International regulations that add sustainability and sourcing barriers to imported timber and biomass products are under the watchful eye of American exporters concerned about the possibility of expanding non-tariff barriers in critical export markets.

The Forest Service plans to use new authority it received in the omnibus spending bill to get more timber out of the nation's forests and make them less vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire, the service's acting chief has told congressional lawmakers.

Usually, saying “the fix is in” conjures images of backroom deals that benefit a chosen few. In the case of wildland fire funding, however, the phrase took on a different meaning this year.