b'SEPTEMBER 2025FOREST PRODUCTS 43(TRENDScontinued from page 38) letterechoedtheNAHBassessmenton the market (including homes undergation into imported furniture within ofthehomebuildingsectorreport- contract) compared to 2024. 50days.Thepresumeddeadline f orest froM thef ees ing,Whilenewhomeconstructionwould fall in mid-October. Vietnam But the lumber imports to the USreboundedinJune,single-familyt radeC oMPlexitiesa bound andChinaarethelargestfurniture fromCanada,especiallysoftwoodhomebuilding dropped to an 11-monthThe all-out tariff war initiated byexporters to the US at 35% and 26% fromBritishColumbia(BC),havelow in as high mortgage rates and eco- the Trump administration has thrownrespectively.Chinesefurniturealso been a sore spot in the US-Canadiannomicuncertaintyhamperedhomeinternationaltradeintochaosandinmanycasesfaces25%Section relationsfordecades. Andthisnewpurchases,suggestingresidentialforest products are no exception and301 duties along with an antidump-iteration of the long-standing disputeinvestmentcontractedagainintheretaliation isnt always in the form ofing order on wooden furniture. New stands to add a layer of complexity tosecondquarter.Thereportadded,moretariffs.Forexample,backintariffsfromtheSection232probe the existing situation. TheUSDepartmentofCommerceMarch the General Administration ofwould stack additional costs on the Back in 2006 the Canada-Unitedalso reported that permits for futureCustoms of China (GACC) announcedfurniture imports.StatesSoftwoodLumber Agreementconstructionofsingle-familyhomesit was banning the imports of US logs.Ofcourse,inJulyPresident (SLA)wasimplementedandman- tumbled to more than a two-year lowGACC stated that these suspensionsTrumpsignedanexecutiveorderto aged softwood lumber trade betweenlastmonth,aligningwithdownbeatwere in response to recent detectionsimpose a 50% tariff on imports from the US and Canada for nine years. Thesentiment among home builders. of forest pests such as bark beetles andBrazil which also includes wood and SLApactexpiredinOctober2015TheincreaseinbuildingcostslonghornbeetlesinUSshipments.wood products which took effect on and since May 2017, Canadian soft- has also trickled down into the homeWhilelumbershipmentstoChinaAugust 6 th . [The 50% tariff was based wood lumber exports to the US haveremodeling sector. Home Depot Prosarent on the level of soybean exportson a 10% baseline levied in April and beensubjecttocountervailingandAugustreportfocusingonremodel- whichhit$12.8billionmakingtheadditional40%in August.]The anti-dumping duties.ing cited several trends stressing theChina the largest importer of US soy- main forest product exemption to the Subsequently,Canadahassuc- market including 6.87% mortgage ratebeans nonetheless, China reportedtariff is imported Brazilian wood pulp. cessfully challenged these US dutiesin June, making financing new homesin 2024 that imports of US hardwoodIn the short term, confusion in the underthedisputeresolutionprovi- morecostly,9%monthlydeclineinand softwood logs were $612 millionforest product sector is likely to con-sionsoftheWorldTradeOrganiza- newhomemortgageapplicationsand $237 million respectively.tinue [for example, EU wood products tion(WTO),theNorthAmericandue to the high rates, 12.1% monthlyOn August 22 ndPresident Trumpare also being evaluated in a Section Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), anddecrease in single-family home salesannouncedthattheadministration232 probe] until there is some clarity succeeding the United States-Mexicoand 20.8% increase in unsold homeswould complete a Section 232 investi- with the US tariff regime. Canada (USMCA) trade agreement. ButCanadassuccessininterna-tional forums hasnt deterred the US.B R A T IThe US government (both RepublicanL E N Gand Democratic administrations) alongEwith domestic wood producerstheCUSLumberCoalitionhavelong argued that in Canada, provinces (espe-ciallyBC)settimberfeesforwood1920-2020harvestedfromCrownland,which gives them an unfair pricing advantageOF SE ICEover the US competitors, which dis- RVtorts the US lumber market.In response to the distorted pric- SUCCESS STARTS WITH A WINNING TEAM!ingforsoftwoodlumberimportfrom Canada under the 5th Annual Admin-istrativeReview(AR5)werefixedatSince our establishment in 1920, we haveWE OFFER OUR CUSTOMERS:27.30% combined antidumping duty andbeen providing our global customers a countervailing duty. This year on Augustpremier level of service through superiorOn-site Storage and Multi-modal12th, the US Department of Commercehandling and performance, technologicalDistribution Services(DOC) published the new countervail- advancements, and a perpetual eye Customer Access to 24 hour Inventory Trackingingdutiesforthesixthadministrativeon customer satisfaction. Also, we offer oneStandard Berths and Ro-Ro Ramps are availablereview (AR6) of imports of Canadianof the most cost effective and reliable laborSpecially engineered Lifting Gearsoftwood lumber products in the Federalforces in the North Atlantic. Register at a combined 35.19% (20.56%Container Transloading from / to Rail or Truckantidumping duty and 14.63% counter- On-site service provided by 2 Class Ivailing duty).We have the ability to accommodate aRail CarriersWiththeSection232investiga- variety of automobile, breakbulk, bulk,Efficient Distribution to Two Thirds of the tioninforestproductsconcludedcontainer and forest products. OurUnited States and Canadian populations within (although at this writing, no officialdistinction, is based on our ability to closely48 - 72 Hours confirmationoftheconclusionofcoordinate your Stevedoring, Warehousing investigation has been verified by theand Distribution Logistics. administration)thepossibilityofa significant increase in tariffs on Cana-dian forest products seems probable. (see Julie Gedeon stories on page 36)d eMand : h oMes weeth oMes alesDemandforforestproductsis largely influenced by construction, espe-cially single-family homes. AccordingFOR MORE INFORMATION to the National Association of HomeCONTACT US AT:Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Hous-ing Market index (HMI), builder con- JH STEVEDORING, INC. fidence in the market for newly built2147 South Columbus Blvd. single-family homes was 32 in August,Philadelphia, PA 19148down one point from July, reflectingTEL: 215-218-3060thegeneralweaknessinthehousingFAX: 215-218-3078market. TheNHABciteshighmort- WEB: www.jhstevedoring.comgagerates,weakbuyerinterestand high prices and material shortages asPENN WAREHOUSING & DISTRIBUTION, INC. themainreasonsfortheHMIslow2147 South Columbus Blvd. Philadelphia, PA 19148level. With the August report, the HMITEL: 215-218-3000has now been posted negative for 16FAX: 215-218-3043consecutive months ranging relativelyWEB: www.pennwarehousing.comlow between 32 and 34 since May. Tariffs are also having an impact. Theweek-to-weekframinglumber composite price was up 1.6% on Aug. 15, 2025. Softwood lumber prices are up 0.9% over the past month and 11.6% higher than they were one year ago.TheGlobalWoodsJulynews-'