DHA eNews - New Developments: China Drops WTO Lawsuit
China has suspended its World Trade Organization panel case against the EU where it sought status as a free market economy. This means that both the EU and U.S. can continue to treat China as a non-market economy in antidumping cases - a big win for both.
Some Chinese exporters are seeking to avoid U.S. tariffs by using fake made-in-Vietnam labels and rerouting shipments to Vietnam then the U.S. Fearing retaliatory action by the U.S., Vietnam stated that they will crack down on trade-related fraud.
The Canadian government will invest more than Can$8.5 million in a Canada Wood Group program designed to help strengthen Canadian exports of wood products.
Source: Natural Resources Canada
The decline in Danzer's 2018 sales was attributed to unfavorable orders from the automobile industry, technical challenges at the Danzer France flooring plant, and the trade dispute between the U.S. and China.
The American Forest and Paper Association announced that Heidi Brock will join AF&PA as its new president and CEO. Brock worked for nearly 20 years as a senior executive with Weyerhaeuser and most recently served as president and CEO of the Aluminum Association.
HPVA Laboratories® awarded EPA TSCA Title VI certification for formaldehyde emissions to the GL Veneer Co. hardwood plywood manufacturing facility in Huntington Park, CA for all veneer core and composite core hardwood plywood.
The furniture case goods plant will lay off 325 workers in June. Case goods manufacturing will be moved to the company's facilities in Vermont and other locations.
Georgia-Pacific recently closed manufacturing plants in Oregon and Georgia. Now, the company has announced that two of its Arkansas plants will be closed, affecting 655 workers.
The total number of jobs supported by the British Columbia forest industry has been cut in half over the last three decades.
The growth in remodeling spending in 2018 was driven by kitchens, the most popular room to renovate. According to a recent Houzz study, kitchen remodeling spending grew 27%, followed by guest and master bathroom renovations which grew 17% and 14%, respectively.
In May, deforestation in Brazil reached the fastest rate in ten years. About 740 square kilometers - nearly 200,000 acres - were cleared in 30 days. This is likely due to higher activity by illegal loggers after President Bolsonaro loosened environmental protections.
A researcher explains why old-growth trees are disappearing at an increasing rate on Vancouver Island. Sometimes, the protected trees are even being sold for firewood.
Source: The Atlantic
The governments of the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea are working to make their forestry industries more sustainable. Papua New Guinea will stop issuing new logging licenses to foreign companies. The Solomon Islands seeks to stop exporting round logs by 2023.
Source: Mongabay
The increased demand for bourbon - which depends on white oak barrels - and ecological challenges have caused the demand for white oak timber to outstrip the growth of new white oak trees.
The Arbor Day Foundation has launched the Time for Trees initiative, a commitment to plant 100 million trees worldwide by 2022. If the goal is reached, these trees will absorb eight million tons of carbon from the atmosphere every year.
The National Association of State Foresters is calling for legislation to promote more coordinated sharing of firefighting resources across North America and to fund fire prevention, mitigation, and suppression.
Sawmills in British Columbia are closing due to the significant decrease in the supply of logs caused by the mountain pine beetle epidemic. Recent closures will result in more than 700 jobs lost.