Of all the factors pushing lumber prices up, the historic 2017 wildfire season tops beetles and tariffs—according to Ben Foldy (Financial Times). And while most lumber stocks have enjoyed a good run, Stephen Simpson (Seeking Alpha) says the under-performers suggest prices may weaken significantly. In related news: housing sales rebound in the US South; BC Premier Horgan says US consumers are bearing the brunt of softwood tariffs; and NZ log prices to China hit a 25 year high.
In other news: UNESCO says Canada’s Wood Buffalo national park is being threatened by development; a new book examines the closure of Sturgeon Falls paper mill in 2002; timber sales in Washington may be a good thing, and UK city parks are significant carbon stores.
Finally, an Ontario firefighter and international instructor says the trend in mid-rise wood construction increases firefighter danger.
–Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
What do forest fires, wood-eating beetles and US President Donald Trump have in common? They have all helped push the price of lumber to historic heights, leading to record share prices for lumber producers and higher prices for US homebuyers. …Analysts attribute the price spike to steadily increasing demand and a coincidence of supply shocks in British Columbia, one of the world’s largest producers of softwood lumber. “When you have a tight supply chain, as soon as one thing goes wrong, prices skyrocket,” said Brendan Lowney, principal and macroeconomist at Forest Economic Advisors. …With a new protectionist ally in the White House, the US Lumber Coalition filed trade remedy petitions in November 2016… But of the factors driving current prices, duties are only “number three on the list,” said Mr Lowney. More important was a historic 2017 wildfire season.
The wood industry has succeeded in lobbying to increase the amount of wood product being used to erect buildings instead of steel. We are seeing an increase in the number of taller buildings being built entirely out of wood. It is not uncommon to see a five- or six-story building constructed out of lightweight wood products, and a few states are allowing even taller buildings to be built this way. While this is good for the lumber industry, it is bad for the fire service. Any introduction of heat to the lightweight wood product, and we have disaster occurring on our end. We have seen this type of situation unfold in New York, where a building collapse killed two firefighters, and that tragedy could be repeated in these new-construction, wood-only buildings. 
A sprawling forest of ancient coastal redwoods in Sonoma County — a grove so magnificent it matches the majesty of Muir Woods National Monument — is being acquired under a land deal that will ensure its protection and allow the public to walk among the giants. For decades, there had been whisperings of the existence of an untouched swath of old-growth trees on privately held lands near Cazadero — a story that had taken on almost mythical proportions. Fable is becoming reality Tuesday: San Francisco’s Save the Redwoods League is announcing it is purchasing the grove, which, at 738 acres, is a third larger than Muir Woods and has 47 percent more old-growth trees. The transaction is complicated, involving a land swap and $9.6 million in payments, but it means the largest swath of unprotected old-growth redwoods in the world will be preserved.
