A BC group called Clear the Road threatens to launch a class-action lawsuit against the blockaders, while new blockades are announced for major BC thoroughfares. In other Business news: Boise Cascade acquires Coastal Plywood; US inflation hits 40 year high; and low-cost production will drive out high cost lumber producers.
In other news: can carbon capture be part of the US climate solution, Canada’s path to renewable energy; New Glasgow, Nova Scotia’s biomass energy opportunity; and a plethora of federal announcements during Canadian Environmental Week. Meanwhile: FPInnovations pushes wood technology; and the (full) return of BC Wood’s Global Buyers Mission.
Finally, books on how Wood Shaped Human History, and Tree Thieves in North America.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
… This week, Environment and Climate Change Canada announced further actions to preserve nature, tackle climate change. …We created a 
The Tsleil-Waututh Nation has made a fortune developing its lands on the north shore of Metro Vancouver, with the urban Indigenous community of 600 people boosting its well-being through a dozen business ventures now worth more than $1-billion. The nation’s reserve lands are in the heart of North Vancouver, but its traditional territories reach up Burrard Inlet into the mostly undeveloped watershed of the Indian River. …The 2022 Integrated Stewardship Plan, implemented in April, covers 22,000 hectares of temperate rainforest just 30 kilometres northeast of Vancouver. The plan permits energy projects, logging, mining and tourism – if the Tsleil-Waututh Nation approves. Mostly, however, it is a design for restoring a rich, diverse ecosystem on Metro Vancouver’s doorstep. …There are no visible traces of the old village site, but signs of commercial logging operations remain, and a hydro transmission line cuts through the valley.
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ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The Southern Environmental Law Center and Defenders of Wildlife filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service, alleging that the agency is violating the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by denying requests to access records about rules that reduce requirements for environmental analysis and public input. The requests center around the Forest Service’s use of ‘categorical exclusions’ that allow the agency to bypass basic National Environmental Policy Act requirements and authorize activities with minimal environmental analysis and public involvement. Typically, these exclusions have been used for projects with insignificant environmental impacts, like painting buildings at a campground. However, just before leaving office, the Trump administration dramatically expanded the agency’s categorical exclusion program. The new rules allow for the Forest Service to approve up to 2,800 acres of logging, roadbuilding, and ‘special uses’ like pipeline construction with little to no environmental analysis or public input.
Future Foresters New Zealand is supporting a global effort to unite forestry young professionals to promote, grow, and raise awareness of the importance and opportunities of the forest sector. The recent World Forestry Congress in Seoul, Republic of Korea called for a halt of deforestation and forest degradation and promote sustainable forest management. A statement issued as the Conference called for “meaningful reforms in the area of sustainable forest management, and building a green, healthy and resilient future with forests, which can only be successful with the full engagement of all stakeholders, particularly the Youth.” Executive member of Future Foresters New Zealand, Alfred Duval, said this was the first World Forestry Congress with a substantial youth focus and youth led sessions.
This article is a collection of letters to the editor expressing opinions about the recent Andrews government bill that proposes doubling the penalties for non-violent direct action and citizen science surveying in areas designated for logging, known as coupes, or Timber Harvesting Safety Zones. …I cannot believe the Victorian government plans to threaten forest protesters and citizen science surveyors with 12 months in jail or $21,000 in fines …My estimation of Daniel Andrews plummeted when I read of his threat to people who peacefully protest against the cutting down of forest trees. …Daniel Cash is wrong to suggest the Andrews government’s forestry bill aims to “prevent public scrutiny” of VicForests’ activities or citizen science surveys. Those in the community with a genuine concern about forest use have many ways to engage with relevant agencies, rather than putting themselves and workers at risk. …VicForests’ sole reason for existing is to destroy the state’s forests for profit. .jpg)
Canada is a top-five energy producer and is considered a global energy leader. …However, while preoccupied by the sun-setting spectacle of the “great oil fiasco”… Canada ignores opportunities to become a real global energy leader by embracing more long-term solutions like transitioning to renewable energies. Bioenergy innovation can increase national energy security, help fight climate change, and support reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, if anyone is interested in building capacity. …To capture the full potential of bioenergy, Canada needs to collaborate with Indigenous governments, communities, and importantly, Indigenous businesses. Over 600 Indigenous communities have traditional territories in Canada’s boreal forest, which is the major source of woody biomass. …Transcending capacity barriers created by the history of exclusion from sectors such as forestry and energy remains important for the development of bioenergy in Canada. [to access the full story, a Hill Times subscription is required]
Every year, humans pump around 50 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. …Emissions have grown so high that reductions from things like increasing energy efficiency and transitioning to renewable electricity will only get us so far. “We know how to do 40 gigatons,” said Julio Friedmann of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. “That means you need 10 gigatons of removal.” He was referring to carbon capture and storage, known as C.C.S. — essentially sucking the carbon dioxide back out of the atmosphere, or from its emissions source, and locking it away somewhere. Nearly two decades ago, Jennifer Wilcox realized that removal would be key to getting to net-zero emissions. As a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford University, Dr. Wilcox recognized that nature-based solutions — planting trees and rehabilitating wetlands, both of which are really good at absorbing carbon dioxide — could only do so much.
FLAGSTAFF, Arizona — Evacuations are in effect in parts of northern Arizona as a wildfire about 6 miles north of Flagstaff steadily grew Sunday, authorities said. Coconino National Forest officials said the Pipeline Fire was reported at 10:15 a.m. by a fire lookout and had burned approximately 4,000-5,000 acres by late Sunday, pushing about 15 miles. In connection with the fire, Forest Service law enforcement said they have arrested and charged a 57-year-old man with natural resource violations. The cause of the wildfire wasn’t immediately known. Coconino County Sheriff’s officials said the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort and people living in the area of the west Schultz Pass Road must evacuate. People living in Doney Park and the area near Mt. Elden should be prepared.