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President Donald Trump signed two executive orders Saturday — one launching an investigation into the impact foreign lumber imports pose to national security and another aimed at increasing U.S. timber production and forest management in the wake of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires.
The administration argues that despite the U.S. having an abundance of timber resources, restrictive federal policies have limited domestic production, which has, in turn, increased reliance on foreign suppliers.
The first executive order directs the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to:
- Issue new or updated guidance to boost to timber production and improve forest management.
- Speed up timber delivery and reduce timber supply uncertainty.
- Develop a strategy to streamline approvals for USFS and BLM forest management projects under Endangered Species Act.
- Adopt categorical exclusions administratively to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act
- Eliminate unnecessary permitting delays and revise regulations that hinder timber production.
The move follows California Governor Gavin Newsom’s request for federal support after the L.A. wildfires, which destroyed or damaged 18,000 structures and claimed 29 lives.
“As recent disasters demonstrate, forest management and wildfire risk reduction projects can save American lives and communities,” Newsom’s order states. “Our inability to fully exploit our domestic timber supply has impeded the creation of jobs and prosperity, contributed to wildfire disasters, degraded fish and wildlife habitats, increased the cost of construction and energy, and threatened our economic security.”
Additionally, the administration is investigating whether foreign imports — timber, lumber and their derivative products — particularly from Canada, Germany and Brazil, pose a national security threat under the Trade Expansion Act.
According to White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, the lumber import probe would counteract the actions of exporters, who he accused of “dumping lumber into our markets,” which harms U.S. economic prosperity and security, Reuters reported.
The Secretary of Commerce will assess:
- Current and projected U.S. timber and lumber demand.
- Whether domestic production can meet demand.
- The impact of foreign supply chains and government subsidies on U.S. competitiveness.
- Feasibility of increasing domestic capacity to reduce imports.
- Potential need for tariffs or quotas to protect national security.
Trump previously threatened tariffs on Canadian, Mexican and Chinese lumber imports, citing national security concerns under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
While tariffs of 25 percent on Mexican and Canadian goods were temporarily paused until March 4, new steel and aluminum tariffs were introduced, along with investigations into digital services taxes that could lead to penalties on imports from Canada, France, Britain and other countries.
If new tariffs are enacted, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) warns that homebuilders could face duties as high as 40 percent, up from the current 14.5 percent.
