The U.S. South is becoming an increasingly important lumber supplier in North America, bolstered by Canadian companies gaining easy access to forests and the side benefit of escaping U.S. tariffs on softwood. The U.S. Lumber Coalition says punitive tariffs against lumber producers in Canada since 2017 are the reason production has ramped up in the US. But industry experts in Canada say higher output south of the border has much more to do with the availability of timber supplies than duty rates against Canadian producers. David Elstone of Spar Tree Group Inc., said the main driver of investments is gaining access to the “wood fibre basket.” Industry experts forecast that production capacity in the U.S. South will continue to rise from privately owned plantations. ..RBC analyst Paul Quinn… views the U.S. South as the most attractive region for growth, followed by Alberta, the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Central Canada. [to access the full story a Globe & Mail subscription may be required]