FOX Business’ Kelly Saberi reports on how tariffs on Canada will impact the U.S. lumber supply and production.
President Donald Trump on Saturday signed two executive orders that call for immediately expanding American lumber production and addressing lumber imports’ threat to national security.
The orders aim to update guidance on production, streamline permitting, and assess possible risks that imports pose to national security.
A White House official told Fox News the president identified a crisis in both supply and demand in an industry the U.S. should be entirely self-sufficient in.
The executive order notes that the production of timber, lumber, paper, bioenergy, and other wood products is crucial for Americans in construction and energy production.
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Stacked piles of wooden cases in a yard, seen in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on February 03, 2025. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Recent disasters, the administration pointed out, show the importance of forest management and wildfire risk-reduction projects.
Officials alleged that the Biden-era timber and lumber policies triggered wildfires and degraded fish and wildlife habitats, while driving up construction and housing costs.
Piles of lumber are seen for sale at a home improvement store in Falls Church, Virginia, February 3, 2025. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Exporters like Canada, Germany and Brazil dump lumber into U.S. markets at the expense of economic prosperity and national security, officials said.
A White House official said U.S. reliance on imports from these countries has increased elevenfold over the past 30 years despite the U.S. having an abundance of forest resources.
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Agency heads will be asked to improve the speed of approving forestry projects, assess future supply, and reduce administrative approval time.
Piles of lumber are seen for sale at a home improvement store in Falls Church, Virginia, February 3, 2025. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Trump’s directive orders Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to initiate a national security investigation into U.S. lumber imports under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 – the same law that Trump also used to impose tariffs on global steel and aluminum imports. The investigation must be completed within 270 days.
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The official said any tariffs resulting from the probe would be added to the existing 14.5% combined anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on Canadian softwood lumber.
Reuters contributed to this report.
