Trump tariffs are called the latest inflationary pressure for US lumber prices. In related news: Trump’s threat is called a negotiating tactic, a crude awakening, a threat to Canada and US consumers; immaterial; and a mixed blessing for Maine. In other Business news: Drax celebrates 50 years in the UK: PRT signs agreement with Ontario First Nation; Coulson Aviation secures a contract in Chile; and US new homes sales are down, while US consumer confidence is on the rise.
In Forestry/Wildfire news: Oregon will approve emergency spending on wildfires; Tennessee considers a new wildfire training program; Maine looks to biochar to improve soil health; and a white paper on combining coal and forest residuals for energy.
Finally, El Niño is now a distant memory—so will we feel winter’s wrath?
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
Vietnam’s wood processing and export industry is on track to surpass its 2024 export target of 15.2 billion USD, navigating through complicated market developments with strategic adaptability. Statistics from the General Department of Vietnam Customs showed that Vietnam’s wood export turnover in the first 11 months of 2024 was estimated at over 14.6 billion USD. Industry experts said seeing the market’s robust recovery signs, enterprises have proactively outlined production plans and sought new markets. According to Vice Chairman of the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Chanh Phuong, the US now accounts for 54% of the Vietnamese wood exports. …Chairman of the Binh Duong Furniture Association Nguyen Liem highlighted the efforts of local firms to bolster shipments, including making innovative product designs that are attracting international customers and pivoting to e-commerce channels, demonstrating flexibility in their sales strategies. 
Earlier this year, the Canadian government released a new housing plan aimed at building more homes and addressing housing unaffordability. As part of that plan, government announced $600 million in funding to build homes cheaper and quicker using “innovative technologies.” The funding is earmarked for building more housing by automating processes and using materials like mass timber construction, robotics and 3D printing. …Building materials like mass timber, including cross-laminated timber (CLT), offer a renewable low-carbon substitute for conventional materials, reducing a building’s carbon footprint. …Piecemeal solutions or standalone initiatives cannot address the housing crisis. Canada needs a holistic and multi-stakeholder approach that bridges the gaps between federal, provincial and municipal governments, and includes the active participation of industry stakeholders and local communities.
Thunder Bay, Ontario
The strategy that the Trump administration could follow will have significant benefits for regions that desperately need the jobs: the coal mining sector and the forest products sector. …This well-proven co-firing strategy, which is already in place in many other countries, can provide certainty for the need for US produced coal, certainty for US coal mining jobs, and stimulate billions of dollars of new capital investment for the production of solid fuel derived from the by-products of the primary forest products sector. …By supporting the blending of 15% US produced bioresource derived solid fuel with 85% US produced coal in coal- fueled power plants, the strategy will support the continued operation of those power plants and therefore will sustain the demand for coal as part of the power generation fuel mix. The plan will also strongly support the otherwise fading markets for residual forest products.
Regina, SK – Carbon RX Inc. is proud to announce a new partnership with the Pimicikamak Cree Nation to assist in forest management and preservation of First Nation lands in Manitoba. The project includes 3 million acres of traditional lands in the Canadian boreal forest, home to the Pimicikamak people. “We are the original keepers of the land,” said Chief David Monias, Chief of Pimicikamak. “As part of our inherent rights, we proudly hold historic environmental sovereignty over our traditional lands. We can use modern techniques like carbon crediting to protect and preserve these lands for the next generation. We encourage other Nations to do the same.” First Nation forests generate carbon credits by acting as Mother Earth’s solar panels and absorbing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. When a forest is managed sustainably or restored, the additional carbon sequestered can be quantified and verified as carbon credits.