US builder confidence is unchanged in November, as single-family housing starts rose 6.4%, and multi-family starts plunged 24.1%. In related news, the US Fed is expected to cut interest rates today. In other Business news: Drax looks to build US bioenergy plants with carbon capture and storage; GreenFirst sells its entitlements to softwood lumber duty refunds; and the US criminally charges Oregon’s shuttered JH Baxter company owner.

In Forestry news: BC’s forest minister tours Vancouver Island, as the province’s tree planting program shrinks in line with its harvest levels; Mississippi acquires forest land to establish a coastal learning laboratory; and Virginia looks to use fire to prevent wildfires. Meanwhile: the Forest Stewardship Council celebrates 30 years; the US Softwood Lumber Board released its Q3 Report and a BC Forest Practices Board audit found issues at Valemount Community Forest.

Finally, a civil society-led assessment of the world’s forests in 2024.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor