Despite DIY-slowdown and housing-price corrections, Home Depot is raising its profit forecast. In related news: Japan to subsidize switch to domestic lumber; and fire damages Resolute sawmill in Ignace, Ontario. Meanwhile, a US bill is introduced to address trucking supply chain woes.
In Forestry/Climate news: Dr. Werner Kurz on the role of forests in Canada’s carbon cycle; the WWF points to forest conservation in the US; New Zealand’s forestry and geothermal solution; renewing the argument for wood in the UK; and wildfire updates from BC; Ontario; New Brunswick; New Mexico; and Oregon.
Finally, Alberta Forest Products Association communication campaign wins top prize.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has held hearings this spring to explore deficient service being provided by the Class 1 railroads. In late April, numerous sectors testified before the Board about declining service levels threatening their businesses. Agriculture, forest products, energy, retail, and manufacturing representatives painted a dire picture at these hearings. …The STB appears poised to require railroads to submit service recovery plans as well as provide additional data and progress reports on rail service, operations, and employment. In fact, a 
TOKYO — Japan’s Forestry Agency plans to offer financial aid to companies switching from foreign to domestic lumber, following the government’s ban on lumber imports from Russia. …The agency will use about 4 billion yen out of reserve funds. …Specifically, the agency will provide subsidies to cover half of costs of domestic lumber transportation by land if the travel distance totals 100 kilometers or longer. Transport by sea will also be eligible for the subsidies. The government agency will also cover half of lumber storage costs. Furthermore, the agency will shoulder part of homebuilders’ lumber procurement costs, with the sum of the aid varying depending on the amount of domestic lumber they use. It will also cover their costs of altering house designs if such changes become necessary due to switching to domestic lumber whose strength differs from that of foreign lumber used previously.
Home Depot Inc. increased its full-year profit forecast on Tuesday as home improvement retailers benefit from higher prices and steady demand for tools and building materials. The company’s shares rose 4% to $307.99 in premarket trading as Home Depot also posted a surprise increase in quarterly same-store sales. During the COVID-19 lockdowns people took up several do-it-yourself (DIY) home projects and hired professionals to upgrade their homes, lifting sales at Home Depot and smaller rival Lowe’s Cos Inc. in 2020. Sales from DIY customers have slowed with the easing of pandemic-related curbs, according to analysts. However, demand from home-improvement professionals is holding up despite price increases of products due to higher lumber and copper costs. …Home Depot now expects comparable sales to increase about 3% in fiscal 2022. Analysts were expecting a 1.4% increase.
Economists are predicting that Canadian home prices will fall as much as 20 per cent this year as higher interest rates begin to hit the country’s booming real estate market. Mortgage rates are expected to climb again as the Bank of Canada aggressively hikes interest rates to deal with runaway inflation. Economists expect higher borrowing costs will lead to a significant price drop in some of the hottest markets. TD Bank economist Rishi Sondhi forecasts a double-digit percentage decline in the national average home price over the March to December period this year. BMO’s Robert Kavcic predicts a 10-per-cent to 20-per-cent drop in the home price index in certain regions. “When we speak of housing correction it’s not a question of if, but where, how much and for how long,” Mr. Kavcic said. “Suburban markets in Ontario look shakiest,” he said. [to access the full story a Globe and Mail subscription is required]
If the UK achieved net-zero carbon in construction, what would the built environment look like? 
From data about wildfires and floods to natural resource and tech-sector insights, finding a wide variety of key information has become easier and more secure for British Columbians with the launch of an improved and updated BC Data Catalogue. People, businesses and organizations can access the BC Data Catalogue to find provincial government data, applications and web services that can be used to make informed decisions and create opportunities for British Columbians. …There are more than 3,000 sets of data in the catalogue, allowing businesses to easily make knowledgeable decisions, build new products or services, and develop new business models. …Leon Medema, manager of geographic information systems at Williams Lake-based Consus Management, which specializes in forestry and utilities management, has been using the BC Data Catalogue for several years.
Quebec’s forestry ministry on Sunday lifted a ban imposed May 7 on outdoor fires in or near forested areas. The ban was imposed during last week’s dry spell, when weather forecasts saw little precipitation in the immediate future, a situation that increased the risk of forest fires. On Sunday, there were nine forest fires reported in the province, all of them under control. Since the start of the year, there have been 232 fires covering 234.2 hectares reported in the province. The average number of fires for the comparable period over the past 10 years is 128 covering 106.7 hectares.
Officials say that while it’s near impossible to forecast what New Brunswick’s summer months will hold in terms of wildfires, the danger is always present. The province lifted burn restrictions across the board Monday following a wet weekend, but according to Wildfire Prevention Officer Roger Collet, the “green” status doesn’t mean there’s no risk at all. “Last year almost 50 per cent of the fires we had to go to were on days when burning was allowed,” Collet said. According to the province’s “Forest Fire Watch” webpage, crews responded to 80 fires through the 2021 season, well below the running 10-year average of 137 a year. Collet said wet weather kept that number low. So far for 2022, there have been 124 fires logged, burning up 119.6 hectares of forest. According to Collet these figures account for any outdoor fire crews are called to respond to.
SUDBURY, Ontario — Highway 560 between Highway 144 and Elk Lake continues to be closed in both directions. A forest fire burning out of control has forced the evacuation of about 50 homes in Shining Tree, Ont., north of Sudbury. On Saturday afternoon, the Ontario Provincial Police and the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry advised people to leave their homes immediately and travel east, away from the active fire. An order is in place that restricts access and travel on roads and Crown land in the area. Aerial fire suppression aircraft are working on this fire, which is estimated to cover about 1,500 hectares as of Sunday evening. …There are 17 active fires in the northeast region.