US President Trump could decide next year to withdraw from the Canada-United States-Mexico trade agreement (CUSMA), Politico reported on Thursday, citing U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. “The president’s view is he only wants deals that are a good deal. The reason why we built a review period into CUSMA was in case we needed to revise it, review it or exit it,” Greer told Politico’s White House bureau chief Dasha Burns in a podcast episode that airs Friday. Greer also raised the idea of negotiating separately with Canada and Mexico and dividing the agreement into two parts in the podcast, adding that he spoke with Trump about that possibility just this week. …Trump on Wednesday said that the CUSMA agreement – which faces an upcoming review- will either be left to expire or another deal will be worked out.
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Montréal, Quebec – Domtar Wood Products announced today a curtailment in its lumber production. Due to challenging market conditions and ongoing economic uncertainty, Domtar will temporarily reduce its lumber production by 100 million board feet for the fourth quarter of 2025, including additional curtailments for the holiday season, at its facilities in Quebec, Ontario, and the United States. “Demand for lumber continues to stagnate in North America, exacerbating an already difficult market,” said Luc Thériault, President of Domtar Wood Products. Domtar will continue to monitor market conditions and adjust its production plans accordingly. [END]
The much-pilloried Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement was signed seven years ago this weekend—on November 30, 2018. A year later, it was amended to address rules of origin for autos, digital trade, IP, dairy and, who could forget, a sunset clause. We can all do the math. The December 10, 2019 amendments set in motion a 16-year term for the agreement, with a mandatory review every six years. Which means we’ll see more of a requiem than a birthday bash next week when Mark Carney is in Washington to help kick off the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But don’t bury CUSMA just yet. Despite the U.S. President’s freeze on negotiations, officials from both countries are talking every day and laying the groundwork for what will be an intense 2026. Not many insiders seriously expect CUSMA to go away; they’re working on changes—modifications, enhancements, renovations, depending on your point of view—that will continue to change the fabric of continental commerce.
MANCHESTER, Tennessee – Several US sawmills are struggling to stay open after industry leaders said years of trade uncertainty have drained export markets and tightened margins. The Hardwood Federation estimates at least one sawmill is going out of business every week. Additionally, the National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) reported that more than 4% of U.S. sawmills have been lost due to closures and consolidations. The equipment from those sawmills ends up in a growing pile of auction fliers on Johnny Evans’ desk at the Evans Lumber in Manchester, Tennessee. However, Evans is desperate to save his sawmill from being auctioned off due to ongoing trade talks. …Evans said a lot of this goes back to trade tensions that began in 2018, during the first Trump administration. That’s when some countries, like China, stopped buying American hardwood in retaliation to President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.
Lumber futures fell toward $530 per thousand board feet, down nearly 10% from November’s peak, as the market contends with pronounced oversupply and lingering weak demand. Mills and distributors continue to carry elevated inventories, a hangover from early 2025 when buyers front-loaded purchases in anticipation of tariffs, leaving the market with a persistent supply overhang. At the same time, US housing starts and building permits remain below last year’s levels, reflecting a prolonged construction slowdown as easing borrowing costs have yet to materialize in higher new building activity and limit near-term consumption of framing lumber. Demand from renovation and new homebuilding also remains subdued, with housing-related wood products consumption estimated to have declined in 2024 and only a modest recovery expected in 2025. 
The average mortgage rate in November continued to trend lower to its lowest level in over a year. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.24% in November, 2 basis points (bps) lower than in October. Meanwhile, the 15-year rate increased 3 bps to 5.51%. Both the 30-year and 15-year rates remain lower than a year ago, dropping by 57 bps and 52 bps year-over-year, respectively. …Falling mortgage rates have shown some impact on housing activity. Mortgage application activity continues to strengthen, led by increases in adjustable-rate mortgages and refinancing applications. Additionally, existing home sales rose to an eight-month high in October. There is no data available for new home sales in October due to the government shutdown.
“President Donald Trump’s tariffs could increase builder costs anywhere from $7,500 to $10,000 per home,” said Rob Dietz, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders… Last year, the NAHB estimated that every $1,000 increase in the median price of a new home prices out roughly 106,000 potential buyers. The biggest impact has been felt in lumber prices, which are expected to total about $4,900 per home on average. …about a third of the wood purchased for homebuilding comes from Canada. Domestic lumber producers generally raise their prices to match import prices. …major players like Home Depot are better able to mitigate and predict rising and volatile prices than smaller retailers. North American Builder’s Supply, based in Illinois, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. …“Over 50% of our inventory is not part of tariffs and is obviously sourced domestically,” Home Depot Executive Vice President William Bastek shared.
Payson sits in one of the most fire-prone regions in the country, yet the town council has repeatedly declined to adopt fire-hardening requirements for new homes. The town several years ago approved a Firewise landscaping code aimed at thinning overgrown properties and removing vegetation touching buildings. However, the council has twice rejected a Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) building code, most recently after firefighters urged the council to adopt standards for new construction. Builders raised concerns about cost, and the council again declined to move forward. A collection of studies suggests those concerns may not align with the data. Research from federal agencies, economists and wildfire specialists shows WUI codes add little to the cost of new construction, save money over time and significantly reduce the likelihood of homes burning in a wildfire. The research also points to major long-term savings for taxpayers, who shoulder growing federal firefighting costs in high-risk areas.
TEXAS — At Santa’s Christmas Trees in Grapevine, owner Kevin Keck has a simple motto: “Every tree deserves a home, and every home deserves a tree.” To keep people happy in a challenging economy, he has not raised his prices. …Part of why he’s able to keep his prices down is that his trees aren’t impacted by tariffs. “No, our trees come from Oregon, so they’re all United States-grown and shipped,” Keck said. “So, the tariffs won’t affect us any.”…But artificial trees are impacted. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, about 80% of fake trees in the US are manufactured in China. Some U.S. importers say those tariffs could raise the prices on trees by 10-20%. Keck thinks that the increase will make more people consider live trees.
Retired federal wildlife surveyor Erich Reeder… has seen centuries-old forests targeted for destruction as President Donald Trump’s administration accelerates logging on federal lands nationwide. Earlier this year, loggers cleared out most of the forest in Galagher Canyon, part of a federal timber sale an hour south of Eugene, Oregon. …“The Trump administration is ordering the last of our publicly-owned mature and old-growth forests to be cut off and sold,” Reeder, 59, said. …Legal and political battles are heating up between Trump, who is eager to bolster the timber industry as part of his effort to create thousands of jobs and reduce the risk of wildfire, and environmentalists who are keen to protect ancient forests and the endangered wildlife that depend on them. …At least 27 court battles over federal logging and endangered species are unfolding from California to Washington, DC. Seven cases are challenging logging in eastern states.
BOISE, Idaho — Governor Brad Little joined U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz and Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller on Friday to renew and expand Idaho’s Shared Stewardship agreement with the federal government — a move aimed at increasing the pace and scale of forest management across the state. The updated agreement establishes a collaborative framework between the U.S. Forest Service and the State of Idaho to strengthen policies related to forest restoration, land management, and wildfire mitigation “across Idaho’s forests and nearby communities.” Building on the landmark 2018 Shared Stewardship agreement, the new plan deepens joint efforts to boost timber production, accelerate wildland restoration, and expand forest health projects on national forests and adjacent state and private lands. The partnership reaffirms each side’s commitment to proactive landscape management as fire seasons grow increasingly longer and more intense.
The Washington Forest Protection Association (WFPA) announced last week that it would file litigation against Washington state. The lawsuit will challenge a new buffer rule by the Washington State Forest Practices Board. The new rule expands the required no-cut buffers around non-fish-bearing streams in the state, requiring forestland owners to leave more trees uncut. WFPA states that it believes the new rule is a result of the Washington state Department of Ecology “misinterpreting” a federal water temperature standard. The statement added that the financial cost of implementing the rule is so large that it “justifies a judicial review.” The group also painted the creation of the new rule as a break from the state’s tradition of collaboration with other stakeholders. …“The rule overreaches the law, ignores on-the-ground realities, adds costly and unnecessary regulations, and offers little to no benefit for salmon recovery.”
As the US Forest Service considers the future management of the Tongass National Forest, I hope that Alaska’s congressional delegation will listen to what Southeast Alaskans already know: Wild salmon are one of the Tongass’ most valuable resources. If we leave the trees standing and protect the habitat that fish need, the Tongass will continue to generate billions of dollars in natural dividends, in turn supporting thousands of fishing jobs and providing millions of pounds of nutritious seafood year after year. …For decades, Southeast Alaska’s communities and fishermen have fought industrial logging in the Tongass. …The harmful impacts of industrial logging on Southeast Alaska’s salmon watersheds and our natural dividends are not hypothetical. Protecting the Tongass is the most cost-effective way to improve ecosystem productivity and ensure the well-being for all who call Southeast home. 
TROY, Montana — Vincent Logging, a family-owned logging company in Libby is working with Hecla Mining Company to manage its forested lands for wildlife habitat. It’s a 15-hundred acre research project to determine which management techniques provide the best habitat for endangered species. …It’s forest land in the Bull Lake area on Hecla Mining property near Troy. “We’re going to create grizzly bear habitat or enhance existing habitat for the bear,” he said. “Doing so, will enhance habitat for all the other critters that are living in here or that might live in here. We’re also studying it for success or failure at the same time.” Chas said thinning small diameter trees opens the area to create more plants that grizzlies like to eat. Larger diameter trees and thickets are left untouched to create a safe haven for the bears.
ARIZONA — For the first time in months, Forest Service timber managers last week attended a Natural Resources Working Group meeting on the continuing effort to restore Northern Arizona forests and protect communities including Payson, Show Low, Pinetop and Pine. Local officials and logging operators said they are still searching for ways to handle millions of tons of low-value brush, slash and small trees that crowd the region’s overgrown ponderosa pine forests. The group, formed through the Eastern Arizona Counties Organization, meets regularly with industry representatives and Forest Service staff. …The Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) completed about 18,000 acres of thinning in the past year. Mass layoffs and the shutdown limited collaboration and fieldwork. …Pascal Berlioux, executive director of the Eastern Arizona Counties Organization, said a major problem was reduced production at the Lignetics plant in Show Low, which normally buys large amounts of biomass for wood-pellet manufacturing.
As the American West warms due to climate change, wildfires are increasingly burning in higher-elevation mountains, charring the watersheds where the region’s vital snowpack accumulates. A new study has found that in the immediate aftermath of fires across the region, the snowpack disappears earlier in burned areas. This change can threaten forest health and affect the downstream farms, cities and species that rely on the snowpack for their water, according to other research. Scientists who study the effects of wildfires on the snowpack and streamflows are finding that the story is complex and nuanced. The impacts can vary greatly across the West’s diverse ecosystems and topography. Plus, each wildfire burns differently, so the severity of the blaze is another critical factor. …Published in the Sept. 17 issue of 
The Family Forest Carbon Program pays landowners not to timber their trees, then sells the additional growth as carbon credits. But critics question whether it leads to overall emissions reductions. David Funk has spent decades working to restore the native forest ecosystems of southeast Ohio. Now, he’s finally getting paid for it—through a carbon credit program. “The Nature Conservancy reached out and knew that I was very active in the preservation of woodlands in southeastern Ohio,” Funk said. “It was just a perfect fit for what we do.” That’s why Funk was eager to become the first Ohio member of the Family Forest Carbon Program. An initiative of the American Forest Foundation and the Nature Conservancy, the FFCP pays private landowners not to timber the forests on their properties for 20 years. It also provides free consultations with forest managers to facilitate whatever goals landowners may have for their woods—hunting, hiking, even sustainable harvesting.
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