President Trump signed an executive order titled “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production. The impact on the forest products industry include:

• Improved forest management practices could reduce the risk of wildfires—a critical concern for many regions. Thinning overgrown forests can improve overall ecosystem health and resilience.
• Potential Timber Price Pressure: Industry experts caution that flooding the market with additional timber could drive prices even lower. 
• Economic Viability of Forest Management: Thinning for the sake of forest health can often be uneconomical. The Forest Service and BLM must implement strategies that make these operations financially feasible.
• Bioenergy Considerations: The order does reference bioenergy, which could play a role in utilizing lower-grade timber and forest residues. 
• Uncertainty about Industry Investments: Another concern is the temporary nature of this directive. The lack of long-term policy stability makes it difficult for industry players to justify significant capital investments in new mills or processing capacity.