The US hardwood industry is still working through a deep capacity contraction. At the 2026 National Hardwood Lumber Association convention, Hardwood Review said it had identified 151 publicly announced sawmill and yard closures since the start of 2023, while other presentations highlighted a larger role for log exports and NHLA’s longer-term efforts to develop new structural and value-added markets for hardwoods. Highlights include:

• 151 announced hardwood sawmill and yard closures identified since 2023
• 95 secondary hardwood manufacturers identified as closed over the same period
• Its the fourth major contraction in 25 years, with the current downturn dating from June 2022
• Logs represented around 49% of combined hardwood log and lumber export volume in the first half of 2026, up from about one-third in 2018
• China, Canada, Vietnam and Mexico together account for almost 75% of US hardwood lumber exports