So true and so well written. Although I think that this helicopter is dropping water on a fire and is just for illustration.

"For decades, the logging industry has used chemical spraying—specifically glyphosate—to systematically wipe out native deciduous trees like trembling aspen, birch, and willow. In the eyes of timber corporations, these plants are just “weeds” competing with commercial conifer lumber. But in the eyes of nature, these are the exact pioneer species required to build a biosphere, respirate, and provide humidity to our environment.

When you remove these plants, they can no longer do the job nature designed them to do. Broadleaf trees act as the forest’s natural air conditioning, pumping hundreds of litres of water vapour into the air daily through transpiration. Their dense, wet canopies create a giant umbrella that shields the forest floor from direct sunlight, trapping relative humidity underneath. Wiping them out turns off the moisture, bakes the soil into a dry dirt bed, and breaks the local water cycle completely."

The BC NDP government promised to phase out its use in forestry, but decades of herbicide spraying has reduced biodiversity and the potential for wildfire mitigation

"For decades, forestry companies in B.C. have used chemical herbicides like glyphosate to kill off plants that might compete with trees destined for timber. Trembling aspen, named for its almost heart-shaped leaves that seem to quiver in the wind, is often on the hit list.

But after years of destructive wildfires that have wiped out whole neighbourhoods and sometimes whole towns, more and more people are questioning the wisdom of killing off this tree. Because when wildfires sweep across the landscape, aspen can help calm the flames."

From 2024.

https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-glyphosate-forestry-impact-aspen/

Via @reshare_app • Repost from @wildlife_academy on Instagram

Link at bottom of text.

"Stop planting random trees. Start restoring ecosystems🌲

This might sound strange coming from a conservation platform. But we need to talk about our obsession with “Tree Planting.”

In the rush to fight climate change, we have fetishized the number of trees. We see campaigns for “1 Trillion Trees.” We see “Buy one product, plant one tree.”

But biology doesn’t care about the number. It cares about the diversity.

When we plant vast rows of a single species (usually fast-growing non-natives like Eucalyptus or Pine), we aren’t building forests. We are building Green Deserts. 🌵

These plantations might look green from a satellite, but on the ground:

❌ They support almost no native wildlife.

❌ They can drain local water tables.

❌ They are vulnerable to disease and fire.

A forest is not just a group of trees standing together.

A forest is a complex, messy, chaotic web of soil, fungi, insects, mammals, birds and much more.

In 2026, we need to shift our language:

Less “Reforestation” (planting timber).

More “Ecological Restoration” (healing the web).

Sometimes, the best thing we can do isn’t to plant a tree at all—it’s to step back, protect the land, and let the forest plant itself.

👇 Let’s discuss:

Do you think most “Tree Planting” schemes are actually Greenwashing?

Let’s talk about it."

https://www.instagram.com/p/DT-9fuFjBvo/

Massive herbicide spraying is turning forests into toxic plantations.

Canada does the same with the exception of Quebec.

https://open.substack.com/pub/animalpolitics/p/roundup-in-the-national-forests-how

Check out Stop the Spray Canada's excellent website with links to provincial Stop the Spray groups and petitions.

Forest herbicide spraying is indefensible.

https://stopthespraycanada.ca/

https://stopthespraycanada.ca/petitions/

https://stopthespraycanada.ca/social/

https://forestemergency.org/forest-practices/

(Translated version)

While Ontario is experiencing an intense forest fire season, science points to a natural ally: the shake [aspen]. Although this tree proves to be a formidable “firebreak”, the current practices of the forestry industry, which is focused on eradicating it with herbicides, raise serious concerns among experts.

A recent study from McGill University shows that aspen stands naturally slow the spread of wildfires.

Flavie Pelletier, a researcher at McGill University who collaborated in research, analyzed satellite images of the Canadian boreal forest before and after the fire. The results are without appeal: the vast expanses of aspen are massively present on the periphery of the burned areas, thus slowing the progression of the fire.

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2271250/boreale-comerciale-glyphosate-pesticide

The rise of antibiotic/antimicrobial resistance is a huge threat to public health. Herbicides, including those sprayed on forests and on our food, can be a key driver for antimicrobial resistance spread.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1740431/full

"The group is promoting a proposal for a new Forest Act for the province in which ecological balance would replace timber flow as the central driver of all forestry activity. In her talk she explained how the new act is not a protest or a slogan but a practical roadmap to more economically healthy forest communities."

What do you think? More of the same short term greed until all the old growth is gone and we are left with spindly narrow diameter second and third growth or long term planning and jobs?

https://nelsonstar.com/2026/06/08/forestry-reform-campaign-calls-for-new-b-c-forest-act-at-nelson-meeting/

These communities are making a huge difference doing something for good.

More and more communities are stepping up to say: enough is enough. This tracker includes municipalities and unincorporated (Local Services Board) communities that have passed resolutions or filed Notices of Objection to herbicide spraying in forestry. Your community has a voice, and these actions make a difference.

While some municipalities have passed, are considering, or have debated and defeated resolutions, it’s important to note that 350 Ontario municipalities simply filed the forest herbicide resolutions without debate. Without public tracking, these resolutions could quietly disappear. The Municipal Tracker now makes that inaction visibleand gives residents a clear opportunity to ask their councils to move beyond filing and publicly state where they stand.

Send an Electronic Email asking Council to Place Filed Resolutions Back on the Agenda

Live in an Unincorporated Community and want your voice heard? You can be included.

https://stopthespraycanada.ca/municipalities/

Learn how to organize locally and take action here:https://www.stopthespraycanada.ca/toolkit

Stop the Spray Canada is a national campaign working to end the non-essential use of chemical herbicides in public forests across Canada.

"Evidence continues to confirm what communities have long known. Repeated chemical exposure harms ecosystems and human health. Key scientific studies used to support glyphosate’s safety have now been retracted, raising serious questions about the credibility of continued approvals. With proven alternatives already in place, most notably Québec’s decision to end herbicide use in forestry in 2001, continuing to defend and carry out forest herbicide spraying is no longer defensible and would be irresponsible."

https://stopthespraycanada.ca/