The US and Canada are fighting about lumber once again. The neighbors have feuded over softwood lumber since the 1980s. The US has periodically put in place duties to counteract what it claims are unfair subsidies and sales of lumber priced below market value. …Canada has long resisted changing its trade practices on lumber. But as the Trump administration has become more bellicose about its trade relationship with Canada, the country’s stance may be softening. On July 16, BC Premier Eby said that Canadian officials are now open to putting a quota on the amount of lumber exported to the US. The increased fees will benefit foresters in the US South… but the US would struggle to offset the lumber it gets from Canada in the short-term, potentially driving up housing prices. Here’s what to know about the commodity that has long dominated US-Canada trade tensions. [to access the full story a Bloomberg subscription is required]
Since Feb. 1, 2025, Canada has been plunged into a major trade war, triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump. …These measures threaten thousands of jobs and destabilize the deeply integrated supply chains between the two countries. This is not the first time Canada has faced such a threat. In 2018, similar tariffs were imposed by the same president but lifted in 2019 with the conclusion of the CUSMA. The difference today is the far greater scale and scope of the trade war. …The USW calls for a robust industrial strategy to reduce Canada’s dependence on U.S. trade. Priority must be given to steel, aluminum, wood and materials manufactured in Canada in all government-funded projects. Public money must be used to support Canadian jobs. The union is also calling for a tax credit to encourage the procurement of Canadian-manufactured goods, as well as the creation of strategic reserves of critical minerals to stabilize demand and secure supply chains.
As of mid-2025, the global tariff environment has grown increasingly unpredictable. The United States has reinforced its protectionist stance with new and expanded duties aimed at key trade partners. Most notably, a 50% tariff on imports from Brazil was enacted, targeting a wide range of products. Wood pulp and certain industrial inputs were explicitly exempted, though lingering confusion around the policy’s scope has led companies to reassess sourcing strategies. …Many of the early US tariffs implemented—such as those targeting Canadian softwood lumber, Chinese finished goods, and EU paperboard products—remain in place. …In response to this complex tariff environment, companies are increasingly focusing on supplier diversification, regional trade agreements, and nearshoring strategies to reduce risk. While some nations—like Mexico and Chile—have emerged as viable alternatives for sourcing pulp, packaging, and paper products, the reshuffling of trade lanes is still underway. 
The pieces might be falling into place for Wyoming’s timber industry to make a strong comeback, legislators and land management officials said. The volume of timber being cut in Wyoming might outpace the state’s few remaining sawmills to meet the demand. The increase in demand coincides with tariffs being placed on Canadian lumber. …Long-term success of expanding the Wyoming timber industry hinges on building back the “local timber industry,” instead of trucking logs to mills in other states, Bighorn National Forest Supervisor Andrew Johnson said. Wyoming timber products could include “finger-jointed two-by-four” boards, as well as wooden posts and poles, he said. Johnson made his remarks before the Wyoming Legislature’s Select Federal Natural Resources Committee. He and other land management officials gave optimistic reports as they informed the committee about the outlook for logging and lumber milling in Wyoming, due to recent state and federal policy changes.
Lumber futures have dropped about 12% since hitting a three-year high two weeks ago, a sign that wood buyers stocked up before duties on Canadian two-by-fours more than doubled this month and that traders are worried about the U.S. housing market. Futures for September delivery fell to around $610 per thousand board feet late Friday and have declined in nine of the past 10 trading sessions. On-the-spot prices are also down, according to Random Lengths. …Jordan Rizzuto, chief investment officer at GammaRoad Capital Partners… said that besides indicating that lumber was piled high in U.S. lumberyards before the higher duties took effect, the whipsaw in wood prices is a warning sign for other asset classes. “Lumber’s price behavior over the past several weeks relative to countercyclical and defensive assets suggests potential weakening of new construction and cyclical sectors of the economy,” he said. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]
Lumber futures fell toward $610 per thousand board feet, retreating from the May-2022 high of $695.5 seen August 1st as weakening demand, recovering supply and tariff-driven trade distortions jointly sapped pricing power. Demand has cooled sharply with US single-family starts slipping to an 11-month low and building permits plunging, a direct consequence of elevated mortgage rates that curbs the core market for lumber. On the supply side, sawmills remain under-utilized but production has stabilized and Canadian mills are ramping output off a curtailment-heavy base, Statistics Canada shows production and shipments recovering into mid-2025, keeping physical availability ample. Tariffs meant to restrict Canadian flows are, in this oversupplied environment, simply redirecting trade and encouraging inventory build rather than creating scarcity, so inventories remain high and limit upside even as duties rise.
Boosted by a surge in the multifamily sector, US housing starts saw a sizeable jump in July, posting the highest total of starts since February. Housing completions were also up in July, while building permits were down. According to the numbers released by the US Census Bureau on Tuesday, overall housing starts totaled 1.428 million in July, up 5.2% from June and 12.9% above July 2024. It was the highest number of overall starts since February’s 1.490 million. The sector was paced by buildings with five or more units, which had 470,000 starts in July, up from 421,000 in June. This is the highest total of multifamily starts in more than a year. Single-family housing starts were also up, coming in at 939,000 for July. This reflects a 2.8% increase month over month; however, totals are still low compared to most months over the last year. …Odeta Kushi, at First American, said the single-family housing starts numbers are concerning.
Box demand touches nearly every industry, from flat-screen TVs to packaged food, all of which see sales fluctuate based on how flush shoppers feel. …Sales of corrugated cardboard used to make boxes are slumping, signaling that retail demand across industries may be due for a correction. US box shipments fell to the lowest second-quarter reading since 2015, with companies like International Paper Co. and Smurfit Westrock Plc reporting drops in box shipments. The drop in packaging demand appears to be tied to President Donald Trump’s mixed messaging on tariffs, with companies not stocking up on packaging while they wait to find out how the levies will affect costs and demand. [to access the full story a Bloomberg subscription is required]
US mills consumed more recycled paper in 2024 compared to 2023 while exports decrease. The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) recently announced its annual paper recycling rates, with 60%-64% of paper and 69%-74% of cardboard available for recovery being recycled in the United States in 2024. Paper continues to be one of the highest recycled materials in America, supported by successful recycling systems throughout the country. In 2024 alone, 46 million tons of paper was recycled in the U.S., which equates to 125,000 tons of recycled paper being turned into new, essential products like cardboard boxes, paper packaging, and toilet paper every day. …US mills used 1.29 million more tons of recycled paper to make new products in 2024 – that’s 32.7 million tons compared to 31.3 million tons in 2023.
KLAWOCK, Alaska — Steinway pianos have a particular sound. …The secret to the sound isn’t merely Steinway’s skilled craftsmen—who’ve been using the same methods since 1853—but the specialized wood they use for the soundboards. It comes from the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. Unfortunately, a broken promise from the federal government will soon stop the music. …In 2016 the U.S. Department of Agriculture created a management plan that promised the availability of old-growth timber from the Tongass annually on a fixed schedule. …Not only has the Forest Service never met the timber-sale goals outlined in their management plan, in the past four years it offered less than 10% of the annual needs for the industry. …An executive order from President Trump… and a lawsuit we filed against the USDA earlier this year haven’t been enough to get the Forest Service to stop starving the industry. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]
The sternly worded statements and letters are filled with indignation and outrage: Republican US lawmakers say Canada has done too little to contain wildfires and smoke that have fouled the air in several states this summer. …They’ve demanded more forest thinning, prescribed burns and other measures to prevent fires from starting. They’ve warned the smoke is hurting relations between the countries and suggested the US could make it an issue in tariff talks. But what they haven’t done is acknowledge the role of climate change — a glaring and shortsighted omission, according to climate scientists. It also ignores the outsized US contribution to heat-trapping gases that cause more intense heat waves and droughts, which in turn set the stage for more destructive wildfires, scientists say. …“I don’t think there’s much they can do,” said Michigan climate scientist Jonathan Overpeck. He noted that hotter temperatures are melting permafrost in northern Canada.
Photographs of forests in the western U.S. from the mid-1800s show a starkly different reality compared to today, says Paul Hessburg, an ecologist at the University of Washington. …Today, many of these forests are overgrown and dominated by younger trees. Back then, they were typically more open — “park-like”. …Fire played an integral role — perhaps the integral role — in shaping these ecosystems. …Hessburg and others see the rejection of active management in part as a response to the “legacy” of commercial, industrial-scale logging of natural forests. Those rampant harvests often took the oldest and largest trees in the U.S., before a mix of science, policy and advocacy for species like the northern spotted owl caused a shift away from the practice in the 1990s. …“We created a climate that’s hostile to people and health and forests,” he says. What’s critical now is finding ways to adjust, for both ourselves and our forests. 
PENNSYLVANIA — The Allegheny National Forest is set to ramp up logging by more than 10% this year as part of a push from President Donald Trump to boost domestic lumber supplies. The move has sparked fierce debate between environmentalists and pro-logging groups who disagree on cutting trees to reduce wildfire risks or improve forest health. In the coming fiscal year, the state’s only national forest is set to sell 45 million board feet, an over 12% increase from this fiscal year, said Alisen Downs, for the Allegheny National Forest. …Allegheny National Forest has proposed a five-year plan starting next fiscal year, Downs said.“I think a slow and steady progress toward that increase is probably the best approach,” said Julia McCray, of the Allegheny Forest Alliance, which includes local officials and people from the timber industry. …While next year’s logging will be an increase… it’s not a historic high. 
The Trump administration wants to scrap a rule that protects tens of millions of acres of national forest from road-building and large-scale logging—but its zeal to log will face a reality check from government downsizing, possible litigation, and even a soft timber market. The US Forest Service is grappling with budget cuts and staffing shortages. At the same time, environmental groups are already gearing up for legal battles, arguing the so-called Roadless Rule safeguards endangered species, clean water, and biodiversity. “The administration can sprint and rescind the Roadless Rule, but then what?” said Murray Feldman, at Holland & Hart LLP in Boise. “It seems like a moonshot to try to reverse decades of national forest management plans by revoking one specific set of rules. But we’ll see.” …The Forest Service hasn’t taken any official steps to rescind the Roadless Rule since Rollins’ announcement in June. 
A budget crisis a century in the making is coming to a head as Oregon’s rural counties. The crisis originates with a compromise from the era of President Teddy Roosevelt and was prolonged by piecemeal solutions made during the Timber Wars of the 1990s. Now the president’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill removes a key funding source for Oregon’s timber counties. If nothing is done, rural counties could find themselves with no money to pay for sheriff’s departments or other essential needs. …Many rural Oregon counties once relied on a portion of revenue from trees logged on federal lands to cover the costs of essential services. That federal land doesn’t generate local property taxes… So the federal government started sharing a portion of its logging revenues with those counties. When those declined, federal lawmakers came up with the Secure Rural Schools program. …But Congress needs to regularly re-authorize the program.
HELENA, Mont. — U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz and Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed a historic Shared Stewardship Memorandum of Understanding, establishing a new framework between the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the State of Montana to advance forest restoration and reduce wildfire risk across the state. Montana’s Shared Stewardship Agreement expands collaborative efforts to accelerate active forest management, safeguard communities, and support sustainable timber production. “This agreement is exactly the kind of forward-leaning, state-driven leadership that President Trump and USDA have championed since day one,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. “By cutting burdensome, unnecessary red tape and empowering Montana to lead, we’re proving that through real partnership, conservation and economic growth can go hand-in-hand. This partnership is just another example of our shared commitment to protect lives, livelihoods, and our forest resources — while creating opportunities for hardworking Americans.”
On the two-year anniversary of the deadly wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, the Arbor Day Foundation launched its effort to help replant lost tree canopy. The Foundation distributed more than 580 trees alongside its local planting partner The Outdoor Circle, in collaboration with Treecovery Hawaii and The Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows.“Recovery from a wildfire of this scale can take years, but the Arbor Day Foundation is committed to being here for the long haul. We’re proud to work alongside the passionate advocates at The Outdoor Circle to help regrow a flourishing community canopy,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “We know trees won’t replace all of what’s been lost in Lahaina, but they can help grow new roots of resilience and nurture hope for the future.”
Despite attempts to save it, the longstanding Pixelle Specialty Solutions in Chillicothe closed its doors permanently on Sunday. The southern Ohio paper mill announced its planned closure in April after nearly 200 years of operating in Ross County. Local leaders and state representatives alike pushed to delay its shuttering, but ultimately the company ceased production this weekend. Not only did the paper mill employ more than 800 people, it fed a larger industry in the state. Executive director of the Ohio Forestry Association Jenna Reese said the mill’s closure will hurt Ohio loggers. “This is gonna have ripple effects throughout the state,” she said. “We’re unfortunately anticipating attrition.” With nearly 8 million acres of forest in Ohio, logging is a major industry. It contributes $1.1 billion to the state economy annually, according to Reese. Forest products, more broadly, make up more than a quarter of Ohio’s agricultural industry, which tops the state.
The US Forest Service kicked off timber sales in the Hoosier National Forest this week despite resistance from advocacy groups and Gov. Mike Braun, who called the federal project “misguided.” The timber auction is part of a controversial forest management plan called the Houston South Project — an initiative the USFS says will promote tree growth, reduce disease and move the landscape toward “desirable conditions.” Local environmental advocates have been suing the agency to halt operations since 2020, saying the project could jeopardize the quality of drinking water 130,000 Hoosiers rely on in Lake Monroe. But the project is plowing ahead, despite local outcry and direct pleas from Braun to halt the project. The Forest Service declined to immediately comment to IndyStar’s request, instead asking for one to two weeks to respond. …The project includes prescribed burns on 13,500 acres of forest and permitting timber harvests on another 4,300 acres across the next 10-15 years.
The smoke from the Los Angeles wildfires smelled like plastic and was so thick that it hid the ocean. Firefighters developed instant migraines, coughed up black goo and dropped to their knees, vomiting and dizzy. Seven months later, some are still jolted awake by wheezing fits in the middle of the night. …Fernando Allende, a 33-year-old whose U.S. Forest Service crew was among the first on the ground, figured he would bounce back from his nagging cough. But in June, while fighting another fire, he suddenly couldn’t breathe. …doctors discovered blood clots in his lungs and a mass pressing on his heart. They gave him a diagnosis usually seen in much older people: non-Hodgkin lymphoma, an aggressive cancer. It would be unthinkable for urban firefighters to [work] without wearing a mask. But people who fight wildfires spend weeks working in toxic smoke and ash wearing only a cloth bandanna, or nothing at all.
PAYSON, Arizona — Crews on the ground and in the air are making progress against the Washington Fire, which had burned an estimated 550 acres about 11 miles north of Payson. The lightning-caused blaze, which started Aug. 13, was 6% contained with nearly 500 personnel assigned as of Sunday. Firefighters are working to keep the fire boxed in between the Highline Trail to the south and Forest Road 300 to the north, while strengthening handlines and contingency lines around threatened communities and cabins. Officials say a combination of dozer work, hose lays, handlines and aerial water drops helped slow the spread and protect structures on the fire’s edge. …Dry, hot weather is expected to challenge suppression efforts in the days ahead, with firefighters also on alert for new starts. …Evacuation orders remain in place for Mountain Ridge Cabins, Washington Park and Shadow Rim Ranch.
GORMAN, California —