US fires Canada's fault?

Photo: The Canadian Press

Canada's forestry industry is pushing back against comments by U.S. President Trump that lumber imports are partially to blame for intense forest fires in California.

Trump made the comments at a cabinet meeting Thursday where he also complained about high lumber prices for Canadian wood products.

Forest Products Association of Canada CEO Derek Nighbor says Trump's comments are off-base on a number of levels.

He says it's tariffs imposed by Trump that are driving up lumber prices, while it's a lack of mill capacity that's making imports necessary.

Trump had said the U.S. should extract more lumber from the forest floor to both supply the lumber industry and reduce forest fire threats.

Nighbor says there is a conversation to be had about managing dead wood and fire threats, but that harvesting such wood is complicated and the U.S. wouldn't be able to process enough to make up for shortfalls in any case.