On Saturday, President Trump signed an executive order requiring the Secretary of Commerce to initiate an investigation to determine the effects of imports of timber, lumber, and their derivative products on U.S. national security. The investigation will cover: (1) the current and projected demand for timber and lumber in the U.S.; (2) the extent to which domestic production of timber and lumber can meet domestic demand; (3) the role of foreign supply chains in meeting U.S. timber and lumber demand; (4) the impact of foreign government subsidies and predatory trade practices on U.S. timber, lumber, and derivative product industry competitiveness; (5) the feasibility of increasing domestic timber and lumber capacity to reduce imports; and (6) the impact of current trade policies on domestic timber, lumber, and derivative product production, and whether additional measures, including tariffs or quotas, are necessary to protect national security. A report on the findings of the investigation is due by November 26, 2025.
Trump also signed a separate executive order to stimulate domestic lumber production by directing the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to: (1) issue new or updated guidance regarding tools to facilitate increased timber production and sound forest management, reduce time to deliver timber, and decrease timber supply uncertainty; (2) submit a plan that sets a target for the annual amount of timber per year to be offered for sale over the next four years from Federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service; (3) adopt categorical exclusions administratively established by other agencies to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and reduce unnecessarily lengthy processes and associated costs related to administrative approvals for timber production, forest management, and wildfire risk reduction treatments; and (4) establish a new categorical exclusion for timber thinning and re-establish a categorical exclusion for timber salvage activities.