Today’s Takeaway

The Mother Tree idea is everywhere — but is it real?

The Tree Frog Forestry News
March 27, 2024
Category: Today's Takeaway

The journal Nature explores the Mother Tree idea as some ecologists say its been oversold. In related news: the US Supreme Court declines a challenge to California-Oregon’s National Monument; ENGOs say US consumption of palm oil is linked to deforestation; an EU group exposé on biomass as a renewable energy; and the EU’s Nature Restoration plan is deadlocked.

In Business news: International Paper creates bidding war over DS Smith; Montana mill closures a symptom of broader challenges; the looming shortage of Canadian wooden utility poles; Quebec supports FPInnovation’s truck platooning effort; US wood pallet industry secures exemption from EU requirement; Canada may precede US on interest rate cuts; and US consumer confidence remains stable in March.

Finally, a conversation with BC Forest Industry Leaders is coming to COFI in April.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor

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Alarming trend of US mill closures comes with consequences

The Tree Frog Forestry News
March 26, 2024
Category: Today's Takeaway

The American Loggers Council calls ~50 mill curtailments in 18 months an ‘alarming trend with consequences‘. In related news: Michael Hoyt pans US logging as a means to improve forest resilience; BC considers new conservancies in Clayoquot Sound; Tree of Heaven called dangerous to BC’s Interior; and Florida researchers say tree diversity correlates well with US forest productivity.

In other news: US decarbonization targets big industry—including pulp & paper; EU members call for revision of anti-deforestation law; snowless winter sparks forest fire fears in Ottawa; and wildfire hot-spots include Wyoming, West Virginia, and Mexico.

Finally, conference updates by the BC Forest Safety Council and the BC First Nations Forestry Council.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor

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Business & Politics

COFI announces: A Conversation with BC Forest Industry Leaders

Council of Forest Industries
March 27, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Interest in the present and future of BC’s forest industry has never been higher, and neither have the stakes. The current drop in harvest levels due to insects, fire, market conditions and new policies extends beyond what could have been expected. There is an urgent need for collaboration on solutions across government, Indigenous and local communities, workers, and companies. To navigate the transition now happening in the BC forest sector, new partnerships are taking shape, with industry and First Nations leaders working together to stabilize fibre supply and attract the investment that can help build a more predictable and sustainable path forward. Join us as Laura Jones, President & CEO of the Business Council of BC moderates a panel of industry leaders, with Sean McLaren, President & CEO, West Fraser; Steven Hofer, President & CEO, Western Forest Products; Dallas Smith, President, Nanwakolas Council; Robert Dennis Sr., Former Chief Councillor, Huu-ay-aht First Nations; and Nick Arkle, CEO, Gorman Group.

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Cascades is celebrating its 60th anniversary today

Cascades
March 26, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

KINGSEY FALLS, QC  – Cascades is delighted to be celebrating its 60th anniversary today. Hundreds of Cascades employees kicked off the festivities this morning with a big breakfast at Bistro sans frontière, in the heart of Kingsey Falls – the city that witnessed the birth of Cascades, way back in 1964. A tour of the Kingsey Falls units is also planned during the day for brothers Alain and Laurent Lemaire, the co-founders, accompanied by Mario Plourde, President and CEO of Cascades. Celebrations to mark this event are also planned in the Company’s units throughout North America. “This day will be an opportunity to remember our history, and to shine a light on the builders who came before us and created one of the most responsible companies in the world,” said Mario Plourde. …Cascades took this special opportunity to announce the donation of 116 hectares of ecologically valuable land to the Nature Conservancy of Canada

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Bridge Collapse Ripples Include Hits to U.S. Trade, Supply Chains

By Sala Levin
Maryland Today
March 27, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

The bustling Port of Baltimore is at a near-standstill today. The stunning collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River on Tuesday halted all ship traffic in and out, and shut down a portion of Interstate 695 indefinitely. The port handled a record 52.3 billion tons of foreign cargo worth $80 billion in 2023, and consistently ranks No. 1 in the nation for cars and light trucks, heavy farm and construction machinery, and imported sugar. Its closure has dealt a blow to U.S. commerce, said Philip T. Evers, associate professor of supply chain management at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. …It’s not in the category of the largest ports, like Los Angeles or New York/New Jersey, but it is a very important midsize port… it does handle a lot of automotives, farm machinery, lumber and pulpwood.

Related coverage in the Washington Post: Top ten port imports and exports in 2023

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Finance & Economics

Bank of Canada likely to lead the U.S. Fed in rate cuts

By Promit Mukherjee
Reuters in Yahoo! Finance
March 26, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

OTTAWA -The Bank of Canada (BoC) is likely to move ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve on its first rate cut, as tepid economic growth and cooling inflation are priming up conditions to ease borrowing rates sooner, economists and analysts said. The Canadian central bank may also need deeper cuts in the current cycle. …Usually, a strong economy south of the border is good news for Canada, since about three quarters of Canada’s international trade is knitted to the U.S. But with the Canadian economy clocking growth of 1% in the fourth quarter, compared with a 3.2% annualized increase in the U.S., the Bank of Canada may chart its own course. …Money markets are pricing in a 70% chance of a quarter point cut at the BoC’s June 5 meeting. …The Fed is widely expected to cut rates for the first time at its June 11-12 meeting.

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Ontario home construction levels up, but still far off pace for 1.5M target

By Allison Jones
The Canadian Press in Yahoo! News
March 26, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

TORONTO — The pace of new home construction is picking up in Ontario, though it is still far off the levels needed for the government to achieve its pledge to build 1.5 million homes by 2031, the budget released Tuesday shows. In last year’s budget, projections for housing starts had Ontario building fewer than 80,000 new homes in 2024, but that number is now expected to be nearly 88,000. Those figures are set to continue rising slowly but steadily over the next few years, up to 95,800 in 2027, according to the projections in the budget based on the average of private sector forecasts. However, Ontario needs to be building at least 125,000 homes this year, ramping up to at least 175,000 per year to get to 1.5 million homes, since the first few years of the 10-year period also saw below-needed levels.

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US Consumer Confidence Remains Stable Despite Concerns About Future

Fan-Yu Kuo
NHAB – Eye on Housing
March 26, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Consumer confidence held steady in March, with optimism about current conditions offset by concerns about the future economic outlook. This pessimism was primarily driven by persistent inflation, especially elevated food and gas prices. The Consumer Confidence Index, reported by the Conference Board, stood virtually unchanged at 104.7 in March, the lowest level since November 2023. The Present Situation Index rose 3.4 points from 147.6 to 151.0, while the Expectation Situation Index fell 2.5 points from 76.3 to 73.8. Historically, an Expectation Index reading below 80 often signals a recession within a year. Consumers’ assessment of current business conditions fell slightly in March. …Meanwhile, consumers’ assessments of the labor market were more positive. …The Conference Board also reported the share of respondents planning to buy a home within six months increased to 4.9% in March. Of those, respondents planning to buy a newly constructed home remained at 0.3%.

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International Paper stirs up possible biding war over DS Smith

Reuters
March 27, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, International

International Paper has stirred up a potential bidding war over British paper packaging firm DS Smith making a takeover offer that sent the shares of the FTSE-100 target over a two-year high. DS Smith said on Tuesday it was in discussions with International Paper over an all-stock offer from the U.S.-listed company. …The proposal comes less than three weeks after DS Smith reached an in-principle agreement with its UK-listed rival Mondi, which made an all-share takeover offer valuing DS Smith at 5.14 billion pounds. Under the terms of the U.S. group’s proposal… that would will give them 33.8% of the combined company – a smaller slice of the emerging entity than under Mondi’s proposal. …”The Board is progressing its discussions with International Paper regarding the Proposal,” DS Smith said. It said it was continuing talks with Mondi.

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US housing costs are slowing down the US climate transition

By Joseph Webster
The Atlantic Council
March 26, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

The US housing shortage has profound economic consequences. Less discussed is the fact that it is slowing down the US climate transition. Many regions of the United States, especially California and New York, are failing to build dense urban housing which is associated with lower emissions. But there is another, indirect way that the housing shortage is sabotaging efforts to decarbonize the US economy. Inadequate housing is stimulating inflation and lifting interest rates, which hurts the economic viability of clean energy projects. California, New York, and other states should move heaven and earth to authorize and construct new housing rapidly, especially in dense urban areas. If these states and others prioritize building houses, emissions and interest rates could fall substantially, providing a major economic and climatological boost to the United States. …Expanding dense, urban housing options should be a top policy priority.

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US New Home Sales Hold Steady in February

By Robert Dietz
NAHB – Eye on Housing
March 25, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

A small rise in mortgage rates in February led to a flat reading for new home sales. Sales of newly built, single-family homes in February edged 0.3% lower to a 662,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate, according to newly released data by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. The pace of new home sales in February is up 5.9% from a year earlier. Mortgage rates averaged 6.78% in February compared to 6.64% in January, according to Freddie Mac. …New single-family home inventory in February remained elevated at a level of 463,000, up 1.3% from January. This represents an 8.4 months’ supply at the current building pace. A measure near a 6 months’ supply is considered balanced. …The median new home sale price in February was $400,500, edging down 3.5% from January, and down 7.6% compared to a year ago. 

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Health Canada banned this chemical used on hydro poles. Now power producers say they’re running out

By Peter Zimonjic
CBC News
March 26, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

In a newly published report, electricity providers across the country warn a looming shortage of wooden utility poles is threatening the reliability of Canada’s electricity grid. That warning comes just as Ottawa invests billions of dollars in expanding transmission and production to meet the demands of a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. The problem stems from a Health Canada decision to ban pentachlorophenol (PENTA), a chemical pesticide used to protect and preserve some utility poles, without approving an alternative treatment to take its place.  “An orderly phase-out of [PENTA] could have been planned alongside a scale-up of alternatives,” says a new report from Electricity Canada, the industry association representing energy companies. …”While several oil-borne wood preservatives that can serve as alternatives to PENTA are available in other countries, they have either not been approved by Health Canada or are not easily accessible in Canada,” Ontario’s Minister of Energy Todd Smith wrote.

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Canadian Wood celebrates World Wood Day in Mumbai with architectural fraternity

By BW Online Bureau
BW Hotelier
March 23, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, International

The British Columbia provincial government’s crown corporation, FII India, marked World Wood Day with an exclusive event held at the prestigious JIO World Convention Centre in Mumbai. Partnering with Building Material Report (BMR) publication, the event aimed to highlight the significance of wood as a sustainable material in modern architecture and design. The collaboration with BMR facilitated the gathering of esteemed architects, interior designers, and industry professionals to engage in insightful discussions and celebrate the versatility of wood. A panel discussion, titled ‘Wood as a Long-Term Sustainable Material’, was organised featuring prominent keynote speakers and esteemed panellists from the architecture and design community. …The discussion highlighted the fact that wood’s inherent renewability, biodegradability, and low carbon footprint make it a preferred choice in modern construction.

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Canadian Timberframes Expands and Introduces a K2i machine with 6-Axis robot; to process mass timber

By Canadian Timberframes Ltd.
Cision Newswire
March 25, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

GOLDEN, BC – Canadian Timberframes (CTF), a leading design and manufacturer in the timber frame industry, announces their new Hundegger K2i 1300 6-Axis robot CNC machine, enabling support of the mass timber market during their 25 Yr Anniversary. CTF has been at the forefront of the timber frame industry and continues to lead with Canada’s first and most sophisticated CNC timber joinery equipment, and an expanded 34,000 sq ft manufacturing plant. This expansion improves efficiency and capability to undertake complex and larger-scale commercial projects, while maintaining the company’s reputation for quality. In response to the growing demand for high-quality, heavy, and mass timber products, CTF expanded its capabilities with the Hundegger K2i 1300 machine, equipped with a 6-axis robot, positions them to process both rough-rough sawn and mass timber sizes up to 18″ by 51″ by 80 feet, enabling the execution of projects with unprecedented scale and complexity.

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This Office Building Is Made of Something Different

By Dan Beyers
CoStar News
March 27, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

It is not exactly a tree growing in Brooklyn, but Baltimore can now claim its first mass timber office building on Boston St. The aptly named 40Ten Boston, for its location at 4010 Boston St., stands out for being the city’s first office building built largely from heavy lumber, rather than steel or concrete, earning it an Impact Award as judged by real estate professionals familiar with the market. The unique building material required the team at 28 Walker Development to work closely with local building code and fire officials to familiarize city officials with the construction process and its safety attributes. …”The innovation with the mass timber construction is not only beautiful aesthetically but more importantly it champions environmental sustainability through the project,” wrote Lacey Johansson, assistant vice president for leasing at St. John Properties.

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A Carbon-Neutral Mass Timber First at Bowdoin College

Think Wood
March 26, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

Mass timber has gone Maine-stream. Bowdoin College’s new Barry Mills Hall and John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies are the first commercial mass timber projects completed in Maine. Designed by Minneapolis-based HGA, the two-building complex is located on the eastern edge of the private liberal arts school’s campus in Brunswick. See how the project’s design tells a story about Maine’s forestry legacy and upholds Bowdoin’s dedication to environmental stewardship in our latest project profile. …The two new buildings share a similar glulam post-and-beam mass timber structure. The typical floor assembly comprises a CLT deck with an acoustic isolation mat and concrete topping with a polished finish supported by glulam beams and columns.

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Naked Sprout disputes findings its toilet rolls contain just 4% bamboo

By Niamh Leonard-Bedwell
The Grocer UK
March 20, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Naked Sprout has disputed the results of an investigation that found its bamboo toilet roll to contain just 4% bamboo. In a report published this month, consumer watchdog Which? tested toilet rolls from five brands that were claimed to be made solely of bamboo [November 2023]. It used a TAPPI T 401 test, which breaks down a sample of paper into its constituent fibres, and found that three of the five rolls tested contained “low or very low levels of bamboo-like grass fibres”. Bazoo was found to contain 26.1% bamboo fibres, while Naked Sprout was found to contain just 4% bamboo. Bumboo toilet rolls were found to contain the lowest proportion of bamboo of the five brands, at just 2.7%. The toilet rolls in question were “mainly composed of virgin hardwoods”, such as eucalyptus and acacia, the Which? report alleged. Toilet tissue from Cheeky Panda and Who Gives A Crap (WGAC), meanwhile, contain 100% bamboo as claimed.

Additional coverage in BNN Bloomberg (may require a subscription to open), by Olivia Rudgard: Some Bamboo Toilet Paper Contained Very Little Bamboo, Tests Find

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The National Wooden Pallet & Container Association Secures Win in New EU Packaging Regulation

By National Wooden Pallet & Container Association
Cision Newswire
March 26, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — NWPCA today announced a significant victory for wooden pallet manufacturers worldwide following the finalization of the European Union’s (EU) Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). NWPCA’s successful advocacy efforts secured an exemption from the regulation’s reuse requirements for wooden pallets entering and leaving the EU under load. The PPWR aims to tackle the pressing issue of packaging waste by introducing rules for all packaging placed on the EU market. Key objectives of the regulation include reducing packaging waste through recycling and reuse initiatives. As wood is a natural and fully recyclable material, NWPCA fully supported the PPWR’s aims to reduce waste and promote recycling. However, concerns arose regarding the prioritization of reusability over recyclability and the interpretation and implementation of the pallet reuse requirements, which posed a significant challenge to manufacturers and stakeholders.

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Forestry

The ‘Mother Tree’ idea is everywhere — but how much of it is real?

By Aisling Irwin
Nature
March 26, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

It was a call from a reporter that first made ecologist Jason Hoeksema think things had gone too far. The journalist was asking questions about the wood wide web — the idea that trees communicate with each other through an underground fungal network — that seemed to go well beyond what Hoeksema considered to be the facts. …The idea has enchanted the public, appearing in bestselling books, films and television series. It has inspired environmental campaigners, ecology students and researchers in fields including philosophy, urban planning and electronic music. …But in the ecology community there is a groundswell of unease with the way in which the ideas are being presented in popular forums. …The dispute offers a window into how scientific ideas take shape and spread in popular culture — and raises questions about what the responsibilities of scientists are as they communicate their ideas more widely.

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Alberta Students Grow In Their Learning At Forest And Wildlife Youth Summit

By Galen Hartviksen
CKVG Country 106.5
March 27, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Sherwood Park, AB. — In March, Vegreville Composite High was chosen as one of 20 high schools in Alberta to attend the 13th annual Regenerate Forest and Wildlife Youth Summit. …Hosted by Inside Education, the four-day summit takes place in Canmore, Alberta. …“The Inside Education team was amazing, and they alone were a huge highlight for students. On the first day, Elder Heather Poitras welcomed us. Students then had an amazing time learning from the keynote speaker Colin Angus and all the different presenters, especially those from the Alberta Fish and Wildlife Stewardship, Alberta Forest Products Association, Alberta Forestry and Parks, Cenovus Energy, NorQuest College and TC Energy. I was blown away with the amazing opportunities shared with us. Students had the chance to learn about emerging careers, post-secondary opportunities and get hands-on experience in these fields,” said Andrew MacLean, the Off-Campus Facilitator and Environmental Stewardship Teacher at Vegreville Composite.

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Alberta Parks plans Ribbon Creek prescribed fire plan after deeming it too dry a year ago

By Jessica Lee
St. Albert Gazette
March 25, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Alberta Parks is tentatively planning to burn 260 hectares of forest in the Ribbon Creek drainage in Kananaskis this year that was initially prescribed for fire in 2023 but not ignited due to hot, dry conditions fuelling wildfire danger. The burn is part of a larger 7,900-hectare prescribed fire plan being broken into several phases. Alberta Parks and Calgary Forest Area wildfire management unit officials have also, since proposing the plan last year, met with the Wild Sheep Foundation of Alberta to adjust the size of the burn to improve bighorn sheep habitat. …According to Alberta Parks, the Evan-Thomas area has not seen any major wildfires since 1936, leading to an accumulation of forest fuels and a “very high risk of severe wildfire.” The prescribed burn will create a fire break, shielding communities, resources and infrastructure nearby. It’s a proactive measure to curb potential wildfires and to keep them from spreading down the valley.

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Category 2 and 3 Open Fires Must Be Extinguished By Noon March 28

By Pat Matthews
My Cariboo Now
March 25, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Fire Information Officer Madison Dahl said effective noon on Thursday March 28, Category 2 and 3 Fire Prohibition will go into effect in the Cariboo Chilcotin Forest District, the 100 Mile House Forest District, and the Quesnel Forest District. Dahl said, “A Category 2 fire is an open fire that burns material in one or two piles, each no larger than two metres in height and three metres in width, or burning grass over an area less than 0.2 hectares. A Category 3 fire is an open fire larger than two metres by three metres, burning three or more piles smaller than two by three metres, or burning an area of grass or stubble over an area greater than 0.2 metres.” BC Wildfire Service said anyone conducting a Category 2 or 3 open fire anywhere in the Cariboo region must extinguish them by noon March 28 and this prohibition will remain in place until noon November 1 2024 or until the Order is rescinded.

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The Government of Québec announces financial assistance to FPInnovations on major projects

FPInnovations
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

The Québec Minister of Natural Resources and Forests and Minister Responsible for the Bas-Saint-Laurent Region and the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine Region, Maïté Blanchette Vézina, today announced a maximum financial assistance of $2M, over three years, to FPInnovations to support the next phases of a truck platooning project aimed at modernizing forestry operations and mitigating the shortage of qualified drivers, during a visit to FPInnovations’ Québec laboratories along with president and CEO Stéphane Renou. The project aims to operate highly automated platooning trucks on low-traffic forest roads. Platooning involves connecting two or more trucks in convoy, using connectivity technology and automated driver assistance systems. The truck at the head of the platoon, with driver, acts as leader, with the vehicles behind it automatically adapting to changes in movement.

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Almost snowless winter sparks early forest fire fears

By Blair Crawford
Ottawa Citizen
March 25, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

A nearly snow-free winter and a drought-like kickoff to spring has firefighters warning of an early start to the fire season. Ottawa Fire Services, which issued an open-air burn ban on the weekend, has responded to eight grass fires in the past 10 days, including one Monday afternoon near Hazeldean Road in Stittsville. “It’s absolutely a concern. We were already looking at a very, very dry spring and there isn’t a lot of precipitation in the forecast,” said fire Chief Paul Hutt. Eighty per cent of the city’s area is rural land and the fire service has six rugged brush trucks that can respond to fires in off-road areas, he said. The fire service’s wild lands fire program has been up and running now for several weeks. …Ontario deployed additional fire rangers on March 4 to beef up its fire response, the ministry said.

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Conservationists to sue for better protections of Oregon’s coastal martens

By Nathan Wilk
Oregon Public Broadcasting
March 27, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

A conservation group says it’s going to sue the U.S. Forest Service for failing to protect a rare and endangered species in Oregon. There are fewer than 400 coastal martens in the wild, according to estimates from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The small, weasel-like animal was federally recognized as a threatened species in 2020. Coastal martens have been found in isolated populations across Oregon and California, including around 70 estimated individuals in the Oregon Dunes between Florence and Coos Bay. Now, the Center for Biological Diversity says the rising popularity of off-road vehicles in the Dunes is threatening that population, by tearing through habitats and creating disruptive noise. Meanwhile, the center accuses federal officials in charge of the area of putting few protections in place to stop the devastation.

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Montana can’t have healthy forests without a healthy timber industry

By Dawn Terrill, Duane Simons & Roman Zylawy – Mineral County Commissioners
Clark Fork Valley Press
March 27, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The recent closures of Pyramid Mountain Lumber and Roseburg Forest Products in Missoula County is a warning for Montana and a symptom of broader challenges threatening the region’s forest and wood products sect of which is pivotal for thousands of private sector jobs and crucial for federal efforts to improve forest health, mitigate wildfire risks, and cater to the escalating demand for carbon-friendly wood products. Montana’s timber industry, an integral component of the state’s identity and economy, faces a multitude of challenges – from workforce shortages and affordable housing crises to the whims of volatile markets. However the underlying issue driving mill closures across the west is a declining supply of raw material to manufacturers, a critical concern given that Montana’s wood products manufacturers are surrounded by federally owned forests. …Currently, the milling demand in Montana, spurred by the public’s demand for wood products, surpasses the available and projected log supply.

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Three conservation groups challenging Bureau of Land Management forest plan in Medford federal court

By Luke Doten
KDRV ABC Newswatch 12
March 26, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

MEDFORD, Ore. – On April 2, three organizations are taking the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to federal court in Medford. The three conservation organizations — Klamath Siskiyou Wild, Cascadia Wild and Oregon Wild — are fighting to prevent BLM from what they consider excessive logging in a forest in Josephine County. They are specifically fighting BLM’s Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) in Josephine County, about two miles northwest of Williams. According to BLM’s website, the purpose of IVM is to “promote and develop: safe and effective wildfire response opportunities that reduce wildland fire risk to Highly-Valued Resources and Assets; Fire- and disturbance-resilient lands and fire-resistant stands; and habitat for Special Status Species and unique native plant communities.” 

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School district sues Oregon in attempt to undo forest habitat conservation plan

By Alex Baumhardt
Oregon Public Broadcasting
March 26, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

One of the smallest school districts in Oregon is suing the state in an attempt to send a landmark forest habitat conservation plan back to the drawing board. On behalf of the Jewell School District in the heart of the Clatsop State Forest in northwest Oregon, a Portland law firm filed the suit on March 20 against the Oregon Department of Forestry, State Forester Cal Mukumoto and state forest chief Mike Wilson. The suit, filed in Clatsop County Circuit Court, alleges that the recently passed Western State Forests Habitat Conservation Plan will drastically reduce revenue for the school district, forcing it to cut staff and services. …Under the plan, the volume of wood permitted for harvest from state forests in Clatsop County will drop 35% and, in turn, cut 35% of the funding to the district, according to John DiLorenzo, a lawyer with the Portland-based law firm Davis Wright Tremaine, which filed the suit.

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National monument on California-Oregon border will remain intact after surviving legal challenge

Associated Press
March 25, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

ASHLAND, Oregon — The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, a remote expanse of wilderness along the California-Oregon border, will not lose any of its acreage after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up two challenges to its expansion. Logging interests and several counties in Oregon had asked the high court to strike down a 2017 addition to the monument. Their lawsuit claimed President Barack Obama improperly made the designation because Congress had previously set aside the land for timber harvests. By gaining monument status, the area won special protections, including a prohibition on logging. The challenges to the expansion raised the additional, and broader, question of whether the president’s authority to create national monuments unilaterally under the Antiquities Act should be restricted, the Chronicle said. …The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument was created in 2000 to protect what is considered an ecologically valuable juncture of the ancient Siskiyou Mountains and the younger volcanic Cascades. 

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School district sues state in attempt to undo forest habitat conservation plan

By Alex Baumhardt
The Oregon Capital Chronicle
March 26, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

One of the smallest school districts in Oregon is suing the state in an attempt to send a landmark forest habitat conservation plan back to the drawing board. On behalf of the Jewell School District in the Clatsop State Forest in northwest Oregon, a Portland law firm filed the suit on March 20 against the Oregon Department of Forestry, State Forester Cal Mukumoto and state forest chief Mike Wilson. The suit alleges that the recently passed Western State Forests Habitat Conservation Plan will drastically reduce revenue for the school district, forcing it to cut staff and services. The conservation plan, which has been years in the making, was approved March 7 by the Oregon Board of Forestry on a narrow vote. It will regulate logging and conservation on about 630,000 thousand acres of state forests for the next 70 years, including the Clatsop State Forest, to protect 17 threatened or endangered species.

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Palm oil and other commodities linked to US’s deforestation footprint

Global Witness
March 26, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

As the world’s biggest importer, trillions of dollars’ worth of products from around the globe find their way into the US every year – with the amount of food imports growing in recent years. According to new analysis provided to us by Trase, US imports of seven everyday commodities were linked to the destruction of 122,800ha of tropical and subtropical forest – equivalent to an area the size of Los Angeles – in just two years. Imports of palm oil were the most significant contributor, linked to 41,500 hectares of deforestation – and making up more than a third of the US’ total exposure in this analysis. This palm oil was overwhelmingly imported from Indonesia, where deforestation trends have begun to tick back up over the last two years following a decade of decline.

Related coverage in the NY Times: Why Palm Oil Is Still a Big Problem

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Logging to resume after koala welfare outcry halted clearing of Kangaroo Island plantations

By Selina Green & Caroline Horn
ABC News, Australia
March 27, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

South Australia’s environment minister says the clearing of Kangaroo Island’s Tasmanian blue gum plantations can resume, after work was halted following the release of footage showing koalas being injured. Susan Close said she had approved a new koala management plan submitted to her by AAG Investment Management (AAGIM), the timber company clearing the plantations on behalf of owners Kiland. …Under the new plan, AAGIM will increase the number of spotters on the ground as trees are felled and report any incidents to the Department for Environment and Water (DEW) within 24 hours. The company will need to advise the department of planned harvest activity two weeks before commencement. It will also implement strategies to manage fatigue in the workers operating the harvesters and improve communication between them and the spotters. …

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

What’s So Green About Burning Trees? The False Promise of Biomass Energy

By Sam Davis, Partnership For Policy Integrity
Eurasia Review
March 27, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, International

Renewable energy comes from matter that nature produces and replenishes constantly. The power generated through this source does not significantly threaten the environment, especially in comparison with fossil fuels… according to the United Nations. Renewable energy derived from wind, solar, geothermal, hydrokinetic, and hydro energy has a much lower environmental impact than fossil fuels. It harnesses the power of readily available elements and does not diminish with use. …And because wind and sunlight are inherently free, there are no ongoing feedstock costs. Bioenergy, otherwise known as biomass energy, is, however, different. This kind of power involves using living matter or matter that was recently been alive. …Trees are also used, most oftenfrom the forests of the U.S. South, including pine and hardwood species. …Supporters argue that bioenergy is a climate-friendly, sustainable power source that helps local economies. The truth is that wood pellet plants are as dirty and problematic as coal plants. 

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US energy agency announces $6 billion to slash emissions in industrial facilities

The PressNewsAgency
March 25, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States

Joe Biden

The Biden administration announced it will distribute up to $6 billion to curb planet-warming emissions in some of America’s most polluting industries, including chemical, metal and cement operations. The awards, which the administration called the “largest investment in industrial decarbonization in American history,” are aimed at both advancing the administration’s climate goals and boosting domestic manufacturing. …A total of 33 projects in more than 20 states are slated to receive federal funding, ranging from $20 million to $500 million. The administration expects to leverage an additional $14 billion in private-sector investment. “These projects offer solutions to slash emissions in some of the highest emitting sectors of our economy, including iron and steel, aluminum, cement, concrete, chemicals, food and beverages, pulp and paper,” Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm said. “Together, these industries make up roughly a third of our CO2 emissions of our carbon footprint.”

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A major European nature protection plan stumbles at the final hurdle. ‘How could we give that up?’

By Raf Casert
Associated Press in Herald and News
March 25, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

BRUSSELS — A European Union plan to protect nature in the 27-nation bloc and fight climate change was indefinitely postponed Monday, underscoring how farmers’ protests sweeping the continent have had a deep influence on politics. The deadlock on the bill, which could undermine the EU’s global stature on the issue, came less than three months before the European Parliament election in June. The member states were supposed to give final approval to the biodiversity bill on Monday following months of proceedings… But the rubber stamp has turned into possible perpetual shelving. …The Nature Restoration plan is a part of the EU’s European Green Deal to establish ambitious climate and biodiversity targets, and make the bloc the global point of reference on all climate issues. The bill is part of an overall project for Europe to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, demanding short and medium-term changes and sacrifices from all parts of society…

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‘Pretending to grow forests in the desert’: New research questions integrity in safeguard mechanism scheme

By Krishani Dhanji
ABC News, Australia
March 26, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

A major Australian study has found some of the nation’s biggest polluters are meeting their emissions obligations using carbon credits that have not actually resulted in emissions reductions. …Andrew Macintosh, one of the lead authors of the paper and an environment law and policy professor at the Australian National University first sounded the alarm two years ago, calling the carbon market “largely a sham”. His calls were rejected by a government-commissioned review, but Professor Macintosh said the new research shows further evidence that human-induced regeneration – a core part of the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) scheme – hasn’t worked. …Researchers monitored 182 Human Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects, which make up about 30 per cent of all ACCUs and have cost taxpayers nearly $300 million over their lifetime. They found many of the projects to grow native forests were claiming to be regenerating them in uncleared desert and semi-desert areas.

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Health & Safety

Labour ministry continues probe into Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper explosion

By Gary Rinne
The Thunder Bay News Watch
March 26, 2024
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada East

THUNDER BAY — Ontario’s labour ministry has issued numerous instructions to Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper and one of its contractors following a fiery explosion Friday that injured four people, including two who were flown to a Toronto hospital burn unit for treatment. Video of the incident obtained by TBnewswatch shows that a fireball – lasting two or three seconds – erupted from a building where the hog fuel feed system is located. …The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development revealed Tuesday that it has issued 11 “requirements” to the mill owner, and 10 requirements to Skyway Canada, a contractor that offers a variety of industrial services. But the ministry said no further details will be released while the investigation is still underway. A Thunder Bay Fire Rescue spokesperson has said he was told a bearing overheated prior to the explosion.

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Forest Fires

Northeast Wyoming Already Blowing Up As Wildfire Hot-Spot

By Mark Heinz
Cowboy State Daily
March 25, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

Most of Wyoming appears to be relatively safe from massive wildfires — at least through June — but the northeastern corner of the state is already in trouble. “We’ve already burned more acres so far this year then we did all of last year,” said Charles Harrison, fire warden for the Crook County Volunteer Fire Department. And it hasn’t been just prairie grass fires. There’s already been two roughly 200-acre forest fires in the county, one near New Haven, and another near Moorcroft, he told Cowboy State Daily. …There’s no shortage of potential fuel for forests fires. There are vast swaths of beetle-killed timber, either standing or already down on the ground. …“There’s acres and acres of standing dead trees,” spokesman Evan Guzik said.

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Forest fires contained but conditions remain high for fire risk

By Chris Lawrence
MetroNews West Virginia
March 25, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US East

MOOREFIELD, West Virginia — Forest fires in West Virginia’s Potomac Highlands Region last week scorched 5,750 acres according to West Virginia Division of Forestry Director Jeremy Jones. …The first fires were reported Wednesday as conditions became dry with low humidity. Strong winds picked up to 50 miles and hour and more which fueled the fires faster than fire fighters could keep up. A number of homes and buildings wound up being destroyed. …The West Virginia State Fire Marshal continued to evaluate the damages to structures from the forest fires. Ultimately rainfall Friday night into Saturday helped the crews get full containment, but Jones said the work of a pair of Blackhawk helicopters from the West Virginia National Guard were very extremely valuable and gave fire crews a strong leg up on the out of control blazes.

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Forest fires burn in nearly half of Mexico’s drought-stricken states, fueled by strong winds

By Felix Marquez
The Associated Press
March 25, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

NOGALES, Mexico — Forest fires were burning in nearly half of Mexico’s drought-stricken states Monday fueled by strong winds. The National Forestry Commission reported 58 active fires in 15 states, including in protected nature reserves in Morelos, Veracruz and Mexico states. A preliminary estimate of the affected area reached more than 3,500 acres (1,421 hectares), the commission wrote. Authorities had reported no injuries, but at least some homes were burned at a wildfire in Nogales, Veracruz Monday. A fire burned across mountain farms, killing livestock and charring homes. At least five families were moved to a shelter. Firefighters battled with a water tanker while residents slapped at flames in their fields with branches. Alondra Chávez a Nogales resident was among those fighting the flames. “The wind is beating us and we do what we can,” Chávez said.

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