-related deaths. The second theme that emerged highlighted the efforts of industry pulling together to make dynamic and positive change.
VANCOUVER — Western Forest Products announced that the Company and the United Steelworkers Local 1-1937 (USW) have agreed to the terms of a tentative collective agreement. The USW represents approximately 1,000 Western employees. The tentative agreement is subject to a ratification vote by USW membership, which is expected to occur before the end of the year. The USW bargaining committee has advised that they will be recommending that its members accept this agreement. …Steven Hofer, President and CEO of Western Forest Products said, “A new collective agreement will provide critical business certainty to the Company as we look to accelerate the transition to higher value products through reinvestment in our operations. I want to thank the bargaining team members for their work to deliver a fair and balanced agreement.”
President-elect Donald Trump plans to implement a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada to target drugs, particularly fentanyl, and illegal immigration… Trump’s announcement of his plans has spurred questions about what tariffs mean for American consumers, as well as the products that may face additional fees. Oil and “billions worth of wood and paper” are imported from Canada to America, USA TODAY reported. …Congress has the authority to make U.S. tariff policy, and the legislative branch usually set tariff rates before the 1930s… However, Congress has “delegated extensive tariff-setting authority to the President” for decades. Through certain statutes, the president can impose or adjust tariffs, such as adjusting tariffs on imports that threaten U.S. national security or raise tariff rates when the U.S. International Trade Commission finds that an import surge has injured an American industry, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Policymakers are looking out for indications of what President-elect Donald Trump plans to do to ease housing costs next year. …Trump has spoken frequently of his proposed 60% tariff on goods from China, which he has said would create more manufacturing jobs in the US. …But housing economists and other experts say that could be bad news for building more affordable housing. Selma Hepp, chief economist for CoreLogic, a financial services company, said tariffs are one of her main concerns about the effects of a second Trump term. “One of the biggest concerns is not just lumber [costs], but the overall cost of materials, which have been going up,” Hepp said. Kurt Paulsen, professor of urban planning in the department of planning and landscape architecture at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said building costs are already high from tariffs on Canadian lumber.
Executive Director’s Message: October was a significant month for Woodlots BC, marked by key accomplishments in strategic planning, conference organization, and internal organizational changes. Now that the restructuring has settled down the Board of Directors for Woodlots BC have started to meet on a quarterly basis. Most of the changes and restructuring have been completed. Strategic Plan: The organization started a Strategic Review of the Woodlots BC by meeting for two days before the Conference in Quesnel. This process was facilitated by Tom Lewis. We are currently creating 4 objectives that we will focus on over the next while in order to advocate for the Woodlot Licence program. Click the Read More below to see the full newsletter with Conference Coverage, Minister’s Award Recipient, Executive Director’s Report, Commercial Thinning and Moose, Woodlots BC Bursary Recipient, New Board Members, Four Steps to Burning, and CBST Guidelines.
JAKARTA, Indonesia — A South Korean National Assembly member has called for a moratorium on wood pellet imports from Indonesia and an investigation into their environmental impacts after government data and satellite analysis linked the country’s biomass imports to deforestation in Indonesia. …Many coal-fired power plants can be easily modified to burn it alongside coal to make energy. …Experts including the IEA say it’s important for that demand to happen in a sustainable way, such as using waste and crop residue rather than converting forest land to grow bioenergy crops. In South Korea, bioenergy has grown to become the second-largest source of renewable energy and over 80% of its main raw material — energy-dense wood pellets — is dependent on imports. …The Korea Forest Service also told AP it had confirmed that Indonesia wood pellets were produced via legal tree-cut procedures in the country.