NEWS

Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) have introduced the FOREST Act, which would prohibit imports of agricultural commodities, such as palm oil, sourced from illegally deforested land. Companies that import raw materials from regions that have high rates of illegal deforestation would be required to trace their supply chains and show that goods were produced in compliance with local laws - similar to the Lacey Act requirements on wood products.

Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation that would have required businesses who sell to the state of California to demonstrate that their activities do not contribute to tropical deforestation. Newsom said he rejected the bill because it would hurt small businesses.

Congress has recognized the value of planting trees in combatting climate change. This Congress has introduced several bills to increase tree planting and tree seedling production, including the Trillion Trees Act (HR 2693), the REPLANT Act (S 866), and most recently, America's Revegetation and Carbon Sequestration Act (S 2836).

The U.S. and Vietnam have reached an agreement on illegally harvested and traded timber that allows Vietnam to avoid punitive tariffs. The agreement "secures commitments that will help keep illegally harvested or traded timber out of the supply chain and protect the environment and natural resources," said the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

China is battling its worst electricity crisis in a decade. The country is so short on power that many cities are suffering blackouts. Factories were either forced to close entirely or are able to stay open only for a few hours per week. The crisis was caused by the spike in the price of coal as the country's economy reopened post-COVID, which meant that power stations began operating at a loss and were forced to close.

Recent news about the impact on our industry include:

• Delays, labor shortages, and COVID stress challenge the construction industry
• Pandemic-fueled uncertainty continues to hobble the labor market
• COVID-19 update: where do we go from here?
• Some more coronavirus humor

See the DHA coronavirus news and resources pages for more updates.

We regret to inform you that Mike Palmerton of Commonwealth Plywood has passed away. 

Capital Testing is known for its expertise in assessing the surface burning characteristics of building materials in accordance with ASTM E84. Find out everything you need to know about the test at the new ASTM E84 information page.

The new 2030 Forest Strategy is causing discord in the EU as diplomats clash over who should be responsible for forest policy. Forestry ministers and industry representatives from Germany, France, Finland, Slovakia, and Sweden stated that the European Commission should avoid any rules that restrict national control over the continent's $742 billion timber business.

The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification has suspended the endorsement process of the Myanmar Forest Certification System, citing the arrest of a civil-society representative and pending warrants for officials of the Building Woodworkers Federation of Myanmar.

Based on statistics from Russian fire services, Greenpeace estimated that 65,000 square miles of forest have burned so far in 2021. This is more than six times the area burned in the U.S. - an area equivalent to the state of Wisconsin. For the first time, smoke has spread to the North Pole and across the Pacific Ocean.

The four people arrested for causing the 2017 Pier Fire by burning a stolen car have also been charged for that fire, which destroyed more than 35,000 acres in the Sequoia National Forest. The defendants were ordered to pay more than $40 million in restitution for damage to the forest.

This year, Northern California wildfires have blazed through groves of sequoias in the Sierra Nevada. Lightning caused the KNP Complex fire on September 9 that spread into 15 giant sequoia groves.

Earth’s unsung environmental stewards are indigenous peoples. Recently, the government of Queensland, Australia agreed to return four national parks to the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people.

Source: Mongabay

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