In a 4-2 vote, the Oregon Commission of Fish and Wildlife uplifted the marbled murrelet from threatened to endangered, despite concerns from the timber industry. The vote puts Oregon on the same page as neighboring California and Washington, while in BC and Alaska the bird’s status is less protected [in part] because the populations are much larger.

In other news: Oregon State’s Dean, Tom Maness, calls the new Forest Science Complex “transformational” despite the challenges; Montana’s Big Snowy Mountains wilderness area may be threatened while planning in the state’s Flathead area achieved gains; and Indiana wonders whether cutting trees is good or bad for the forest, particularly given its 85% private forest ownership.

Finally, on the  trade front: tensions are growing between New York State and its largest trading partner [Canada]; a Florida media group says the softwood lumber dispute is following Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day script; and Prime Minister Trudeau strikes a cooperative tone on NAFTA while in California.

— Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor