The US government announced plans to ban most old-growth logging in all 128 of its national forests. In related news: Oregon proposes 2,000 acres of forest conservation; New Zealand looks to plantations and native trees for carbon capture; and an Alberta Kananaskis clearcut may be on hold. Meanwhile: Nova Scotia is replacing its firefighting helicopters; reducing wildfire risks to Canadian buildings; and grassland fires burn more homes in the US.

In Business news: Canadian Kraft Paper Industries is fined for Saskatchewan River leak; PacificCorp settles with timber companies in Oregon; and Weyerhaeuser withdraws plans for log fumigation plant in Georgia. On the Market front: Russ Taylor speaks to what lies ahead for BC’s forest sector; BCIT is anticipating a mass timber worker shortage; US single-family starts surged in November; and Russian lumber shipments plunged in 2023.

Finally, UBC and SFU to study cumulative threats of development on BC salmon.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor