The forest sector continues to fight back despite pit falls like fires, insects, and politics. Gerry Mooney, Woodlands Manager for Tolko sums it up well saying, “We’re open for business and we’re looking for opportunities…“. That in the face of a recent mill fire and challenges accessing salvage timber. CIBC analyst Hamir Patel tells Bloomberg that the fire at Tolko’s Lakeview Mill will add pressure to already soaring lumber prices, while ERA analyst Kevin Mason expects many mills will offset duties by jacking up prices. Across the country, in Eastern Canada, Peter Hall, Export Development Canada says pricing and demand south of the border may help New Brunswick absorb softwood duties. 

WoodWorks in cooperation with the USDA Forest Products Lab and the Softwood Lumber Council is rewriting the premise behind the Three Little Pigs – proving that CLT can take a punch. Tests conducted at the Tyndall Air Force Base determined that after a series of blasts test CLT structures remained intact under significant explosive loading. Add these (soon to be released results) to studies conducted by the Swiss National Research Program “Resource Wood” – and the report card for wood looks pretty damn good! Their conclusion? “Exploiting forests makes sense in terms of ecology and biodiversity as it can stabilise CO2 emissions for decades and diminish the greenhouse effect”. It seems wood is “not just a conventional material!

–Sandy McKellar, Tree Frog Editor