Chris Spencer

The latest increase in United States tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber is creating chaos in New Brunswick’s forestry sector and raising serious concerns about the future of its exports. Chris Spencer, manager of the Southern New Brunswick Forest Products Marketing Board — representing 8,000+ private woodlot owners — said the combined countervailing duties and tariffs… are placing intense pressure on an already fragile industry. …“Personally, I think it’s enough to devastate an entire sector here in the Maritimes and probably across Canada,” he said. …“We’ve had trucks turned around at various border crossings because customs officials didn’t know what products were included,” Spencer said. “At some crossings, we were told only softwood roundwood was affected, while others said all forest products were.” He said different interpretations were reported at each of the four main international crossings between New Brunswick and Maine, leading to shipment delays and widespread uncertainty across the sector.