Economic updates by key US and Canadian entities point to modest recessions in late 2022/early 2023. In related news: why Canada’s loonie is no longer a petro-dollar; US building materials, mortgage activity continue to fall; global softwood trade declines 20%; and pulp shortages push costs up. In other Business news: Altas Holdings completes Crown Paper acquisition and Japan builds its first hybrid timber high-rise hotel.
Other stories making news: Biden designates October 12 as ‘National Loggers Day‘; Reuters on why Arctic fires are growing; the National Observer on Canada’s disappearing forests; the Washington Post’s investigation of Amazon deforestation; and Ontario invests in drone reforestation, while recruitment issues plague the province’s wildfire program.
Finally, registration opens for the TLA convention, and US WoodWorks’ final call for wood design awards.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
VANCOUVER — First came the moths. Then came the drought. The trees of Stanley Park, typically the green jewel of Vancouver’s downtown core, just can’t catch a break. Experts say large numbers of browning trees appear dead or dying, because of a one-two combination of foliage-munching grubs and an exceptionally dry weather spell… City of Vancouver arborist Joe McLeod said trees already stressed by infestations of western hemlock looper moth larva have been further pushed toward breaking point by the prolonged summer-like conditions. …Richard Hamelin, the department head of forest conservation sciences at the University of British Columbia, agreed that it’s not just the ongoing problem of the looper moths that is killing trees. “The heat and the drought are like additional stress that affects those trees,” said Hamelin. …McLeod has put out a request for proposals, asking experts to come up with suggestions about how to manage the moth outbreak. 
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will audit forest planning and practices on five woodlots in the Campbell River Natural Resource District during the week of Oct. 17, 2022. Auditors will examine whether timber harvesting, roads, silviculture, fire protection and associated planning carried out between Oct. 1, 2020, and Oct. 20, 2022, met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act, as well as the Woodlot Planning and Practices Regulation. The woodlots are located within the North Island Timber Supply Area, near the communities of Union Bay, Campbell River, Gold River and Tahsis on Vancouver Island. The Campbell River Natural Resource District was randomly selected for audit, and the board then selected woodlots as the focus of the audit. …Once the audit work is complete, a report will be prepared. Any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond.
The summer of 2021 saw enormous, record-breaking fires rip through the forests of Northern Ontario. A total of 1,198 forest fires razed over 790,000 hectares of land — the most ever burned in the Ontario’s history. …But, even as climate change worsens and Ontario’s wildfire seasons threaten to lengthen and intensify, the provincial government is struggling to retain or train the men and women who fly into remote communities to battle the dangerous blazes. It’s an issue Ontario has been tracking since at least 2015 — and one it continues to struggle with. …A key concern raised in government reports is that fire rangers — who often spend the summer months isolated in remote parts of Northern Ontario and winter without full-time government work — are being underpaid. …The nature of forest firefighting means work-life balance leaves much to be desired, some say. Overtime can help to compensate, but it alone is not the answer.
ONTARIO — Matawa Chiefs Council says it “stands in solidarity” behind the legal action undertaken by three Treaty 9 First Nations against the Government of Ontario in an effort to stop what it describes as a degradation of the boreal forest within their traditional territory. The plaintiffs — Chapleau Cree, Missanabie and Brunswick House First Nations — claim by allowing forestry practices such as aerial spraying of pesticides including using the herbicide glyphosate, the government has broken the Treaty 9 promise for First Nations to continue “their way of life and livelihoods” – hunting, trapping, fishing, and harvesting wild plants for food and medicine. …The problem, she said, is her clients can no longer pursue their traditional way of life and livelihoods in their territories, adding that they are not against sustainable forestry.
The American Loggers Council announces the introduction of a Senate Resolution, House Resolution of Support, and Letter of Recognition from President Biden designating October 12th as “National Loggers Day”. Loggers were a part of carving out a new life in America 400 years ago and they continue to build America every day. Loggers today carry on the proud tradition that has been a part of the American fabric since the beginning and will continue to be in the future. The proud timber industry heritage depicted by the iconic Paul Bunyan lives on in today’s loggers. They are an American legacy. “Our forest products industry has supported good-paying jobs, driven local economies, strengthened rural communities, and protected our natural environment. I come from a six-generation forest-products family and know of no other enterprise that requires more faith in the future and respect for the past,” said Senator Collins. 
Smoke from hundreds of wildfires darkened skies over the Alaskan Interior this summer, with the state experiencing its fastest start to the fire season on record amid hot and dry conditions. Tens of thousands of lightning strikes ignited the majority of active fires, according to the Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service. …With climate change raising Arctic temperatures faster than the global average, wildfires are shifting poleward where the flames blaze through boreal forest and tundra and release vast amounts of greenhouse gases from the carbon-rich organic soil. …Arctic wildfires that sparked above the 66th parallel north unleashed an estimated 16 million tonnes of carbon in 2021. …Though the charred boreal forests and tundra still represent just 3% of the global area burned each year, the richness of their soils means those wildfires account for roughly 15% of the world’s annual carbon emissions from fires — and that number is growing.
The Ministry of Labour outlined new age requirements for young workers, saying they must be at least 16 before working in construction or doing jobs from dangerous heights, and at least 18 before they can work in a sawmill, use a chainsaw or drill for gas and oil. The amended employment standard regulations take effect Jan. 1. …WorkSafe B.C. has collected tragic stories over the years of young people on jobs sites … who have suffered similar life-altering experiences: A forklift driver paralysed after a load of plywood slipped off and broke his back, a lumber processor who lost his leg while tangled in a chain, and a pizza dough maker who lost three fingers in a machine accident. …Several jobs were identified as hazardous for young workers, including construction, forestry, food processing, the oil, gas and power sectors, work that involves asbestos removal, and being in confined spaces.
Manufacturing in British Columbia has an injury rate that is 24 per cent higher than the provincial average, according to WorkSafeBC. In 2021, there were more than 19,000 time-loss injuries in the manufacturing sector in B.C. and close to 4,000 of these were serious injuries. To help prevent injuries in manufacturing, WorkSafeBC has established a multi-year Manufacturing High-Risk Strategy. As part of this strategy, WorkSafeBC develops health and safety resources to help employers better understand and address health and safety issues. The latest resource is a new self-evaluation tool for manufacturing workplaces that includes a set of checklists to help employers and supervisors identify, control, and manage risks.