GHG emissions reach a new high as the world’s economies reopen and people resume work and travel. In Company news: Louisiana Pacific breaks ground in Maine; West Fraser ups its quarterly dividend; Weyerhaeuser looks to expand its timber holdings; Mardan Lumber restarts after Vernon fire; and CN Rail takes another run at CP’s purchase of Kansas City Southern.
On the Forestry front: BC protesters vow to stay put—say old-growth deferral not enough; Saskatchewan set to announce forest sector expansion in the north; portrayals of US forest biomass in US Southeast called inaccurate; US Northeast seeks markets for its low-grade wood; and US wood pellet exports rise in first 4 months of 2021.
Finally, ’tis the season – wildfire stories from BC, Oregon, California and Arizona.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Railway issued the following statement… on Canadian National’s use of a voting trust in connection with its proposed combination with Kansas City Southern. …”Before CN is allowed to use a voting trust, the STB must decide that “the proposed use of a voting trust in a potential CN-KCS transaction is ‘consistent with the public interest'” based on consideration of “both the potential benefits and costs of such use.” …Allowing CN to close into trust would not be in the public interest because its approval would pre-judge STB review, harm competition, risk CN shifting financial burdens to shippers, and pave the way for additional U.S. rail consolidation. …The Department of Justice contended… that “the Board should not permit the proposed CN voting trust because CN’s proposed acquisition of KCS appears to pose greater risks to competition than the risks posed by a CP-KCS merger.”
VANCOUVER, B.C. – West Fraser Timber announced an increase in the quarterly dividend… and an increase in the Company’s authorization to purchase its Common shares. The dividend of C$0.25 per share on the Common shares and the Class B Common shares in the capital of the Company, [is] payable on July 6, 2021 to shareholders of record on June 21, 2021. This is an increase from the previous quarterly dividend of C$0.20 per share. The Toronto Stock Exchange has accepted a notice filed by the Company of its intention to amend its current normal course issuer bid to increase the authorization to purchase up to 9,582,470 of its Shares. This is an increase from the current NCIB authorization of 6,044,000 Shares. The amendments to the NCIB will become effective on June 11, 2021.
“Global sawn timber markets in transition” is the title of the next “Pfeifer Talk” on 10 June. The mix of speakers have been organized by the Pfeifer Group in Europe and the webinar features both the round and sawn timber market as well as the packaging sector, including what lies ahead in these turbulent times. The event will be simultaneously translated into English and Italian.Complimentary Registrations can be made 
Housing supply is one of the major challenges that the housing market has faced for the last several years. …In fact, there are about 680,000 fewer homes available for sale compared to the average in the last 5 years. The housing inventory shortage has pushed national home prices in April to a new record high at $342,000. …At the national level, housing starts slowed down in April after reaching the highest level since 2006 in March. Nevertheless, we are currently building 24% more homes than we typically have built in April in the last couple of decades. Thus, housing construction is trending upward with housing starts likely to reach 1.6 million for all of 2021 and rise further to 1.7 million in 2022. …In April, 46% of metro areas are issuing more single-family building permits than the historical average.
As B.C.’s landscapes are fragmented by industrial activities and the province faces biodiversity collapse, with more than 2,000 species at risk of extinction, guide outfitters, hunters, fishers and trappers are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with naturalists, ecotourism operators and conservation organizations in a new coalition calling on the province to protect B.C.’s ecosystems before it’s too late. The Fish, Wildlife and Habitat Coalition launched in May with the hope that the diversity of its members will force the province to listen and take action. The unlikely alliance includes 25 organizations, representing around 275,000 British Columbians and over 900 businesses — and new members continue to join the ranks. …The ongoing conflict at Caycuse and Fairy Creek on Vancouver Island, where more than 100 protestors have been arrested while trying to prevent logging of old-growth forest, is indicative of how provincial policies put ecosystem values at odds with economic interests.
The U.S. exported 635,463.4 metric tons of wood pellets in April, down from 667,309 metric tons in March, but up from 595,166.2 metric tons in April 2020, according to data released by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service on June 8. …The U.K. was the top destination at 519,144.4 metric tons, followed by the Netherlands at 91,050.3 metric tons and the French West Indies at 21,733.9 metric tons. The value of U.S. wood pellet exports was at $82.91 million in April, down from $110.44 million in March, but up slightly from $82.55 million in April 2020. …Total U.S. wood pellet exports for the first four months of this year reached 2.46 million metric tons at a value of $356.42 million, compared to 2.31 million metric tons at a value of $312.42 million exported during the same period of last year.
Burning wood to create electricity can be a problematic proposition. It’s often highly inefficient, it generates emissions, and it’s expensive. Without subsidies, wood-burning power plants often can’t afford to stay open. 
