The US Lumber Coalition is ‘astounded’ by Canada’s response to duty hike, says statements are biased, demonstrate misunderstanding of US trade laws. In related news: the new duties are officially published; BC faces cascading risks, as small sawmills brace for bigger hit; and an analyst comments on why the US still needs Canadian imports. Meanwhile: Railroaders Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are merging; Cascades invests in its Quebec tissue plant; an explosion at a Nebraska wood pellet plant; and Clemson University has a new director of Wood Utilization & Design.
In Forestry/Climate news: the US plans to revoke underpinning claim that GHGs pose a threat to public health; the US timber industry and forest carbon credits can coexist; a study says Ontario’s forest management is falling short; bobcats make a comeback in Ohio; and the EU deforestation law may boost Russian timber. Meanwhile: Arizona, Oregon and BC wildfires beget alerts; while Whistler’s fire danger is forecast to hit extreme.
Finally, a new BC Wildfire Service video on factors that influence fire behaviour.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
Business leaders and academics say they hope to see Canada and the US maintain free trade protections for most goods once an agreement is reached, even if the negotiations can’t stave off certain sectoral tariffs. It’s unclear if the two countries will stick to the Aug. 1 deadline for wrapping up talks. Prime Minister Mark Carney said negotiations were in an “intense phase,” but US President Donald Trump told reporters last week that Canada wasn’t a priority. Canadian Federation of Independent Business president Dan Kelly said his organization’s members feel “a good chunk” of trade must remain tariff-free in order for talks to be considered successful. …Kelly said he would not consider it a win for Canada if its trade agreement ends up looking similar to the EU deal. He said the goal should be to keep zero tariffs on products that are currently protected under the CUSMA.
A new report warns the impacts on B.C. 
Two northwestern Ontario organizations are calling on the federal and provincial governments to prioritize finding a solution to the softwood lumber dispute between Canada and the United States. The United States Department of Commerce announced on Friday it was increasing anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber to 20.56 per cent. In a media release issued this week, the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce and Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) said they condemn the decision. “This is certainly significantly concerning, because it is such a massive increase,” said Charla Robinson, chamber president. “It’s more than 2 1/2 times the duties that were being paid previously.” “That’s a huge added cost for every board that goes across the border,” she said. “And then there’s also the potential that there could be some retroactive payments required as well.”
I am surprised at how President Trump is gradually succeeding in his goal. …Canada, along with China, is the only country standing up to the US, but it is inevitable that if no agreement is reached, the chances of a recession will increase. …Canada needs the US to avoid the worst, but the point of the article is different: how much does the US need Canada? My impression is that this issue is often underestimated. …We don’t need their lumber. But is that really the case? …Why Canadian lumber is essential. …The first and probably most important reason is that US forests are mainly privately owned (by companies or families). …Becoming less dependent on Canada is extremely complicated for the US due to the usual logistical challenges. …This industry has been in gradual decline for decades, and wanting to save it in order to be less dependent on Canada is a waste of resources.
US and Chinese negotiators have agreed in principle to push back the deadline for escalating tariffs, although America’s representatives said any extension would need Donald Trump’s approval. Officials from both sides said after two days of talks in Stockholm that while had failed to find a resolution across the many areas of dispute they had agreed to extend a pause due to run out on 12 August. Beijing’s top trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, said the extension of a truce struck in mid-May would allow for further talks, without specifying when and for how long the latest pause would run. However, the US trade representative Jamieson Greer stressed that President Trump would have the “final call” on any extension. …Trump is on course to impose extra tariffs on Mexico and Canada from Friday, barring last-minute deals.
Canada’s first commercial carbon capture cement facility is now under construction in Mississauga Ont., backed by $10 million in federal funding. The project is part of the country’s effort to reduce industrial emissions. The project, led by Calgary-based startup Carbon Upcycling in partnership with Ash Grove Cement, aims to capture carbon dioxide from cement production and turn it into a low-carbon material that can replace part of traditional cement. Minister Evan Solomon, … said “These collaborative projects supporting our climate goals and enhancing our global competitiveness”. The facility will use Carbon Upcycling’s technology to mix captured CO2 with steel byproducts like slag to create a powder similar to cement used in construction. Carbon Upcycling CEO Apoorv Sinha said the system could reduce emissions from cement by up to 40%. …Sinha said the new facility will store up to 150 kilograms of carbon dioxide in every tonne of low-carbon cement it produces.
Proposed changes to the EU deforestation law supported by a majority of member states will boost the potential for illegal trade of Russian and Belarusian timber, according to an NGO. In May 18 EU member states sent a letter to the European Commission proposing to simplify the EU Deforestation Regulation, the bloc’s legislation that aims to reduce the EU’s impact on global deforestation. …The European Commission decided to postpone its implementation to 30 December 2025. …The regulation boosts controls over illegal imports of timber by introducing more mandatory border checks and compulsory geolocation of timber. …“For so-called ‘no-risk’ countries, they would be exempt from geolocation requirements, and there would also be no obligation for authorities to carry out a minimum number of checks on those countries,” Ganesh said. …“NGOs have shown that wood, not just from Russia, but also from other high-risk tropical countries and deforestation hotspots, is regularly laundered through countries like China.
The climate crisis is forcing society to rethink existing technological and ecological systems. At the nexus of this challenge is how the US values and manages forests. Over the past 16 years, start-up carbon credit companies have been buying up hundreds of thousands of acres of American forestland to capture and store CO2. …So far, carbon storage policies or programs are underway in at least half of US states. …In 2021 the industry was worth $2 billion; by 2030 it’s projected to balloon up to $35 billion. …Some experts worry that forest carbon programs will someday threaten US wood supply, with the percentage of forests available for timber shrinking while the amount preserved as a climate mitigation tool increases. …And as the volume of harvested timber shrinks regionally, so do local economies in rural localities. …Analysts, like Russell, say “The world is wide enough for timber industry and natural capital markets to coexist”.
As the B.C. Day long weekend approaches, people are encouraged to stay informed about wildfire conditions, be prepared and plan travel. Warming summer temperatures and ongoing drought mean much of British Columbia is at heightened risk of wildfire, even after recent cooler temperatures and rain. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has forecast hot temperatures this week in B.C., with heat warnings currently in place for parts of the province. People are encouraged to prepare for hot summer weather. To access the Province’s PreparedBC extreme-heat preparedness guide, 
KENORA — Across Northwestern Ontario, the public is being urged to limit time outdoors due to “extremely high levels of air pollution.” The poor air quality is being caused by smoke from forest fires in the Prairies, according to an air quality warning issued by Environment Canada and the Province of Ontario Tuesday morning. The warning extends from east of Marathon — including Biigtigong Nishnaabeg — west to the Manitoba border and extends as far north as to include communities like Wunnumin Lake, Muskrat Dam and Deer Lake. Poor air quality is expected to persist through Thursday for most areas, according to the updated warning, extending the expected duration.
OMAHA, Neb. — 
…The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. July 29 due to thunderstorms producing abundant lightning and wind gusts up to 50-60 mph, in combination with dry fuels, the alert said. A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will occur shortly. NWS also issued a fire weather advisory from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. July 29 due to potential lightning from thunderstorms that could spark new fires and wind gusts that could impact new and existing fires. …The Piper Fire sparked on July 28 from thunderstorms 3 miles northeast of Skookum Creek Campground in the Three Sisters Wilderness. It was estimated to be 20 acres as of July 28. …The High Horn Fire in Malheur County had burned 120 acres as of July 28. …The Skyline Fire, also burning in Malheur County, had burned 38.5 acres as of July 28.
