Explainer

Why the US and Canada Are at Loggerheads Over Lumber

Lawrence Lust, superintendent of the West Fraser Timber Co. sawmill, monitors logs on the production line at the company's facility in Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada, on Thursday, July 11, 2013. West Fraser Timber Co., the largest lumber producer in North America, had a sustainable rise in price, demand volatility, and profits within the past year.Photographer: Ben Nelms/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Lawrence Lust

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By Ilena Peng

August 13, 2025 at 4:56 PM UTC

Updated on

August 13, 2025 at 7:50 PM UTC

The US and Canada are fighting about lumber once again.

The neighbors have feuded over softwood lumber from fast-growing coniferous trees since the 1980s. The US has periodically put in place duties to counteract what it claims are unfair subsidies and sales of lumber priced below market value. In the first year of his second term, President Donald Trump is escalating the fight.