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Donald Trump has ordered a survey of dumping on the American wood wood market, paving the way for industry to join the widen -commercial product by the Washington World War.
The president ordered the Ministry of Commerce on Saturday to investigate the question of whether importations of wood and wooden products were undergoing national logs in a way that posed a risk to US national security, a few days after ordering a similar examination of the copper industry.
If the investigation finds evidence of dumping, the president may impose reprisal measures, including quotas and prices. Canada, by far the greatest source of American wood imports, would be the most difficult.
“Obviously, something happens here. We know that there are massive subsidies with these exporters who take advantage of our market, ”said a White House official before order.
“But it’s [Commerce] Secretary Howard Lungick to investigate to investigate and return to the president with a report. »»
While Canadian imports of timber is already subject to 14.5%prices, the announcement marks the first official step towards industry training in Trump’s World Trade War. Any new price would be added to the preexisting Canadian samples.
It is on the eve of the 25% prices that should be introduced in Canada and Mexico next week, more additional rights of 10% on Chinese imports while Trump increases the pressure on American trade partners.
The president also sought to target specific industries where he maintains that imports undergo the national industry. He should impose prices of 25% on imports of steel and aluminum from March 12, following a similar probe in this sector during his first mandate.
On Tuesday, he announced an investigation into copper imports, which made it possible to fear that metal was the next rates of prices.
The United States has had a longtime quarrel with Canada on wood imports. It imported approximately 34 million cubic feet of soft wood wood in 2023. The vast majority of this – more than 28 minutes Cu ft – came from Canada. The largest largest, Germany and Sweden have sent less than 3.5 million CU FTs combined.
Forestry is a big company for Canada. In 2022, the sector contributed to $ 33.4 billion for real GDP, or around 1.2%. The same year, Canada’s forestry exports were evaluated at $ 45.6 billion CA, the majority intended in the United States, according to government data.
The British Columbia Province, where there is a high concentration of Canada’s forest industry, as well as businesses, have spent decades before the courts to fight against American samples and anti-dumping tasks.
In 2016, the American wood industry launched the most recent series of disputes, urging the trade department to act as “Canadian wood is unjustly subsidized and thrown on the American market”, according to a statement of the government of British Columbia.
The dispute is based on the practice of the Canadian wooden supply industry of the crown lands, or the parks led by the provinces, so that the production and administration costs are lower than those of American forest companies that count on private land.
Since became president, Trump has repeatedly raised the issue and threatened with prices on wood imports.
Derek Nighbor, president of the Forest Products Association of Canada, said that any increase in wood prices would harm employees in the forest sector on both sides of the border and on American families looking for affordable housing.
“We have to focus on strengthening our competitive advantages, the construction of more affordable housing, work together to approach the worsening of forest risks and bring more North American wood to the world,” he said in a statement last month.
But Andrew Miller, owner of Stimson Lumber and President of the US Lumber Coalition, said: “The unfair trade in Canada is directly at the expense of American companies and workers.”
