WASHINGTON — The U.S. Lumber Coalition in a letter to President Trump highlights the success of the enforcement of the U.S. trade laws that has added eight billion board feet of production capacity and produced an additional 30 billion board feet of softwood lumber since 2016. …”Unfortunately, even with the enforcement of the U.S. trade laws, Canada continues to engage in massive dumping of their excess lumber production into the U.S. market in an attempt to desperately hold on to their market share at the expense of American workers and their families,” stated Zoltan van Heyningen. “We anticipate that the U.S. Department of Commerce will soon confirm this egregious dumping behavior.” The letter concludes that continued strong enforcement of the U.S. trade laws… is exactly what must happen to keep expanding U.S. lumber manufacturing and availability to build more American homes with American lumber.
Lumber futures have recently surged past $610 per thousand board feet, reaching a near three-month high as market conditions tighten. A combination of mill closures, reduced North American production capacity, and tariff concerns has led to increasing volatility in the lumber market. Investors and traders are closely watching these developments, as the outlook for lumber futures remains uncertain amid ongoing supply and trade disruptions. …One of the primary drivers behind the latest rally in lumber futures is the ongoing reduction in North American production capacity. …Adding to the supply concerns is the looming increase in U.S. tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber. For traders, this means increased volatility in lumber futures as market participants react to policy changes. Higher tariffs could discourage Canadian exports, forcing buyers to seek alternative sources or absorb the additional costs, further driving up lumber futures prices.
