Favourable weather has helped wildfire efforts in California and BC, but summer’s heat means change is coming. In related news: dry conditions and lightning spark more fires in Alaska and the Yukon, the US appoints members to new Wildfire Commission; a study says Oregon wildfires are not unprecedented; a lack of loggers hampers Arizona efforts; and Portugal declares wildfire alert.
In Business news: Alberta report emphasizes forestry’s import; progress is made at Prairie Clean Energy’s flax pellet plant; Western Forest Products and Quatsino First Nation reach bridging agreement; and the world’s first 80-tonne electric log truck is set to debut. Elsewhere: a science-based approach to packaging; and research on how mammal personalities affect the composition of Maine’s forests.
Finally, Hoo-Hoo Hospitality at the 130th convention in Sacramento!
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
Quatsino First Nation and Western Forest Products Inc. have entered into an agreement that provides for a joint vision and approach to share opportunities related to forest resources in unceded Quatsino traditional territory. This agreement allows for a “bridging period” of increased stability for forestry workers and North Island communities as Quatsino, Western and the Province continue to pursue longer term reconciliation arrangements that respect and recognize Quatsino’s rights within its territory, and provide for North Island economic stability. The Quatsino / Western “Bridging Agreement” builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Quatsino, Western and the Provincial government in 2020. This milestone agreement recognizes and respects Quatsino’s rights within its territory and creates a foundation to achieve Quatsino and Western’s shared goals around sustainability and predictability for forest resources.
The Alberta Forest Products Association released an economic report for the province’s forestry sector in 2020. It says $13.6 billion in economic output, $2.7 billion in labour income, and more than 31,500 jobs were contributed by the forestry sector in Alberta in 2020 according to the report done by 
As inflation rates climb to multi-decade highs across the world, some of the biggest drivers of consumer-price growth have entered a new and welcome phase: Their prices are actually declining. …Furthermore, bond investors’ expectations of inflation are also falling, an indication that Wall Street is increasingly optimistic that sky-high increases in consumer prices will be brought to heel. It’s an encouraging development, [but] it would be premature to say inflation is peaking, let alone that central bankers should tap the brakes on further rate hikes. …Inflation remains uncomfortably steep… with Canada’s annual rate hitting 7.7 per cent in May, and financial analysts expect the Bank of Canada to raise its policy rate by three-quarters of a percentage point next week. …Keta Kosman, of Madison’s Lumber Reporter… “Lumber supply is keeping up with the demand, and the ability of mills to respond and adjust is good.” [to access the full story a Globe and Mail subscription is required]
The U.S. exported 740,605 metric tons of wood pellets in May, up from both 659,071 metric tons the previous month and 513,608 metric tons in May 2021, according to data released by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service on July 7. The U.S. exported wood pellet to more than a dozen countries in May. The U.K. was the top destination at 358,943.6 metric tons, followed by Belgium-Luxembourg at 129,421.6 metric tons and the Netherlands at 126.468.3 metric tons. Exports to Japan were at 75,303 metric tons, with exports to the Netherlands at 28,821.3 metric tons. The value of U.S. wood pellet exports was at $131.78 million in May, down from $145.41 million in April, but up from $75.46 million in May of last year.
Much of the future available inventory will created by the aging-out of the oldest generations; by some estimates more than 4 million existing homes will hit the market in the next decade due to the finite morality of older homeowners, but experts believe this will only lead to a “minimal excess” in housing supply and have “no measurable reduction” in home prices.
MONT-LAURIER, QC
British Columbians can expect a transition to warmer and dryer conditions in July, …as the wildfire season progresses. …current wildfire activity is minimal and concentrated in the northern half of the province, where recent rainfall has been minimal. Cool and wet conditions through June in the southern half of the province have tempered overall fire activity. To help protect British Columbians from wildfires, applications are open for $25 million for community projects that reduce the risk of wildfires. The Province is providing the funding to the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC). “Cultural and prescribed burning and forest thinning are proven approaches to reduce wildfire risks. I recently visited Williams Lake and saw firsthand how the Forest Enhancement Society of BC is working with its partners to deliver projects like these and help build more resilient communities,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests.
Jay Smith is the forest restoration director for Coconino County, which includes the city of Flagstaff and was hit by a particularly brutal start to this year’s fire season. …But as bad as this may seem, Smith knows that things could get much worse. The forest overall has six times more trees than it did historically, Smith said, which adds up to much more fuel for wildfires. …“We’re so far behind on getting these forests thinned”. …The city, county and state have all taken on projects to improve the health and lower the flammability of the forest in recent years. …Experts attribute the delayed work in large part to Flagstaff’s lack of a logging industry. “It used to be here. It’s no longer here.” …Flagstaff had a profitable logging industry through the 1980s, but a push to protect Mexican spotted owl habitat [meant] loggers could no longer cut the older, larger trees.
OREGON — Four environmental groups are threatening to sue federal agencies over a new forest treatment plan. The activists say the Bureau of Land Management isn’t doing enough to protect two threatened species in Southern Oregon. A proposed lawsuit… seeks to protect the marbled murrelet and coastal marten, which are both threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The BLM’s Integrated Vegetation Management forest management plan outlines 150,000 acres of prescribed fires, small diameter tree thinning, and commercial thinning in late successional reserves over the next 10 years. They argue the new decadelong forest management plan will be ineffective. …But Regional Fire Specialist Chris Adlam with Oregon State University says the plan will help reintroduce beneficial fire. …Adlam says the 2020 Slater Fire wiped out huge portions of northern spotted owl habitat.
Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, announced a $81.5-million call for expressions of interest to support research, development and demonstration (RD&D) projects in carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS). CCUS technologies prevent gases from heavy industries like steel and cement from polluting the air, which helps fight climate change. The call will include three intakes to advance CCUS technologies: capture, storage and sequestration, and utilization. Applications are now open for carbon capture RD&D projects. Funded under the 
JACKSON, California — Favorable weather early Wednesday aided the fight against a wildfire in California’s Gold Country that has forced evacuations in two counties. The Electra Fire had burned 6.4 square miles of rural terrain but it was now 40% contained without any buildings burned, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported. In addition, about 17% of the fire’s was declared controlled, meaning there wasn’t any smoke or any hotspots within the fire perimeter in that area, Cal Fire said. …The fire erupted Monday afternoon in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, forcing evacuations in Amador neighboring Calaveras counties. However, some Amador County evacuations were downgraded to warnings on Wednesday.
LISBON, Portugal —