The Biden administration moved to restore threatened species protections dropped by Trump in 2019. In related news: Wisconsin combats disease endangering oaks; US ecologists call for nature-based climate solutions; biochar’s growing potential in carbon sequestration; and an update on Canada’s promise to plant two billion trees. Meanwhile: Oregon raises the [wood] roof at the Portland Airport; and BC helps preserve the historic Martin Mars water bomber.
In Business news: Home Depot expands in pro-market with SRS Distribution acquisition; fire extinguished at Weyerhaeuser Trus Joist in Eugene; US sets strict emission standards for trucking industry; Western Forest Products completes sale with First Nations group; and more on the Corner Brook mill subsidy in Newfoundland.
Finally, wildfire webinars in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, and we kick off our second annual Wildfire Resilience and Awareness Week at the Frog.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
The 
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says construction of new homes in Canada’s six largest cities remained stable at near all-time high levels last year, driven by a surge of new apartments — despite demand still outpacing supply for rental housing. The agency released its biannual housing supply report on Wednesday, which showed combined housing starts in the Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa regions dipped 0.5 per cent compared with 2022, totalling 137,915 units. That was in line with the annual average of around 140,000 new units over the past three years. …Apartment starts grew seven per cent to reach a record 98,774 individual units last year. However, those gains were offset by declines in the number of new single-detached homes, which fell 20 per cent year-over-year, due to weaker demand for higher-priced homes in an elevated mortgage rate environment.
Once a year, the Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit brings together wildfire practitioners from all over BC and beyond. With speakers and workshops, we explore how to make BC homes, communities, and the landscape more wildfire resilient. The upcoming summit will take place in Prince George on April 20-24, 2024. Our theme for this year’s Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit is Recover, Rebuild, Prepare. The Summit will kick off with two days of training for firefighting professionals, followed by a three-day conference, where we’ll explore the lessons learned from 2023, along with the latest research, technologies, best practices and other information to help regions and communities prepare for the upcoming wildfire season. We look forward to seeing you in April as we work together to make communities across British Columbia more wildfire resilient.
Message from Executive Director Steve Kozuki: 2024 funding and projects
Fire plays a complex role in the development of forest structure and wildlife habitat in moist forests of the Pacific Northwest. Despite the perception that abundant precipitation and relatively infrequent lightning limited historical fire activity to large, high-severity fires during drought, recently developed fire histories document relatively frequent non-stand-replacing fires that shaped successional dynamics, forest conditions, and wildlife habitat in many moist forest landscapes. Non-stand-replacing fires facilitated the development of large complex tree crowns, multi-aged and multistoried canopies, mixed species composition, and the recruitment of snags and logs. …Cumulatively, contemporary fires have reduced late-successional and old-growth forest habitat, while also contributing to the complexity of future old-growth forests and creating structurally diverse early seral habitats that were rare until recently. [a webinar series by NCASI and the Washington Chapter of The Wildlife Society – Thursday, April 4 at 11:30am]
U.S. scientists and policy experts with a broad range of expertise in the fields of climate and ecosystem sciences have outlined key recommendations aimed at bolstering the scientific foundation for implementation of nature-based climate solutions (NbCS) across the nation. These solutions, which include strategies like protecting carbon-dense forests and wetlands, improving land management, and restoring natural ecosystems, are crucial for enhancing carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The stakes are very high—getting NbCS right could mean the difference between achieving long-term global greenhouse gas reduction goals or missing those targets and further destabilizing the climate system. Although NbCS strategies have potential, on the ground implementation of NbCS has been controversial, often outpacing the scientific understanding of their long-term benefits. The group calls for a more robust, evidence-based approach for NbCS so they can be deployed when and where they are most likely to succeed as climate solutions.
