US to maintain tariffs on Canadian lumber

Article by Günther Jauk (adapted for holzkurier.com; translated by Eva Guzely) | 01.08.2023 - 09:34

At the end of July, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the final determination of 7.99% in tariffs on the import of Canadian softwood lumber as part of its fourth annual review, as internet platform prnewswire.com reports. The review covers lumber which was imported in calendar year 2021. In the previous period, the duty rate was 8.59%.

While import tariffs have been heavily criticized by Canada for years, representatives of the US sawmill industry welcome the decision to maintain them.

“Continued full enforcement of the U.S. trade laws by the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission is exactly what must happen for enduring expansion of U.S. lumber manufacturing and availability to meet demand to build more American homes,” Andrew Miller, Chairman of the U.S. Lumber Coalition and CEO of Stimson Lumber, said to prnewswire.com

Meanwhile, Canada is urging the United States to make a serious effort to end the long-standing bilateral trade issue regarding softwood lumber. In the online issue of the Toronto Star, the International Trade Minister Mary Ng acknowledged that tariffs were lowered slightly but criticized them as an unfair, unwarranted and punitive measure which harms the economy on both sides of the border. “The only fair outcome would be for the United States to cease applying these baseless duties.”