NEWS

Last week, I attended the Western Hardwood Plywood Producers Fall Meeting in Oregon. It was great to see so many DHA members and hear from other speakers about the improved health of the decorative hardwoods industry.

Many speakers highlighted the recent trade wins brought by the Coalition for Fair Trade in Hardwood Plywood as a key factor in improving the health of our industry, by reducing the amount of dumped and subsidized hardwood plywood coming in from China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Hopefully, the trade case in Canada against China will continue this progress.

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

Keith A. Christman, President

On October 5, President Trump signed an executive order that allows for delayed payment of the federal diesel excise tax of $0.244 per gallon and removes federal penalties for using dyed diesel fuel on highways through December 31, 2026. However, the executive order does not preempt state law.

The House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee is introducing the American Forest Products Resilience Act this week. It covers a broad range of issues, including addressing the flawed biomass definition in the Renewable Fuel Standard, biomass energy tax credits, promoting mass timber, trade with China, domestic sourcing rules, and several other areas.

This week, the American Hardwood Assured (AHA) platform will add a new harvest site data layer. The addition provides more detailed geolocation information to help producers comply with the due diligence requirements of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

Thanks to the actions of the Hardwood Federation, with support from DHA, hardwood producers could receive the kind of federal relief that is already available to crop and livestock producers. $200 million is included in a pending agriculture supplemental package. Now, the focus is on getting that funding approved and across the finish line.

A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation to limit legal challenges to projects requiring environmental permits. The bill would set a 150-day deadline for legal challenges and allow only those who participated in the public comment or tribal consultation process to file a challenge. Supporters hope to pass the bill after the November midterm elections.

The Canadian government failed to overturn the U.S. countervailing duty case against imports of Canadian softwood. A NAFTA panel accepted the U.S. Commerce Department's second response to its orders in full. Most of the subsidies were found to have come from Crown stumpage, the price provinces charge to harvest standing timber on public land.

U.S. hardwood lumber exports total $841 million so far this year, a decline of 2% in volume and 3% in value vs. 2025. In contrast, log exports have grown rapidly over the past two years. In the first half of this year, log exports shot up by another 50% to reach more than $675 million. If this continues, log exports will exceed lumber exports by the end of the year.

U.S. cabinet sales continue to fall. The volume of cabinets sold this year-to-date through August dropped by 9.7%. Dollar sales fell by 6.3%.

The U.S. hardwood industry continues to work through a deep contraction in capacity. At the 2026 National Hardwood Lumber Association convention, Hardwood Review said it had identified 151 publicly announced sawmill and yard closures since 2023.

Capital Testing has partnered with the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association to offer a full suite of cabinet testing as part of KCMA's cabinet certification program. The laboratory tests in accordance with ANSI/KCMA A161.1, the industry's performance standard for kitchen cabinets, assessing structural integrity, door and drawer durability, finish quality, and more, ensuring cabinets are built to last.

The Forest Service and U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities announced the launch of the Forestry Analytics for Carbon Tracking (FACT) platform. This science-based platform addresses the growing challenge and need for reliable forest sector carbon data. DHA supports FACT, and DHA members can contact DHA President Keith Christman to find out how to get help documenting carbon data for their products - for free.

The U.S. Forest Service announced final revisions to the objection process that will help accelerate forest management projects. USFS updated its regulations to consolidate and streamline processes, increase efficiency, and ensure consistency with amendments to the National Environmental Policy Act and USDA's revised regulations.

What creates the shimmering patterns you see in quartersawn oak?