Well, as a Professional Forester practicing in BC, I view the trade dispute as far from 'minor'. I have had some involvement in the process - the tactics are quite unbelieveable!

Many of our mills are reeling because our friends to the South are throwing up protectionist trade barriers. Each time we go to court the Canadian position is supported by WTO and GATT rulings. But the bullying continues.

It's not our fault that our forest companies have invested in high production extremely efficient mills or that we've been 'blessed' with consistent tree shapes and sizes that are ideal for those mills. As you can imagine, it's much easier to design a mill to process timber that is more or less consistent in size and shape than to deal with trees ranging from 12" diameter to 60" diameter.

: While we're on the subject of Forestry, here's an article I ran across from
: my local lumber supplier. It's really about a minor trade dispute but it
: offers an interesting window into the industry and how international trade
: has affected supply and price.