Forest Products Industry

US organizations and businesses that will have to deal with increased lumber prices when higher duties hit seem reluctant to speak up, fearing retribution from the Trump administration. Source: Times Colonist The Trump administration’s focus on retribution against individuals and organizations that disagree with him may be curbing British Columbia’s effort to rally US protests against lumber price hikes. Premier David Eby is talking to US politicians about the issue – he had a virtual meeting with California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday. But Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said US organizations and businesses that will have to deal with higher lumber prices when the higher duties hit seem reluctant to speak up. He told the legislature: “It’s hard to imagine a large democracy like the US where … industry organizations were fearful of standing up because they didn’t want to get their heads cut off by the president. “How crazy is that?” He said Canadians are fairly critical of politicians and have lots of opportunities to make their feelings known. But he’s hearing about American interests “that would love nothing more than to join us in making the case to stand up for their building sector but are afraid to do so. … It doesn’t bode well for democracy.” Parmar said he hopes people get a chance to make their case known. “They’re not going to be able to afford the homes that they need. They’re not going to be able to rebuild homes in southern California, in North Carolina and elsewhere.” The US government is imposing huge financial penalties against major universities that don’t follow President Donald Trump’s line on various social issues. The threat of sanctions against major law firms that handled past cases against him has prompted several to reach deals with him. Last week, Trump ordered the Department of Justice to open investigations against employees who displeased him during his first term. Those and other measures have prompted intense debate about the chilling of dissent. It might be making the US interests with the most to lose from softwood countervailing duties nervous about objecting. When Eby last week curbed dealings with US interests, he exempted the Pacific Northwest Economic Region. That’s a 34-year-old organization of states and provinces devoted to maintaining the US – Canada relationship. Eby said it would be useful to maintain a presence at those meetings. The Trump tariff war and the new countervailing duties violate everything that body stands for. But PNWER passed a resolution last month on the issue that is noticeably insipid. It stressed the integrated economies and the “prosperous and exemplary relationship that is the envy of the world.” But the resolution omits any explicit criticism of the tariff, duty and annexation threats from Trump and simply urges the US and Canada to “continue” to prioritize and strengthen their relationship. It’s a relationship that Prime Minister Mark Carney, Eby and other Canadian leaders say is irretrievably broken now. Parmar said: “All the steps he’s been taking… have been alienating his largest and most successful trading partner and friend, which makes absolutely no sense to me.” Trump originally threatened a 25% tariff on most Canadian goods but amended it multiple times before settling on a 10% levy. But then it was announced a separate duty on Canadian softwood lumber will jump to 34.5% from 14.5%, with more likely to come after a separate investigation into the “national security” risks of Canadian lumber. “It’s crazy to think that our softwood lumber here in BC could somehow be a national security risk,” said Parmar. “Like, how ludicrous is that?” The US National Association of Home Builders has highlighted the downsides to consumers and objected to the tariff war and the duties. But it’s not the level of outrage that BC wanted to see when officials started warning about the huge costs Trump was imposing on his own citizens. Eby said one of every 10 sticks of lumber in the US comes from Canada. The US National Association of Home Builders says it is more like one-quarter. Just So You Know: Parmar also took a shot at Canadian lumber firms that have been buying up USmills in recent years while curtailing BC operations. Some of them operate more in southern states than in BC now. It’s a newly sensitive issue in light of the trade war. He said: “A lot of companies have benefited from BC, made billions in profits and made decisions to go down south. … There are a lot of frustrated British Columbians who feel the social licence has been broken.”    

International Paper has announced that the company has entered into exclusive negotiations with PALM Group of Germany after receiving an irrevocable offer for the purchase of five corrugated box plants in Europe: (i) three plants in Normandy, France (namely, one box plant in Saint-Amand, one box plant in Mortagne, and one sheet plant in Cabourg); (ii) one box plant in Ovar, Portugal; and (iii) one box plant in Bilbao, Spain. Source: Timberbiz Upon completion of the required French works council consultation and/or employee information processes, the parties expect to enter into a definitive share purchase agreement. The closing is expected by the end of the second quarter of 2025. “Finding the right buyer for these five facilities has been a top priority for our team since the completion of the acquisition of DS Smith, and I’m pleased that we have found one in PALM,” said International Paper Chairman and CEO Andy Silvernail. “We are grateful for the many contributions the team members at these five plants have made to the company and know they will continue to be successful and deliver value with their new owners.” The sale of these plants was agreed to with the European Commission as a remedy for IP’s acquisition of DS Smith Plc, as published on the Commission’s website on January 24, 2025. The conclusion of the divestment is subject to the European Commission’s approval of the proposed purchaser. As a result of this disposal, IP will have satisfied all of its obligations towards the European Commission in connection with the acquisition of DS Smith Plc.  

Marking a major milestone in the preparation of ESA’s Biomass satellite for its scheduled 29 April liftoff, experts have completed the critical and hazardous process of fuelling the satellite. Source: Timberbiz Once launched and commissioned for its working life in orbit around Earth, this new ESA Earth Explorer mission will demonstrate how new technology can deliver crucial information about the state of our forests and how they are changing and, importantly, further our knowledge of the role forests play in the carbon cycle. The satellite has been at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana since 10 March being tested and ready for liftoff on a Vega-C rocket on 29 April. The latest milestone on the checklist was the precise and delicate process of loading the satellite with 132 kg of highly volatile fuel. This fuel will power the satellite so that it can carry out the complex manoeuvres that are needed to collect crucial data on our forests. “Preparations to ready our satellite for launch have been going very well here at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou and I thank everyone involved. “Fuelling the satellite is extremely hazardous and was carried out by the highly specialised team from European-Astrotech-Ltd. Everyone else had to leave the cleanroom while this was happening for safety reasons,” ESA’s Project Manager for Biomass, Michael Fehringer, said. Stefan Kiryenko, ESA Launch Campaign Manager said that he was happy to add that everything went according to plan and Biomass is now fully loaded. The next step is to mate it to the launch adapter and then encapsulate it within the Vega-C rocket fairing. Biomass is the first satellite to carry a P-band synthetic aperture radar – an innovative instrument capable of penetrating forest canopies to measure the woody trunks, branches and stems where carbon is primarily stored. This cutting-edge technology will provide an unprecedented wealth of data, enabling scientists to accurately assess forest carbon stocks and fluxes influenced by land use changes, forest degradation and regrowth. In turn, it will enhance our understanding of forest health, track changes over time, and address key uncertainties in the complex carbon cycle. Forests play a crucial role in regulating atmospheric carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, storing carbon in their trunks, branches, leaves and roots. However, significant uncertainties remain about the total carbon stored in the world’s forests and how these stocks are evolving. Rising temperatures, increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and human activities, such as deforestation for agriculture and urban expansion, further complicate this dynamic. ESA’s Biomass mission aims to resolve these uncertainties by delivering critical da-ta on carbon stocks and fluxes. By tracking carbon shifts linked to land use, degradation and regrowth, the mission will deepen our understanding of the role of forests the global carbon cycle. Biomass is scheduled to launch on 29 April at 11:15 CEST (06:15 Kourou time).