Tuesday edition
November 10, 2026
CANADA — BRITISH COLUMBIA / NOVEMBER 9 DECISION
Millar Western idles Quesnel River Pulp indefinitely
Millar Western has decided to idle its Quesnel River Pulp mill in British Columbia indefinitely, extending a temporary shutdown that began September 4. In a November 9 letter to employees obtained by the Quesnel Cariboo Observer, the company cited market conditions and uncertainty about securing fiber at a workable cost.
The company plans to wind down remaining operations over several weeks and leave the mill in a condition that could allow a restart. It gave no restart date and said affected employees would lose their jobs and receive severance and other support.
Millar Western lists the Quesnel site at 375,000 air-dried metric tonnes of softwood pulp a year. That is the mill’s stated annual scale; the November decision does not quantify the additional output or fiber purchases lost beyond the temporary stoppage.
Quesnel Cariboo Observer’s reporting on the November 9 employee letter → · My Cariboo Now’s November 9 reporting and local response → · Millar Western’s site and product details →
By the Numbers
Latest available observations as of 2026-11-10. Dates and comparison periods vary by series; monthly figures remain unchanged between releases.
| Indicator | Latest | Change |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. on-highway dieselEIA U.S. on-highway diesel; taxes included | US$6.29/galWeek of November 2, 2026; released November 3 | −US$0.06/gal −0.9%Versus October 26: US$6.35/gal |
| Lumber futuresNovember 2026 lumber futures; nearby delivery contract | US$511.50/MBFNovember 9, 2026 close | −US$14.00/MBF −2.7%Same November contract, November 2: US$525.50/MBF |
| Madison’s lumber indexMadison’s weekly lumber index | US$449.00/MBFWeek ending November 6, 2026 | −US$10.00/MBF −2.2% (calculated)Versus week ending October 30: US$459.00/MBF |
| Hardwood lumber PPIBLS WPU0812; 1982=100; not seasonally adjusted | 285.1 index pointsSeptember 2026; released October 15 | −1.3 points −0.5%Versus August 2026: 286.4 |
| U.S. single-family housing startsCensus U.S. single-family starts; annualized estimate | 859,000 units (SAAR)September 2026; released October 20 | −41,000 units (SAAR) −4.6%Versus revised August 2026: 900,000 |
| Canadian dollarBank of Canada; Canadian dollars per U.S. dollar | C$1.41 per US$1.00Daily average, November 9, 2026 | +C$0.00 per US$1.00 +0.1%Versus November 6: C$1.41 per US$1.00 |
About these numbers
Housing starts are annualized estimates, not actual monthly units, and are subject to revision. The hardwood PPI is an index, not a dollar price. Exchange rates are daily averages. MBF means thousand board feet. The September single-family starts monthly change has a published ±10.0-percentage-point 90.0% confidence interval and is not statistically significant. The named November 2026 lumber contract settled at US$511.50 on November 9. The comparison is the same contract’s November 2 close; January 2027 is a separate contract. Display rounding follows the approved format. Changes are calculated from unrounded observations, so rounded currency levels may look unchanged even when a small movement occurred.
Sources:
EIA U.S. on-highway diesel; taxes included
November contract historical closes
Named November contract and settlement date
Madison’s November 6 index and prior-week comparison
BLS WPU0812; 1982=100; not seasonally adjusted
Census U.S. single-family starts; annualized estimate
Bank of Canada; Canadian dollars per U.S. dollar
Trade Policy Watch
- A NAFTA Chapter 19 panel on November 6 affirmed the U.S. Commerce Department’s second remand determination in Canada’s challenge to the original U.S. antidumping determination on Canadian softwood lumber. Global Affairs Canada says the ruling effectively ends that challenge. This proceeding concerns the underlying determination, separate from the seventh administrative review that set company-specific deposit rates in October. The November 6 panel decision is not itself a new seventh-review rate announcement. Global Affairs Canada’s November 6 update · Official case register: original antidumping determination
Forestry Workforce
U.S. — PACIFIC NORTHWEST / NOVEMBER 9 ANNOUNCEMENT
ForestryWorks adds a partner for three Northwest states
The Western Forestry & Conservation Association has joined the ForestryWorks network for Washington, Oregon and Idaho. In their November 9 announcement, the association and the Forest Workforce Training Institute said the partnership will connect employers, educators and job seekers with the network’s job board and career materials.
The announcement covers careers in logging, forest management, conservation and manufacturing. It describes access to recruiting and career resources, with no new class dates or training seats announced for the three states.
Under the Radar
U.S. — CALIFORNIA / NOVEMBER 9 RELEASE
CAL FIRE releases the first chapters of its forest assessment
CAL FIRE announced the first public release of its 2025 Forest and Rangeland Assessment on November 9. The initial chapters cover forest resilience, rangelands, wildfire and risks to communities. The assessment tracks more than 50 indicators, including fire severity, tree mortality and water resources.
The agency is publishing the findings in batches and expects the compiled report in the second quarter of 2027. The chapters already online provide statewide context for forest and fuels planning; they do not authorize work on any individual tract.
CAL FIRE’s assessment and available chapters → · November 9 CAL FIRE release as republished by Edhat →
Action Detector
U.S. — TRIBAL FORESTRY / JANUARY 26 DEADLINE
Tribal forest restoration grants offer a December draft review
The U.S. Forest Service’s Landscape Scale Restoration competition for Tribes lists grants of US$100,000 to US$300,000, with a match required. Eligible applicants include federally recognized Tribes and qualifying Tribal organizations that apply at a Tribe’s request with a letter of support.
The agency is seeking collaborative projects that put a restoration strategy into practice, such as reducing wildfire risk or improving watershed function. Applicants can submit a draft narrative and budget to their regional contact by December 11 for optional review. Final applications are due by email January 26, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, with a copy to the appropriate Forest Service contact.
Official opportunity, application instructions and budget template →
Industry Listening
THE FBS PODCAST / NOVEMBER 9 RELEASE
New FBS Podcast episode explains what goes into the Digest
The FBS Podcast released “FBS 61 The Woods Run Digest” on November 9. The episode introduces the daily briefing for timberland owners, loggers, mill operators and wood-products managers in the United States and Canada.
Today's Featured Resource
National Forest Products Tax Credit Sourcebook
This searchable website and downloadable sourcebook help forest-products businesses screen federal and state tax-credit opportunities. Browse by state or activity and follow official sources to check eligibility and timing; it is a screening guide, not tax advice.
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