While some Californians start to return to their charred homes, fires in Portugal and Spain are responsible for 39 deaths and hurricane Ophelia’s winds have killed three in Ireland. Elsewhere, budget cuts hurt Alabama’s fire preparedness, but weather in Central Oregon [officially] terminates the fire season.
The US lumber industry stands firm in their subsidy claim against Canadian producers while Russ Taylor says “if there were subsidies, American companies would be buying mills in Canada and they are not”. Meanwhile, a federal judge dismissed Resolute’s lawsuit against Greenpeace but opened the door for the company to correct its deficiencies and proceed with the case.
A first-ever gathering of specialists in Colorado seeks profitable uses of biomass to make forests less fire susceptible, while a Washington State research team have found a way to replace ethanol with biofuels created from lumber mill waste.
Finally, while Glulam makes inroads with bridges and CLT is a game changer in residential towers, the Massachusetts Concrete industry says costs and nostalgia are not reasons enough to boost building with wood.
— Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor