Brrr!

For all our readers NOT on the east coast: “Bomb cyclones” or “weather bombs” are wicked winter storms that can rival the strength of hurricanes, and are so called because of the process that creates them: bombogenesis. Bomb cyclones tend to carry hurricane-force winds and cause coastal flooding and heavy snow. And for you easterners – stay safe!

In Biomass and Climate news: Canada’s National Energy Board reports that biomass capacity and generation are up; Arizona regulators want to increase the use of forest biomass for power; Washington’s Public Lands Commissioner wants to implement a carbon policy to deal with climate change; and good news from researchers at the California Institute of Technology who discovered that methane emissions from forest fires decreased by almost twice as much as previous calculations. 

Elsewhere: new evidence on the western spruce budworm’s fireproofing effect; the grim scope of California’s 2017 wildfire season; and a caribou pen is being employed to protect calves from predators.

Finally, Europe and Canada are at the forefront in mass timber design; Vancouver gives the go ahead for the tallest hybrid wood structure in North America; and the largest share of door and window growth is projected to go vinyl.

— Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor