The British Columbia Lumber Trade Council is concerned about the implications of U.S. President Joe Biden’s latest Buy American policy for Canadian exporters. Biden has announced that he wants to restrict the use of foreign lumber in federally funded infrastructure projects and wants all construction materials for such projects, including lumber, to be made in the U.S. 

The council says the U.S. was only able to produce 70% of its overall lumber demand in 2021 and the gap was largely filled by imports from Canada. Canadian producers have a long-standing trade dispute with the U.S. over anti-dumping duties imposed on softwood lumber from Canada. The council is seeking to understand what Biden’s announcement means for Canadian producers and wants to work on both sides of the border to provide sustainably produced, low-carbon lumber to American consumers and construction workers.