The increased timber production will be directly tied to an improvement in land management, the White House said.

 


resident Donald Trump signed an executive order and a memorandum on March 1 regarding the U.S. lumber industry, addressing what White House officials called a crisis in both supply and demand.

The executive order, titled “Freeing Our
Forest,” will focus on the supply, ordering the secretaries of various
departments and federal agencies to reverse federal policies and propose ways
to expedite and increase domestic timber and lumber production.

The increased timber production will be
directly tied to an improvement in land management, the White House said.

The memorandum will focus on the demand, directing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to launch an investigation into the possible harm done to national security by importing lumber.

“Our disastrous timber and lumber
policies, a legacy of the previous administration, trigger wildfires and
degrade our fish and wildlife habitat,” said Peter Navarro, senior counselor on
trade and manufacturing.

“They drive up construction and housing
costs and impoverish America through large trade deficits that result from
exporters like Canada, Germany, and Brazil dumping lumber into our markets at
the expense of both our economic prosperity and national security. That stops
today.”

Navarro explained that timber refers to the cutting and removal of trees, while lumber refers to the process of turning those trees into boards and building materials.

The executive order demands a
whole-of-government operation, relying on department and agency heads including
the secretary of the interior, the secretary of agriculture, the director of
the Bureau of Land Management, the chief of the United States Forest Service,
the director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the secretary
of commerce, through to the assistant administrator for fisheries, to propose
ways to expedite production while also improving forest management in ways that
are in compliance with existing legislation like the Endangered Species Act
(ESA), and the Tribal Forestry Protection Act.

These agencies’ responsibilities are split into several deadlines, with the first guidance issuance on increased timber production and sound forest management due within the next 30 days, and the last due in 280 days.

“All relevant agencies shall eliminate, to
the maximum extent permissible by law, all undue delays within their respective
permitting processes related to timber production,” Trump’s order stated.

“Additionally, all relevant agencies shall
take all necessary and appropriate steps consistent with applicable law to suspend,
revise, or rescind all existing regulations, orders, guidance documents,
policies, settlements, consent orders, and other agency actions that impose an
undue burden on timber production.”

At the same time, the order stated,
“Agencies are directed to use, to the maximum extent permissible under
applicable law, the ESA regulations on consultations in emergencies to
facilitate the nation’s timber production.”

A White House official clarified that timber refers not just to cutting down of new trees, but also the salvaging and clearing of already fallen trees. This will not only reduce the cost of building materials, he said, but will also improve wildlife management.

“As you’re doing that, on the forest
management, and what you do is you wind up dramatically increasing the ability
to prevent wildfires, which are tremendously destructive, at the same time that
you dramatically improve the habitat for fish and wildlife,” the official said.

Meanwhile, Trump’s memorandum orders
Lutnick to submit a report no later than 270 days from its signing that
presents findings on whether timber and lumber imports threaten national
security and recommendations on how to mitigate any related security threats,
such as potential tariffs, export controls, or incentives for increasing
domestic production. He should also submit policy recommendations for
“strengthening the United States timber and lumber supply chain.”

During the investigation, Lutnick must
assess the current and projected domestic demand for timber and lumber and the
extent to which domestic production could meet that demand. He must also assess
foreign supply chains and “the impact of foreign government subsidies and
predatory trade practice” have on industry competitiveness, and how increased
domestic production can decrease imports.

“We have this reoccurring problem where globally, a set of bad actors, some of whom are punitive allies, develop massive overcapacity in their industry because their government subsidized them, and then they dump product into the United States,” the White House official said.

“We wind up losing our own domestic
manufacturing capabilities, and that creates national security problems down
the line, and timber and lumber, I think, really is an industry that never,
ever should be highly import dependent.”