Cyber Shopper!

On December 6, 1917, two cargo ships laden with explosives collided in the Halifax Harbour resulting in the largest artificial explosion up to that time. Boston authorities learned of the disaster and quickly dispatched a relief train with medical supplies and personnel. A 50-foot tree—the selection of which comes with exacting specifications—is sent to Boston as an annual acknowledgement and thank you from the people of Halifax.

In Forestry news, BC and Canada reached agreement on how to protect caribou habitat; an Ontario NGO refutes a forest industry website called Caribou Facts; David Suzuki has a new documentary called What Trees Talk About; and Ontario’s Tree Seed Plant closure in Angus has some wondering where next year’s seed crops will be processed. 

Meanwhile, on the House and Senate wildfire bills: the Montana Wilderness Assoc. says the current funding method is bankrupting the agency; the Nature Conservancy says the legislation would reduce the need for transfers from nonsuppression accounts; and the Centre for Biological Diversity says the bill exploits the public’s fears of wildfire and guts environmental protections.

Finally, architect Michael Green says the appeal of building tall with timber runs deep: “I’ve never seen anybody walk into one of my buildings and hug a steel or a concrete column. But I’ve seen that happen in a wood building.”

— Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor