CONCORD, New Hampshire — The State of New Hampshire has enacted legislation requiring state-funded building projects to give preference to lumber harvested in the United States. Senate Bill 529, which took effect August 18, requires material specifications for state-funded buildings to favour US-harvested lumber unless design requirements necessitate imported material. The law also directs construction drawings and specifications using US softwood framing lumber to reference US-sourced spruce-pine-fir. In its fiscal analysis, the state’s Department of Administrative Services said the financial impact could not be determined, noting that stronger demand could strain domestic lumber production. The department also said higher demand, combined with tariffs on Canadian lumber, could lead to higher US lumber costs. New Hampshire has separately amended its building code to require locally harvested and milled Spruce-Pine-Fir South (SPFS) lumber to be accepted wherever SPF is specified, provided applicable grading and structural-design requirements are met. That provision takes effect October 15.