-
Canadian Forest Certification Disagreement
Madison’s sincerely hopes this sudden development between Resolute Forest Products in Quebec and the Forest Stewardship Council’s certification policy is not due to the expiration of the 2006 Canada-US Softwood Lumber Agreement. That this new disagreement is being driven by the demands of 13 US-funded environmental groups is cause for alarm to anyone working in…
-
Forest Certification Complications
There has always been a complicated relationship between global forest certification agencies (such as FSC, SFI) and stakeholders. Consumers, environmental groups, forest companies, unions, and local governments are all able to express their priorities and concerns about preserving ecology and other values, making use of the forest resource sustainably, and the economic impact of timber…
-
US Real Estate Update
The data also shows that total housing inventory at the end of December dropped 12.3 per cent to 1.79 million existing homes available for sale, and is now 3.8 per cent lower than a year ago. Unsold inventory is at a 3.9 month supply at the current sales pace, down from 5.1 months in November…
-
Canada Construction Materials Costs: Nov 2015
Similar to the US, the price advances of many materials and building products going into the construction process in Canada remain restrained in November 2015, said Alex Carrick of Daily Commercial News Friday. The 0.3 per cent increase year-over-year for total construction costs does, how- ever, incorporate considerable variation at the type-of-structure sub-category level. Softwood…
-
US Home Sales, Prices
A flurry of data out this week on US pending and existing home sales, home prices, year-end 2015 home sales provide an update on the housing and real estate situation in America. US Home Sales and House Prices: December and Year-End 2015 Existing home sales in the United States increased again in December after seeing…
