Despite fears of an economic slowdown, Freddie Mac forecasts improving US housing markets in the fall, while improved weather results in lower fibre costs for most North American pulpmills. Meanwhile; lessons learned from mill closures in Mackenzie and Prince George BC; Canfor and Norbord take more downtime while Weyerhaeuser bucks the trend; and Northern Ontario seeks to diversify its manufacturing.

In Forestry/Climate news: Brazil defends its record on Amazon wildfires as experts says it’s reached a ‘tipping point‘, and the ‘worst is still to come‘. Elsewhere: National Geographic on Amazon logging; and David Suzuki on the shortfalls of captive breeding programs.

Finally, per the Atlantic, the Amazon is important but it’s not the Earth’s lungs.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor