The TFT and Ata Marie study was useful in verifying the foundational data of our existing supply chain and helping to identify some of the challenges and opportunities facing the business in the years ahead. We agree with the Rainforest Alliance that the future fibre supply of a business cannot be entirely predicted on the basis of one report, and that the work to ensure that our plantations are efficient and productive, as documented in our FCP Implementation Plan 2015 and Beyond, must be an ongoing priority.

Portland, Ore. — Authorities in Oregon are trying to extinguish a fire burning in one of the world's tallest trees, near the state's southern coast. The Doerner Fir, a coastal Douglas Fir tree over 325 feet tall and estimated to be over 450 years old, has been burning since Saturday in Coos County in Oregon's Coast Range. An infrared drone flight on Tuesday showed no active flames or smoke at the top of the tree, but it detected heat within a cavity in the tree's trunk some 280 feet up, federal Bureau of Land Management spokesperson Megan Harper said. Figuring out how to approach the tree from the side to douse the cavity with water has been a challenge, Harper said. Various options have been discussed, including building scaffolding or climbing adjacent trees for better positioning, or letting it smolder and monitoring to see if it reignites. The fire may impact the tree's standing in global height rankings, Harper said. "We've lost about 50 feet of it, just from fire and pieces falling out," she said, noting that the 50 feet were lost through the top burning. "So I don't know where it'll stand after this, but it's still a magnificent tree."

American Forest & Paper Association President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement that it plans to repeal the Clean Power Plan (CPP) and issue an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to seek input on a possible replacement. “The Clean Power Plan has been flawed from the start, and we welcome EPA’s efforts to provide states and ratepayers, including paper and wood products manufacturers, with relief from costly, complex and harmful regulatory overreach. The nation deserves affordable, reliable electricity, not rate hikes and competitive harm that can stem from onerous regulation. “As the EPA moves forward, we will closely examine the agency’s proposed next steps and continue to advocate for the regulatory certainty our industry needs in order to contribute to economic expansion and job creation.”