New Mexico’s governor asked Biden to declare a disaster as firefighters scramble to protect homes near Las Vegas. In related news: BC Wildfire Service says the province may face another brutal season; minister Nixon defends Alberta’s caribou recovery plan; Thunder Bay, Ontario gets behind biomass electricity; and FSC Canada has a brand new website.
In Business news: Mosaic announces departure of CEO Jeff Zweig; Hardwoods of Michigan’s Bob Vogel retires; and FPAC’s Derek Nighbor to serve as liaison to UN forum on forests. Companies making headlines include: Q1 financials from Canfor, Doman, Louisiana Pacific, Rayonier AM and Weyerhaeuser; the impact of Northern Pulp’s closure on local sawmills; Interfor’s eastern expansion; and Vaagen Fibre’s return to operation.
Finally, AF&PA says Colorado’s producer responsibility bill may harm paper recycling rates.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
B.C. lumber company Interfor Corp. laid the groundwork for further expansion in Eastern Canada this week by acquiring a 16.2-per-cent stake in GreenFirst Forest Products Inc., a move analysts called a prelude to a takeover. Interfor bought 28.7 million shares in GreenFirst for $56-million on Monday from pulp and paper company Rayonier A.M. Canada G.P., which acquired the stake as part of its 2017 takeover of Tembec Inc. Several elements of the transaction point to Interfor eventually taking full control of GreenFirst, which has a $350-million market capitalization, according to analysts. …Last June, Eacom founder Mr. Doman became CEO at GreenFirst, after spending a year on the company’s board. Mr. Doman’s family has deep ties to the forestry industry as founders of Western Forest Products Inc. …A number of analysts have predicted GreenFirst will be a takeover target. [A Globe and Mail subscription is required to open this full story]
Trouble getting product from Western Canadian operations to market appeared to have little affect on the bottom lines of Canfor Corp. and West Fraser Timber during the first quarter of this year. 
NOVA SCOTIA — Local saw mill operators want the return of a steady and ample supply of saw logs that they’ve lacked since Northern Pulp closed. David Emery of Dave’s Lumber …said his volume is a third of what it was when the pulp mill was operating. He said he regrets the loss of the local pulp market that made woodlot harvesting less viable. …Eric Williams operates the family-owned Williams Brothers Lumber in Barney’s River. …He said the saw mill business has declined over the past three years since the mill closed. He said he wishes government and business could solve the dilemma over forestry and the mill’s shutdown after the Boat Harbour effluent treatment facility closed on schedule. …George Chisholm, who operates a saw mill on Loganville Road in western Pictou County, echoed calls for a solution.
Inflation has reached its highest level in 40 years—7 percent in 2021 and still rising. Concurrently, President Biden’s approval rating has dropped. …Higher inflation is not the only reason for the president’s declining popularity. …Lumber is another example of how climate problems impact overall inflation. …Over several years, climate-related fires have destroyed forests in British Columbia, and the mountain pine beetle has destroyed additional trees as more beetles survive warmer winters. …Lacking this lumber, over the past decade new housing construction is down around six million units according to the National Association of Realtors. …The Biden administration has made a good start dealing with supply-side inflationary pressures. …Still, the administration can and should do more. Eliminating the Trump tariffs (which the president can do without Congress) and other tariffs (President Biden, for example, has increased the Trump tariffs on Canadian lumber) would lower the cost of imports.
Colorado’s much-watched extended producer responsibility bill for packaging crossed a key threshold this week and is now heading for the state Senate. The bill, 
Housing starts have struggled to keep pace with growing populations in some of Canada’s largest cities, particularly Toronto, making affordability a “significant challenge,” the national housing agency said. Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa have the lowest levels of residential construction per capita, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation said in the first of a series of reports on housing supply trends in the country. …“The biggest issue affecting housing affordability in Canada is that supply isn’t keeping pace with demand. Simply put, Canada is facing a housing shortage,” the CMHC said in a media release. Canada’s population rose to 37 million people in 2021, up 5.2% from 2016, driven mostly by immigration, with the downtowns and distant suburbs of large cities seeing the strongest growth.
Researchers at Lakehead University have earned a patent… that will help in the construction of very tall buildings built primarily from engineered wood products. “It basically depends on just two steel rods,” Sam Salem said. “The rods are actually embedded inside the timber element. So they are not exposed to fire.” …Salem tested his connection system in Lakehead University’s world-class fire testing and research facility. …The fire testing facility at the university is one of many investments made by government and industry in the bio-economy in Thunder Bay. The city is also home to two pilot bio-refineries at the local Resolute pulp mill, a state-of-the-art bio-refinery lab at Lakehead University, and the Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE). Local researchers have worked to turn pulp mill waste into everything from green versions of chemicals used by the mining industry to biodegradable absorbent material for diapers. 
The Woodland Almanac features a report by Brian McNaughton, General Manager, “Government Initiatives of Interest to Woodlot Licensees”. Brian gives a brief status report on Old Growth, Tab Rates, Bill 28 Changes to the Forest Act, Bill 23 Changes to the Forest & Range Practices Act and DRIPA, and FLNRORD reorganization. Ed Hughes has an article on TAB Rates, Waste Manuals and Avoidance of Waste Penalties. Debbie Zandbelt, RPF reviews Timber Pricing, Social Licence and Grass Roots Success. Diane Nicholls gets a warm send off to her new roll at Drax with memories shared by Brian McNaughton and finally, check out the entries in the “Big and Old Trees” photo contest. All this and more in the quarterly newsletter. 
.jpg)
Free Webinar: Thursday, May 12, 11am – Noon. The BCFSC has partnered with WCPP and Road Safety at Work to present Oh Deer! Driving Tips to Prevent Collisions. This free webinar will cover: