U.S. Lumber Coalition Pushes for Tougher Trade Action Against Canada

Statistics Canada reports that shipments of Canadian softwood lumber to non-U.S. markets have fallen over the last six months. This trend reinforces the coalition's claim that Canadian firms remain heavily dependent on the American market, where they allegedly offload billions of board feet of excess production. According to Zoltan van Heyningen, Executive Director of the U.S. Lumber Coalition, Canadian producers consume only 7 billion board feet domestically while manufacturing 27 billion, forcing them to export nearly three-quarters of their output. He estimates that 90 percent of this excess reaches the United States, bolstered by what the industry describes as unfair government subsidies.

Steve Swanson, CEO of Swanson Group and Chair of the coalition, argues that the administration’s use of Section 232 tariffs and strict enforcement of antidumping duties are essential to protecting domestic manufacturers. The coalition points to an estimated C$9.9 billion in total Canadian aid to the forestry sector since August 2025 as evidence of a persistent, state-sponsored trade imbalance. Industry leaders contend that sustaining these trade barriers is the only way to allow U.S. producers to regain market share and stabilize domestic supply lines.