Fuel prices are forcing logging and trucking operations to shut down in Michigan and Maine. In related news: BC old-growth logging protesters are arrested as highway disruptions continue, and protest leaders face court date. In other Business news: Nova Scotia seeks to transform its forest sector; residential construction rises in Canada; and US housing demand cools as supply increases.
In Forestry/Climate news: a researcher says beetle infestations can contribute to flooding in BC and Alberta; Yosemite National Park employs forest thinning to reduce wildfire risk; California’s sequoias are threatened by climate change; and satellite surveillance curbs forestry violations in Finland.
Finally, wildfires force evacuations in Arizona and California as temperatures rise.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
The rapid rise in mortgage rates and inflation since the beginning of 2022 is roiling the housing market and the stock market. Fears of a recession and general uncertainty about the economy mean that economists are adapting their forecasts for the year to take into account these changes. Realtor.com 
The devastation caused by pine beetle invasion is hard to miss. Millions of acres of red, lifeless trees fill B.C. forests and, to a lesser extent, Alberta forests. Besides the hundreds of millions of cubic metres of marketable wood destroyed, the beetles have destroyed the habitat for much forest wildlife and left forests more vulnerable to wildfires. The efficiency of modern forest firefighting efforts also contributed by leaving standing large areas of older, larger trees that pine beetles find particularly attractive. Tree expert Toso Bozic said research is showing that the destruction of the forests could also have an impact contribute to the kinds of flooding that caused so much destruction in B.C. last year. …The heat creates a glaze on top of the soil and when rain falls it does not soak in like it should but runs along the top of the soil.
Lawyers for a protest group that resumed blockading BC highways say their clients are not guilty of mischief from an October protest in Richmond and want to stand trial. …A lawyer for a third protester, Kathleen Elisabeth Higgins, said she would present novel arguments at trial that her client is not guilty on constitutional grounds. …Haq and Brazier federally incorporated a not-for-profit company called Eco-Mobilization Canada on Jan. 27. They finance their activities by crowdfunding and grants from the U.S.-based Climate Emergency Fund, whose board includes documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy, daughter of Robert Kennedy, and Aileen Getty, daughter of oil baron Jean Paul Getty II. …The group predicts environmental breakdown will occur in March 2025. …Meanwhile, Tamara Meggitt of Clear the Road said… “Freedom of expression is protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but it does not confer the right to commit criminal acts.”
They are the largest trees in the world, living monuments with massive trunks and towering canopies that can thrive for 3,000 years. But ancient sequoia trees, which have been decimated by severe wildfires around California’s Sierra Nevada, are struggling to keep up with ever worsening conditions. And this summer, they could face their worst fate yet. The trees, which grow in a narrow band of the Sierra Nevada, are accustomed to frequent wildfires — their tree rings show fire recurring every six to 30 years. But the worsening intensity of recent blazes have been too much for them to handle. Since 2020, three fires have resulted in the loss of 13 to 19 percent of the entire population, said Christy Brigham, chief of resources management and science at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
One of us (DellaSala) is a rainforest researcher, the other (Furnish), Deputy Chief of the Forest Service under Chief Mike Dombeck. We keep coming back to the Tongass National Forest because of its world-class fisheries, wildlife and relatively intact landscapes. …We encourage the Forest Service to seize this “carpe diem” moment for the Tongass by implementing a three-pronged strategy. First, the Tongass must protect all remaining old growth, roadless areas and the Tongass 77 watersheds, where carbon, fish and wildlife values are exceptional. …Second, the transition into logging young growth near the existing open roads needs to speed up along with milling and infrastructure upgrades to process small logs. …Third, the Biden administration needs to increase its congressional appropriations request to further support Southeast Alaska’s sustainable development strategy, giving preference to Alaskan tribes.
FLAGSTAFF, Arizona — The Western U.S. on Monday marked another day of hot, dry and windy weather as crews from California to New Mexico battled wildfires that had forced hundreds of people to leave their homes. Several hundred homes on the outskirts of Flagstaff, Arizona, were evacuated and the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort was closed as a precaution because of a wildfire. Crews were expecting gusts up to 50 mph as they battled the blaze. No homes have been lost in the fire reported Sunday that has burned about 8 square miles (20 square kilometers). …The number of square miles burned so far this year is more than double the 10-year national average. …Nationally, more than 6,200 wildland firefighters were battling nearly three dozen uncontained fires that had charred over 1 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.