The United States imposed tariffs ranging from 11% to 30% on Canadian timber enterprises. The U.S. Department of Commerce announced the final decision on the second administrative review investigation of levying anti-dumping duties and countervailing duties on some imported softwood products from Canada. It is determined that Canadian timber enterprises have unreasonable subsidies and dumping, and tariffs ranging from 11% to 30% are expected to be levied on Canadian timber enterprises.

The final rate determined by the second review of the U.S. Department of Commerce will take effect after it is officially published in the Federal Register, and the publication date is expected to be November 30, 2021.

The US timber Alliance said in a statement that the imposition of countervailing and anti-dumping duties once again confirmed that Canadian imports entering the US market were subsidized.

Jason Brochu, chairman of the American timber alliance and co president of presente River timber company, said: “the American timber alliance thanks the U.S. Department of Commerce for its hard work and its commitment to strong implementation of U.S. trade law against unfair Canadian timber imports.” “Trade enforcement maximizes the long-term production and supply of wood in the United States and promotes the rapid growth of wood made in the United States to meet the strong demand for building more American houses,” Brochu added.

Since the trade case submitted by the American timber Union in 2016, the investment and capacity expansion of American sawmills have been strong. By 2021, American wood processing enterprises are expected to produce another 17.5 billion board feet of wood, an average annual growth of 3.5 billion board feet. The statement said that these increases were enough to offset the decline in Canadian timber imports, and the timber was enough to meet the construction of about 1.2 million single family homes in the United States.

If Canada can prove that it seriously negotiates an agreement to offset the harm caused by unfair trade in Canada to U.S. producers, workers and woodland owners, U.S. industry remains open to the new U.S. – Canada cork trade agreement. The statement said that prior to this, the US timber alliance fully supported the continued strong implementation of the US trade law to solve Canada’s unfair cork timber trade.

Canada’s minister of forests, land, natural resources operations and rural development and the Minister of employment, economic recovery and innovation issued a joint statement, saying that the announcement by the United States to increase unfair tariffs on BC and Canadian cork is unacceptable at any time, especially when the two countries work together to get rid of the epidemic.