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As the Trump administration finalized its reciprocal tariffs last week, DHA discussed recent developments in wood trade and hardwood plywood antidumping and countervailing duties cases with Floor Daily. Although we are still awaiting a decision on the Section 232 national security investigation that is likely to result in high tariffs on most decorative hardwood products, the reciprocal tariffs are significant and appear to affect the remaining hardwood products. The trade cases and actions by the Trump administration are redefining the U.S. approach to imports of wood products, which will hopefully reinvigorate decorative hardwood products manufacturing after decades of being battered by unfair trade practices, particularly from Asia.

A big part of trade enforcement in wood products is identifying the wood species and its origin. DHA, the Hardwood Federation, and the World Wildlife Fund joined forces in a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture that underscored the importance of WISC, the government program used to identify wood products in trade enforcement. We are happy to report that USDA has decided to continue to fund WISC.

If you have questions or comments, contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.

Keith A. Christman, President