Just before putting 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods on Tuesday, President Donald Trump issued an executive order on March 1 aimed at reducing U.S. housing costs by boosting domestic timber production. According to National Mortgage Professional, the order, titled Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production, argues that federal policies have hindered U.S. timber output, making the country reliant on imported wood. It sets a 280-day timeline for agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to update policies that would speed up timber production.
In a related order, Trump also directed the Commerce Department to investigate potential national security risks from relying on imported wood. The investigation, under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, will assess the impact of foreign timber on industries such as construction and defense.
Though they aim to, ultimately, reduce downstream costs to consumers such as new home prices and home repairs, the pair of executive orders aren’t without their detractors.
From the Canadian perspective, for example, Unifor, Canada’s largest union in the private sector representing some 315,000 workers, called Trump’s order for an investigation of national security risks posed by imported wood products “a direct threat to Canadian softwood lumber and downstream wood products, placing thousands of jobs across Canada at risk.”
"To suggest our lumber and byproducts are a threat to American security is ludicrous, but Trump is going back to his playbook to twist regulations to continue sustained attacks on the Canadian softwood industry and the jobs that depend on it," stated Unifor National President, Lana Payne, in a March 2 release. Read more
