Stella-Jones and Conifex report positive Q1, 2022 results. In other Business news: Teal Jones breaks ground in Louisiana; Lignum Veneer invests in digital technology; Louisiana Pacific completes Maine mill conversion; Weyerhaeuser settles Longview pollution claim; Georgia’s Governor signs bill to strengthen industry; Biden’s inflation plan includes affordable housing; and lumber prices pop back up.
In other news: a McGill study says living in wildfire-prone regions may be hazardous to your health; the US Forest Service is short thousands of firefighters; Nova Scotia responds to fast-moving wildfire; more people flee New Mexico wildfire; and the European bark beetle situation is mostly under control.
Finally, Tristen Hopper says the Extinction Rebellion is way more radical than you think.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
VANCOUVER, BC — Conifex reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022. EBITDA* from continuing operations was $20.1 million for the quarter compared to EBITDA of $9.7 million in the first quarter of 2021. Net income was $11.4 million for the year versus $4.5 million in the year-earlier quarter. The results reflect higher lumber prices, partially offset by reduced shipments reflecting ongoing transportation challenges. …We expect lumber prices to remain elevated through 2022. …At our Mackenzie sawmill, we expect to see an increase in lumber production over the first quarter of 2022, with the expectation of achieving annualized operating rates in excess of 90% for the remainder of the year. Our Mackenzie power plant is forecasted to operate at full capacity and continue to generate a steady and diversified source of cash flow.
MONTREAL — Stella-Jones announced financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2022. …Éric Vachon, President and CEO of Stella-Jones said, “ sales increased quarter-over-quarter to $651 million, up from sales of $623 million for the same period in 2021. Excluding the contribution from acquisitions …pressure-treated wood sales rose $21 million, or 4%, mainly driven by strong organic growth across the Company’s infrastructure-related businesses, offset in large part by a decrease in sales for residential lumber and logs. …Gross profit was $100 million in the first quarter of 2022, versus $112 million, in the first quarter of 2021, representing a margin of 15.4% and 18.0% respectively. …Net income $46 million compared to net income of $56 million, in the corresponding period of 2021.
President Joe Biden says low housing supply is causing inflation. He proposed a plan to fight inflation on Tuesday. One part of it involved investing in one million additional affordable housing units. The A release from the 
The U.S. Forest Service is short thousands of wildland firefighters as it enters what is expected to be another challenging fire season amid a historic drought in the West. The agency has publicly said it has 90% of the staff it needs, or 10,200 firefighters. But Forest Service Deputy Chief Jaelith Hall-Rivera told Marketplace that that figure was the sum of the firefighters the agency had “either on board or have made offers to.” But as of the end of April, the agency actually had 8,300 firefighters on its force. …That is only 73% of the force the agency has said it was on track to marshal to battle this year’s fires. A 
Living in areas prone to wildfires may boost the risk of developing lung cancer and brain tumours, a new study from McGill University has found. The first-of-its-kind study — which used health data on two million people over 20 years — found higher rates of lung cancer and brain tumours in people exposed to wildfires across Canada, including in B.C. The study, published in 
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