NEWS

Well, 2022 was a very eventful year for all of us, and that is already shaping up to be the case again in 2023. In the first week of the year, the Coalition for Fair Trade in Hardwood Plywood and the American Manufacturers of Multilayered Wood Flooring, in their filings with federal agencies, strongly supported the continuation of duties on imports from China. These duties total over 200% for hardwood plywood and, combined with Section 301 tariffs, they are key to preventing harm to U.S. manufacturers from unfair Chinese trade practices.

It's also likely to be a busy year from a regulatory perspective. The Biden Administration has finalized the "waters of the U.S." rule, upsetting many businesses, and the administration released its 2023 regulatory agenda that includes several issues important to the wood products industry. DHA will continue to work with our industry partners on these issues.

If you are not a DHA member, now is a great time to join DHA. We all must be active in promoting and defending our industry. We need your voice.

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

Keith A. Christman, President
Decorative Hardwoods Association

Photo © Zhang YuanGeng, 123rf.com

In December, the U.S. International Trade Commission and Department of Commerce began their five-year sunset review of the antidumping and countervailing duties currently in place on hardwood plywood and engineered wood flooring from China. In recent filings with the agencies, both the Coalition for Fair Trade in Hardwood Plywood and the American Manufacturers of Multilayered Wood Flooring strongly supported the continuation of duties, citing the harm these industries would incur if the duties were to end. Both coalitions are administered by DHA with legal support from Wiley Rein.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is asking for comments as it conducts its four-year review of Chinese imports, to determine the effects of Chinese goods on U.S. workers, small businesses, manufacturing, critical supply chains, technological leadership, and possible tariff inversions. We encourage you to participate. The comment period ends on January 17.

The NAHB, National Apartment Association, and National Multifamily Housing Council officially expressed their disappointment with the EPA and Department of the Army's decision to expand the definition of "waters of the U.S." (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act. NAHB called the expanded definition "a blow to affordability and regulatory certainty for builders and other stakeholders." 

Last week, the Office of Management and Budget released the 2022 Unified Regulatory Agenda and Regulatory Plan. The plan outlines the regulatory actions federal agencies are considering over the next several months. Many of the regulations are likely to face pushback from the newly Republican-controlled House. Proposed regulatory actions that may affect the wood supply chain include the listing determination and critical habitat designation for the little brown bat and endangered species status for the tricolored bat, among other issues.

Late last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a final rule to reclassify the northern long-eared bat as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act and led a webinar to provide more information to stakeholders. Click the link below for more clarifying information, including 14 examples of project types that are not likely to trigger additional regulations.

The government of Canada has pledged to provide $115 million in tariff revenues from plywood and other items, collected on imports from Russia and Belarus, to help Ukraine repair its power grid after a series of Russian attacks. In 2022, Canada revoked the most-favored-nation status for Russia and Belarus and imposed import tariffs of 35% on nearly all imports from the two countries.

Nations that attended the biodiversity summit in Montreal in December agreed to protect one-third of the planet by 2030 to safeguard nature and biodiversity. Canada's Minister for the Environment and Climate Change said, 'It is truly a moment that will mark history as Paris did for climate."

AHF Products will buy the land where its Beverly, WV, hardwood flooring plant is located for $7.25 million. The property's owner, the Randolph County Development Authority, voted to approve the sale in December.

Roseburg Forest Products announced that it has agreed in principle to settle the majority of claims involving property loss, personal injury, and wrongful death arising from the Mill Fire on September 2.

The American Hardwood Export Council has combined its species and grading guides into a single Guide to Sustainable American Hardwoods. AHEC's 100-page publication reflects on the environment and climate crisis with a focus on the sustainability and legality of American hardwood resources.

Garnica, a producer of farm-grown poplar from Spain and France, is confident that the North American market for its product will continue to grow. As such, the company has committed to building a new factory in Uruguay that will be operational by 2024.

Redfin, a residential real estate brokerage firm, predicts that home sales will drop to their lowest level since 2011, mortgage rates will decline, home prices will fall, and rents will decrease. The company expects that the housing market in the Midwest and Northeast will hold up best.

Forests Ontario has planted nearly 11 million trees in Eastern Ontario since 2008. Now, thanks to a partnership with the Government of Canada's 2 Billion Trees program, the organization will plant another 7.2 million trees across the province over three years.

As of January 1, illegal tree felling in England is punishable by unlimited fines and prison sentences. The previous fine for cutting down trees without a license, established by the Forestry Act 1967, was £2,500 or twice the value of the timber, whichever was higher.

New England has overlooked a powerful firefighting ally: the North American beaver. "We’ve known for some time that beavers can change the direction of a fire," said Emily Fairfax, an ecohydrologist at California State University Channel Islands. She is one of the lead researchers in a new pilot study of how wildfires can be controlled with the help of beavers.

Which tree produces the largest fruit in the world?