A judge found Canadian Pacific Kansas City guilty of contempt of court for employees working long hours. In other Business news: DC Equipment acquired world-renowned Madill brand; Huber plans to build an OSB mill in Mississippi; West Fraser declares a dividend; and Greenpeace fails to recover its legal fees in Resolute case. On the market front: Maine loggers are hurt by the paper market slowdown; RBC says Canada’s economy is beating expectations; and US homebuying and home-selling conditions diverge.
In Forestry/Climate news: Canada marks Clean Air Day with the worst air quality in the world; ENGOs sue federal minister over spotted owls; and timely stories on what it takes to be a forest firefighter, and the stresses of wildland firefighting. Meanwhile: wildfire and smoke updates from Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and New Jersey.
Finally, and very sadly, a logging truck mechanical failure kills three near Cranbrook, BC.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
The economy has proven more resilient than expected in 2023. In both the U.S. and Canada, GDP continued to grow in Q1 as consumer spending held despite higher interest rates and prices. Low unemployment rates have persisted, and inflation is still running above central bank target rates. Concerns about the U.S. regional banking sector have calmed down and the next fight over the U.S. debt limit has been kicked down the road to after the 2024 elections. …Overheating labour market conditions and a large stockpile of household pandemic savings in Canada might delay the full impact of tighter monetary policy. But the surge in interest rates over the last year will continue to take a toll. …We continue to think the most likely base case outlook includes at least ‘mild’ recessions in Canada and the United States—although we now expect declines in GDP to start a quarter later (Q3 and Q4 2023) than previously expected.
VANCOUVER, BC – West Fraser Timber has declared a quarterly dividend of US$0.30 per share [or $1.2 annualized] on the Common shares and Class B Common shares in the capital of the Company, payable on July 7, 2023 to shareholders of record on June 21, 2023. Dividends are designated to be eligible dividends pursuant to subsection 89(14) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and any applicable provincial legislation pertaining to eligible dividends. Dividends are declared and payable in U.S. dollars. [The annual yield on the dividend is 1.6 percent].
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If the rash of wildfires in Quebec has ignited a spark of interest in becoming a forest firefighter, officials welcome your interest but also have a few words of warning. “You have to be used to working in the forest — in places where comfort is secondary,” said Karine Pelletier, a communications agent with SOPFEU, Quebec’s forest fire prevention agency. “There’s often no toilet, there’s lots of bugs, it’s hot and you have to wear protective gear that gets very hot when you’re near a fire. The days are long, often 12 hours a day for 14 days in a row. …What are the prerequisites? You need a high school diploma and a professional or vocational school diploma, or a college or university degree in forestry, fauna or fire safety. Or you can be a college or university undergraduate in those studies, or have had three years of forest-related work experience. 
WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) introduced the Safe Routes Act of 2023. This commonsense legislation allows logging trucks that meet state requirements to drive up to 150 miles on federal highways. Current laws limit logging trucks from using interstate highways when traveling from harvest sites to storage or processing facilities. “The forestry and timber industry is important for many Wisconsin counties. Yet logging trucks are forced to take longer and more dangerous routes through towns and local two lane roads,” Sen. Johnson said. “My bill fixes this problem by opening federal highways to logging trucks, allowing them to take safer routes to the mills and more efficiently deliver for the people of Wisconsin.”
New Zealand’s government is starting to cultivate a more sustainable forestry industry with investments into a bioenergy plant, research into biomass and better forestry practices, announced forestry minister Peeni Henare. “The Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use recognised current forest harvest practices are not sustainable. New Zealand’s government is investing a further $10.4m (€5.8m) into woody biomass research. “We want to look at how we can better manage slash through the forestry process and whether it can be used in bioenergy generation locally in Tairāwhiti,” Henare added. …“The research will build an evidence base for investing in woody biomass supply, and help government and the sector chart a sustainable way forward.”
BOSTON — The Healey administration moved Wednesday to draft the state’s forests into the effort to address climate change, announcing a new initiative to invest in conservation, develop updated guidelines for state lands, and provide incentives for landowners to maximize the climate benefits of their forests. By optimizing the ability of forests to take carbon emissions out of the atmosphere, Gov. Maura Healey said the new Forests as Climate Solutions initiative “will play an essential role in the stewardship and conservation of our natural resources” and help the state make good on its carbon emission reduction targets. In addition to a minimum 50 percent reduction in emissions by 2030, the climate roadmap law requires Massachusetts to reduce emissions by at least 75 percent by 2040 and at least 85 percent by 2050.
Hundreds of wildfires, based mainly in Quebec, continued to pose a threat to communities Wednesday and sent harmful smoke across Eastern parts of the continent. Skies were clouded over in many cities in Ontario, Quebec and the U.S. eastern seaboard. Canada could exceed the largest total amount of burned area recorded in this country in a single year if the current rate of wildfire activity continues, according to Natural Resources Canada. The department released updated data and forecasts Monday showing that, as of June 4, there had been 2,214 wildfires across Canada this year, and about 3.3 million hectares burned. The 10-year average over the same timeframe is 1,624 fires and 254,429 hectares burned.
A wildfire burning roughly 10 kilometres east of Port Alberni on Vancouver Island has led to the shutdown of Highway 4. The Cameron Bluffs wildfire is currently burning out of control and is an estimated 140 hectares. The shutdown of Highway 4 concerns officials, as it is the only major route connecting Port Alberni with the rest of Vancouver Island, outside of logging roads. According to the Ministry of Transportation, the closure is now expected to last beyond the fire itself, due to damage to the road and instability of the slope above the highway. Port Alberni’s mayor, Sharie Minions, said the region is extremely dependent on Highway 4 and the closure will be challenging. …Minion said supplies, goods, and food all come to the community from the highway route. Luckily, she said the community is prepared for a short-term closure. …“We are fortunate right now it is only a transportation risk, not a community risk.”
Highway 4 remains closed at Cameron Lake Bluff due to wildfire affecting the area. A detour is in place and drivers are strongly encouraged to avoid travel in the area unless essential. The detour will route traffic from Port Alberni through to Lake Cowichan via Bamfield using forest-service and privately owned industrial roads. The gravel detour route has narrow sections, sharp curves, single-lane bridges and challenging terrain. There is no cell service, gas stations or washroom facilities on the detour route. Regular passenger vehicles, such as cars, vans and commercial vehicles weighing less than 63,500 kilograms, can travel through the detour corridor. No over-height or over-weight vehicles will be permitted. The detour route extends travel by four hours and includes difficult driving conditions. It is strongly encouraged to wait to travel if possible.:format(webp)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/politics/provincial/2023/06/07/as-wildfires-worsen-air-quality-doug-ford-urges-ontarians-to-avoid-campfires-but-stops-short-of-a-fire-ban/toronto_and_wildfires.jpg)
