Lumber, especially softwood lumber like pine and spruce, is critical to U.S. home construction. Its availability and price directly affect housing costs and broader economic activity in the building sector. The U.S. imports about 40% of the softwood lumber the nation uses each year, more than 80% of that from Canada.
President Donald Trump says the U.S. has the capacity to meet 95% of softwood lumber demand and has directed federal officials to update policies and regulatory guidelines to expand domestic timber harvesting and curb the arrival of foreign lumber. On Sept. 29 he announced new tariffs on imported timber and wood products, including an additional 10% tariff on Canadian lumber. Those were added to 35% tariffs imposed on Canadian lumber in August.
As researchers studying the forestry sector and international trade, Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics Andrew Muhammad and Professor of Natural Resources Adam Taylor recognize that the U.S. has ample forest resources. But they say replacing imports with domestic lumber isn’t as simple as it sounds. Read more at The Conversation.
UT is a member of The Conversation, an independent source for news articles and informed analysis written by the academic community and edited by journalists for the general public. Through this partnership, we seek to provide a better understanding of the important work of our researchers. Read more of our articles published by The Conversation on the UT news site.
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