News in timber

The peak of wildfire season is about to begin in California and before it starts the state has already set a record with 2 million acres burned so far this year. The previous record was set just two years ago.

As oil and gas prices plunged, the province of Alberta was suffering from a huge decline in revenue funds for their coffers. However, record high prices for construction paneling has created a resource, which for now, is helping to makeup some of those losses.

Early reports from Louisiana in areas battered by Hurricane Laura are indicating that forestland losses will be extensive. There are twisted trees and downed timber and a large-scale assessment is just now getting underway.

Although Hurricane Laura spared most of Texas from her damaging winds and flooding, some parts of Southeast Texas were not as fortunate.

Television station KREM-2, a CBS affiliate, is reporting that there are multiple wildfires burning throughout the Inland Northwest. The fires started on Labor Day and were the results of extremely windy conditions.

Weyerhaeuser Company announced today that it has entered into two distinct agreement to purchased timberland from and sell timberlands to funds managed by Hancock Natural Resources, a Manulife Investment Management company.

The spruce beetle outbreak has been raging in the forestlands in the Prince George B.C. district for more than 30 years. There is only a short window to log the dead trees before they lose their commercial value.

The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture is urging all regional foresters to quickly implement the administrations vision for forestland usage.

On Wednesday (8/19) Oregon Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency due to what she called the imminent threat of wildfires across the state. In a news release Brown said, much of the state is now in extreme fire danger, and red flag warnings have been issued for hot, dry, windy conditions and dry thunderstorms.