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Forest products professionals in the Nordic region are being squeezed by high raw material costs and evolving environmental regulations that have immediate and long-term implications. Source: ResourceWise Over the past year, domestic softwood pulplog prices rose in Norway by 25%, in Finland by 15% and in Sweden by 11%. These cost increases are occurring alongside early signs of pulp production slowdowns in some areas. While the reasons vary by market, many producers are closely watching both supply conditions and regulatory developments that could influence fibre availability going forward. Two key policy developments from the European Union are adding complexity to long-term forest planning. The Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) regulation aims to improve carbon sequestration through forest management — a goal that may prove difficult to meet without changes to current harvesting levels in Sweden and Finland. In addition, the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which goes into effect this December, is expected to reshape sourcing practices for timber and other forest-based materials. These regulations introduce new factors for forest owners and wood-using industries to consider as they plan future harvests and investments. A report from ResourceWise provides a more detailed overview of current pulpwood price developments, regional differences across Finland, Sweden, and Norway, and how producers are responding to emerging challenges. It also highlights the potential impact of EU climate legislation on harvesting activity and forest management strategies in the Nordic region. More information at https://www.resourcewise.com/

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According to a new global study published in Global Change Biology, lightning directly kills approximately 320 million trees each year — a number that rivals other major causes of forest disturbance but has gone largely unrecognized. Source: ScienceBlog These deaths release an estimated 0.21–0.30 gigatons of carbon annually, underscoring lightning’s surprising role in shaping forest structure and the global carbon cycle. While lightning has long been associated with wildfires, its direct impact on tree mortality has rarely been quantified. To address this gap, researchers led by Andreas Krause at the Technical University of Munich integrated lightning mortality into a dynamic global vegetation model known as LPJ-GUESS. Their approach used detailed field data from Barro Colorado Island in Panama, where each lightning strike was found to kill about 3.2 trees, often through lethal flashovers that affect neighbouring trees up to 45 meters away. By scaling these observations with global lightning density maps from satellite and ground-based sensors, the model simulated lightning’s effects across tropical and temperate forests worldwide. Simulations revealed that: 301–340 million trees (>10 cm diameter) are killed annually by lightning 24–36 million of these are large trees (>60 cm diameter) Lightning causes 0.21–0.30 GtC of dead biomass annually Most of this mortality occurs in tropical Africa, where both lightning density and the prevalence of tall, vulnerable trees are high. However, the study also found that as climate change intensifies thunderstorms, lightning-induced tree deaths could increase in temperate and boreal forests. “Most climate models project an increase in lightning frequency in the coming decades, so it’s worth paying closer attention to this largely overlooked disturbance,” Krause noted in the press release. Until now, ecosystem models have accounted for lightning only as a fire ignition source — not as a direct cause of tree death. That omission, the researchers argue, likely underestimates forest turnover and distorts projections of carbon storage under future climate scenarios. Interestingly, LPJ-GUESS underestimated lightning mortality in some sites like the Amazon and US pine forests but performed well in Panama, thanks in part to the model’s design: lightning was assumed to strike the tallest tree cohorts, mimicking real-world behaviour. Deviations in other forests may reflect undercounted secondary effects like beetle infestation or long-delayed tree death, both common after lightning strikes. To improve accuracy, the authors call for more real-time data from forest lightning detection systems, particularly outside the tropics and closer attention to species-specific vulnerability. Trees with denser wood or lower electrical resistance, for instance, may better withstand strikes, a factor not yet fully integrated into global models.

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US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L Rollins has announced the US Forest Service is investing US$106 million to support state and landowner efforts to conserve private working forestlands across the country. Source: Timberbiz Funded through the Forest Legacy Program, these projects will protect forests vital to the economic and social fabric of local communities – ensuring they remain productive, working forests for Americans and tourists to use and enjoy. “Just like our farms and ranches, working forests are part of the backbone of rural America – providing jobs, timber, clean water, and places for families to hunt, fish, camp, hike and make lifelong memories,” said Secretary Rollins. “For too long our forests have been left idle, only to burn and devastate communities. President Trump has made it a priority to properly manage our forests, empowering USDA and our state partners to protect and unleash the full potential of their forestlands to help their communities grow and thrive.” In total, the Forest Service will fund 10 projects across 177,000 acres of state- and privately owned forestlands in Arkansas, Hawaii, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Oregon and South Carolina. The investments advance President Trump’s Executive Order on Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production by safeguarding forests that supply critical wood products and outdoor recreation opportunities, both of which fuel rural prosperity by creating jobs and supporting rural economies. The Forest Legacy Program is authorized by the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act Of 1978 and operates through voluntary partnerships with states and landowners with the goal of conserving these lands while balancing other local uses and goals. Projects are selected through competitive state and national processes and carried out through conservation easements or fee-simple acquisitions. Lands conserved through the program either remain in private ownership with long-term protections or become new public lands managed by state or local governments. Privately owned forests represent 60% of the nation’s 704 million forested acres. These lands are essential to the social, economic, cultural, and ecological fabric of local communities and play a critical role in national timber production, supplying 88% of all domestic timber. To date, the Forest Legacy Program has conserved more than 3.1 million acres of forestland nationwide.  

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Gisborne District Council in New Zealand has lodged its formal submissions on the Government’s proposed changes to national resource management direction, encouraging Ministers to ensure reforms are responsive to the distinctive environmental, cultural and economic context of Te Tairāwhiti. Source: Timberbiz Director of Sustainable Futures, Jocelyne Allen, says while Council supports the Government’s intent to improve planning efficiency and unlock development opportunities, the proposed national direction packages require refinement to avoid unintended consequences and to reflect the lived realities of regions. “Our communities understand that change is needed, but that change must be considered, enduring and rooted in place-based understanding,” Ms Allen said. “We need to strike a balance between enablement and environmental protection, and between national consistency and local discretion. The future of Te Tairāwhiti depends on regulation that recognises local risks, empowers regional decision-making and honours our unique Treaty relationships.” Council’s submissions respond to all three reform packages and outline the following key positions: Strong concern regarding proposed changes to commercial forestry regulations, which could lower environmental performance thresholds and restrict councils’ ability to manage erosion-prone hill country and mitigate sediment and slash risks. Strong support for Māori-led development, including papakāinga housing and renewable energy initiatives, provided that national direction offers practical definitions and workable consenting pathways. A strong call to retain the Te Mana o te Wai framework within freshwater regulation, recognising the vital role of tangata whenua and councils in setting catchment-based priorities. Support for rural infrastructure, water security, and housing investment, provided it is accompanied by clear environmental safeguards and community engagement mechanisms. Advocacy for local discretion in managing land use in hazard-prone areas and sensitive receiving environments, recognising the lessons learned from extreme weather events. “The potential risks of poorly calibrated regulation aren’t imagined, we’ve experienced them firsthand,” Ms Allen said. “Cyclone Gabrielle reinforced how essential it is that regulation reflects the physical landscape and community realities. We cannot afford to repeat the past by embedding vulnerability into national direction.” Council also notes that several proposals introduce additional responsibilities for monitoring, compliance, and mapping, and has suggested more certain resourcing and cost-recovery provisions to support implementation. “Council sees a critical opportunity for the Government to embed stronger cost-recovery mechanisms into national direction. As regulatory responsibilities deepen, so too must the resourcing framework, to ensure communities receive the level of service, environmental protection, and infrastructure oversight they deserve,” Ms Allen said. The Council says it remains committed to working constructively with central government to help shape a future-focused, resilient, and equitable resource management system. “The Government has the opportunity to design a system that works not just in principle, but in practice, one that Council welcomes and is committed to contributing to.”

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