Author: kkosman

  • USDA Invests in Forests

    The US Department of Agriculture said Thursday it will spend US$30 million this year on forest restoration projects in 12 states to reduce the threat of wildfires, protect water quality and improve wildlife habitat for at-risk species. Those first 13 projects will be the start of a multi-year initiative to improve the health of forests…

  • China Wood Imports 2013

    Log and lumber imports into China rose to an all-time high in 2013, says the Japan Lumber Reports Friday, due to recovering demand and tight inventories after the government restricted credit funding in mid-2011. Import of logs into China last year was 45.2 million cubic metres, a 19.2 per cent increase over 2012. Lumber imports…

  • Labour Agreements

    Two sets of labour negotiations reached agreement this week. The BC Northern Interior Bargaining Committee (USW) and the Council on Northern Interior Forest Employment Relations (Conifer) have shook hands and reached a tentative agreement, said a United Steelworkers release Wednesday. Labour Agreements Talks resumed this week in Prince George, BC, where Conifer and the USW…

  • Skeena Mill Closed Due to Dust

    Skeena Sawmills, in Terrace, BC, was temporarily shut down late last year after a WorkSafe BC safety audit found high levels of combustible sawdust at the location, according to the Terrace Standard Monday. The stop work order, issued Dec. 19, 2013, was lifted the following day after a clean up took place. A WorkSafe BC…

  • National Association of Home Builders’ Convention

     The data looks very good for all types of US housing starts in 2014 and beyond, according to economists from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Wednesday. The association is forecasting 1.15 million total housing starts in 2014, up 24.5 per cent from last year’s total of 928,000 units. Single-family production is projected to…