Maine goes to bat for New Brunswick lumber producers and some Quebec mills

February 20, 2018
Category: Today's Takeaway

Maine Governor Paul LePage has asked the US Dept. of Commerce to exempt New Brunswick from duties against Canadian lumber, blaming BC for the softwood dispute. LePage also believes that some mills in Quebec near the US border should be excluded. In other Business news, Trudeau announces investment deal with India [that includes pulp] and Gorman Bros. drops a shift due to reductions in beetle kill logs.

In Forestry news, BC’s NDP turns its attention to raw log exports; FSC’s rigour is challenged by a Yale School of Forestry publication; the US Congress fails to fix the funding formula for wildfire management; the Dept. of Interior is in turmoil due to changes in public land management; and a million trees have been pledged to offset Trump’s non-climate plan.

Finally, New Zealand robotics offers new solutions for forest safety and shortages of skilled machine operators; while new laser technology in the UK seeks to measure forest canopy changes over time.

— Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor

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