President Trump is blaming forest mismanagement for deadly Northern California fires—29 fatalities to date—threatening to pull federal funding. California Gov. Brown calls that “inane and uninformed.” In related news: one OSU professor says there are hundreds of Oregon towns facing similar risks; while another says planting after fire isn’t always necessary. 

In Business news: October saw double digit price drops for softwood lumber and OSB; Interfor shares fall nine percent; Conifex curtails its Fort St. James mill; Canfor acquires another South Carolina sawmill; and Kalesnikoff finally receives the go-ahead for a new office building.

Lastly; BC moves to preserve moose feed by cutting herbicides; and despite climate change, there are still too many polar bears in parts of Nunavut.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor