A settlement remains elusive but Canada and the U.S. have edged closer to a job-saving settlement on the softwood lumber dispute, President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said here Wednesday. “The United States and Canada have made important progress in our negotiations, but significant differences remain,” they said in a joint statement. Thousands…
Carl Grenier led the Free Trade Lumber Council from 1999 to 2006. He now teaches at the University of Laval, and l’École nationale d’administration publique. Surprises are always possible, but as things stand now, Canada and the United States are not entering a new softwood lumber agreement any time soon. Last March, the President and…
Lignin is a natural component of plant cell walls, the scaffolding that surrounds each cell and plays a pivotal role in plants’ ability to grow against gravity and reach heights ranging from stubbly grasses to the sky-scraping splendor of redwoods. But lignin is a problem for scientists interested in converting plant biomass to biofuels and…
Nearly 300 firefighters from South Africa who came to Canada last month to help fight the massive forest fire in the Fort McMurray area have been paid according to Alberta labour laws, the government said Wednesday. Officials with the South African agency Working on Fire have confirmed for the Alberta government that the workers have been…
A 600 year-old white oak tree, believed to be the oldest of its kind in the world, is showing signs of age and is worrying local residents. The tree is located beside a church built in 1717, where it has stood for 300 years before that. English evangelists James Davenport and George Whitefield preached to…
Woodworker and commentator Scott Wunder recently posed this question: Why is walnut lumber graded lower than other hardwoods? Having spent the last 36 years in the walnut sawmill business – including eight years as a lumber inspector – I was very curious to read the article. But as soon as I did, I knew that…
When Greg Mancuso got tired of working his regular desk job at Folklore Reforestation, he pestered his boss for a change of scenery. Shortly after, he got what he asked for: a 12-day gig setting large piles of branches, logs and tree tops ablaze. The job gave him some nail-biting thrills. “When you look at the size…
Deep in the mountains of Western North Carolina, Clemson University forestry students are hard at work. As they trek up Whiteside Mountain, they collect an array of plant and tree species while identifying topographical traits of the area. The students were participating in one of the many aspects of the Clemson Forestry Summer Camp, a…
When the European gypsy moth hatches, it is born as a furry little caterpillar. They emerge from their eggs in the spring and proceed to feed mercilessly on the surrounding foliage. Tree leaves and coniferous needles are the primary target of this tiny scourge, and if you happen to live in the middle of an infestation, you may feel as if the…
Eikichi Kagetsu dined with royalty, built up a logging empire in British Columbia, employed hundreds of people and established himself as a leader in the Japanese Canadian community.All that was taken away during the Second World War, when the federal government’s racist wartime policies against those of Japanese heritage saw Kagetsu dispossessed of his properties…