A video of BC Cabinet Minister meeting with frustrated forestry workers goes viral, as WFP strike continues to take its toll. In related news: Aspen Planers restarts second shift; Congress introduces law to fight trade cheating; and US kitchen cabinet industry trends and statistics.
In Forestry news: BC bans border logging after urging by Seattle mayor; Ontario makes forestry open for business; and Tolko’s plans may threaten Lake Country drinking water. On the Bioenergy front: the latest biomass fuel developments; Alberta’s bioeconomy opportunity; US and EU ENGO’s protest burning wood; and TED conference to focus on power and the build environment.
Finally, Canadian Tire promotes fake trees, and all roads lead to Rome—thanks to the Roman timber trade with Gaul.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
Campbell River forestry workers voiced their frustrations in a meeting with North Island MLA Claire Trevena Tuesday. …The BC Liberals have sent out the Youtube video they say is of a “closed-door” meeting between Trevena and Campbell River forestry workers who have been off the job for five months. The workers, clearly frustrated, were demanding to know why the province isn’t taking action and expressing just how difficult this seemingly endless strike has been on them and everyone else involved. …“They’re losing their homes, their possessions, some of them are losing their marriages… I want you to have a clear picture that that’s how devastating things are for us right now,” said another worker. …North Island MLA and Transportation Minister Claire Trevena told the crowd Tuesday that while the government respects free collective bargaining, they are listening.
Tree farmers across the country are none too jolly over Canadian Tire’s latest commercial which, they say, promotes artificial Christmas trees as an eco-friendly alternative to farm-grown firs or pines. Fake trees are made with oil-based products and fabricated overseas in places like China, doing more harm to the environment than good, said Jimmy Downey of Downey Tree Farm & Nursery in Hatley, Que. …The association is calling on Canadian Tire to nix the commercial. The ad opens with a father and daughter first strolling through a snowy forest with a hacksaw in hand. The daughter stops her father from cutting one, silently pointing to animals living in the trees. She points to other trees, abundant with wildlife and then leads him away. The scene cuts to indoors, where the pair is decorating a white-needled artificial tree while the company touts itself as providing everything people need to celebrate the holidays.
A series of wildfire risk-reduction projects will be completed in the Williams Lake area over the next two years in interface areas where urban development borders on grasslands or forested areas. The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development will be directing this work. Areas with steep slopes, fuel hazards or weather patterns that could affect wildfire behaviour have been prioritized, as well as areas close to residences or critical infrastructure. Preliminary fieldwork began in fall 2019 and treatments will continue periodically for the next two years. A primary goal of these projects is to reduce the size and intensity of any future wildfires in the Williams Lake area, which will make it easier for firefighters to defend the community. …In addition to reducing wildfire risks to the community, these projects will improve the long-term health and resiliency of tree stands and enhance habitat for mule deer and other wildlife. 
MISSISSAUGA — The Ontario government is supporting the forest industry, and the northern and rural communities that depend on it, with the release of a draft Forest Sector Strategy. Ontario’s strategy will aim to stimulate job creation, promote economic growth, and reduce unnecessary burden and costs for businesses, all while ensuring our forests continue to be managed sustainably. “Our government has a plan to build Ontario together to help this industry, which is so critical to communities across this province, to grow and thrive,” said John Yakabuski, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. “We have worked hard over the past year to develop the proposed strategy released today. We listened to what was working and more importantly, what was not — and we are continuing the conversation with Indigenous partners, affected communities and industry as we work towards finalizing the strategy.”
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As deadly bushfires continue to burn across Australia, a delegation of Canadian wildfire experts has embarked on a month-long trip to aid in the country’s crisis. The group of 21 wildfire suppression experts left Vancouver on Tuesday and are not expected to return until early January, meaning they will be thousands of miles away from home for the holidays. As of Wednesday, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service reported