Oregon Governor Kate Brown has provided an update on the historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) she brokered back in February between 12 timber and forest products companies, the Oregon Small Woodlands Association, and 13 environmental and fisheries organizations to amend Oregon forest practices is moving forward.
News in timber
Trade Tensions Between Australia and China Continue to Increase
The tension between Australia and China moved another notch higher with an official notice from China’s Customs Authority on 12/3, which notified Australian exporters that they had detected a pest (with no further specifics) in shipments of logs from South Australia and Tasmania and would therefore not accept any additional shipments from those areas.
After Recent Unparalleled Wildfires Colorado Looks to Logging to Re-Balance Forests
After recent unparalleled wildfire in Colorado has the state’s Department of Forestry and their foresters are looking at actions to bring the states’ forests back into balance with the state’s population growth and where people are choosing to live.
Researchers Findings Indicate that Planting Trees and Deforestation Efforts Costs Could Quickly Accelerate
Researchers from RTI International (RTI), North Carolina State University and Ohio State University are reporting in the journal Nature Communications, published on 12-2-20, that planting trees and preventing deforestation remain key climate change mitigation strategies.
Oregon Proposes Salvage Logging and Reforestation Plan for Beachie Creek, Lionhead and Riverside Wildfires
Oregon is proposing a log salvage as well as the implementation of a reforestation plan in the areas in the Santiam State Forest that were harmed by September’s Beachie Creek, Lionshead and Riverside wildfires.
B.C. Returning to Separate Forestry and Rural Development Ministries
British Columbia Premier John Horgan has announced that the B.C. ministry with the biggest name and footprint in provincial history is being broken up as part of a reform of rural and resource development.
Biggest Forestry Deal in the “Green Triangle” Region of South Australia since 2012 is Taking Shape
In what is shaping up to be the biggest forestry deal in the “Green Triangle” region since South Australia privatized its forestry assets in a $670 million deal in 2012.
China’s Ban on Australian Timber and other Products is Taking its Toll on Green Triangle Region and its Seaport Economy
The recent shipment ban put into place by China on Australian timber (logs), coal and other agricultural and seafood products is already having a significant impact on the Green Triangle region and its seaport economy.
Canadian Forest Industries Contractor Survey for 2020 Shows Improvements but Headwinds Remain
Compared to the initial, 2016, Canadian Forest Industries Contractor Survey and the subsequent B.C. provincial governments Logging Contractor Sustainability Review, which outlined proposals to improve relationships between the contractors and mills, things, at least on the surface appear to be much better in 2020.
The Wildfires in Oregon are Out but the Losses and Costs Continue to Mount
The Oregon timber industry is made up of small and large companies and they are still in the process of totaling up their losses from the 2020 wildfire season. No one has a real number yet, but one thing is for certain, between timber, equipment and lost jobs the losses are going to be large . . . very large.