On the eve of NAFTA talks in Mexico, Canada is employing one of the most contentious elements of NAFTA—the Chapter 19 dispute panels—in its softwood lumber dispute with the US. A sample of the boundless coverage includes the Canadian Press (Mia Rabson), Globe and Mail (Brent Jang), Bloomberg (Josh Wingrove) and the Whitecourt Star (Marcia Love). A related story by Tom Fletcher (BC Local News) links the lumber dispute to BC’s  latest trade effort in Asia.

Forestry and fire news includes the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre receiving a grant to “standardize first response teams”; Northwest forests are reported as “denser and more vulnerable to fire“; and fuel reduction efforts “may not save places from wildfire“.

Michael Green keynoted the jam-packed wood solutions conference in Vancouver yesterday. Other conference speakers highlighted mass timber in the UK and in Penticton BC; while StructureCraft unveiled its leap into dowel-laminated timber in Abbotsford BC.

Finally, former APA president Dennis Hardman was honoured by his peers with an award for his “lifetime of leadership and outstanding contribution to the industry”. Congratulations Dennis!

— Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor