NEWS

Invasive insects, drought, and disease are the "stacked stressors" killing Wisconsin's oak trees. Many oak trees are declining or dying because of spongy moth infestations and drought. Tornadoes and violent storms have compounded the problem, damaging thousands of trees and making them more vulnerable to deadly oak wilt.

Eagle Woodworking surveyed 500 U.S. construction and trades professionals, a mix of contractors, tradespeople, project managers, and builders, to understand where the skilled-labor shortage is hitting hardest and what it's doing to the work. At the top of the list are carpenters and woodworkers. The consequence is a decline in the quality of the work.

Declines in the volume of U.S. hardwood plywood imports have been driven by Indonesia and Vietnam, down by nearly 74% and 67%, respectively, likely due to high preliminary antidumping and countervailing duties. Imports from Cambodia have shot up by 585% and imports from Malaysia climbed by 195%, suggesting potential transshipment to evade tariffs.

A White House report identified more than 40 jurisdictions, including the EU, Canada, Japan, and Brazil, as associated with a higher risk for illegal transshipments. The report warned that those attempting to evade U.S. tariffs through illegal transshipment will be caught and penalized, and promised that those who cooperate with the U.S. to fight tariff evasion will be treated as allies in restoring fair trade.

The chair of the House Committee on Agriculture said he is concerned about the future of the U.S. hardwood industry and the impact on rural communities. He warned that losing sawmills would reduce forest management capacity and create unacceptable consequences for rural America, and highlighted several opportunities to support the hardwood industry, including federal procurement policies and expanded exports.