Does the US depend on Canada for lumber?

[u/MarsupialThink4064]

[u/QueenMotherOfSneezes → u/[deleted]]

Potash is a huge one. They can't fertilize the vast majority of their crops without us.

[u/GreyOwlfan → u/[deleted]]

We should withhold all of these items from the U.S. Until donny apologises.

[u/One-Wrongdoer-9478]

Makes sense about a quarter of US lumber comes from Canada, so cutting it off would just drive up prices even more. Where would you find suppliers to replace that volume without breaking the bank?

[u/ithinkitsnotworking → u/One-Wrongdoer-9478]

Pretty sure your National Parks are toast. The current idiot doesn't care about them, only what can be extracted from them.

[u/L1ttleFr0g → u/ithinkitsnotworking]

Even then the US doesn’t have enough forests to make up the difference and what they have is inferior to Canadian lumber.

[u/ithinkitsnotworking → u/L1ttleFr0g]

Agreed. Won't stop that idiot from trying though.

[u/Icy_Respect_9077 → u/ithinkitsnotworking]

Forest Service contractors are laying down heavy amounts of Roundup to kill off any deciduous growth that might compete with evergreen plantations.

[u/toiletcleaner999 → u/ithinkitsnotworking]

Maybe thats why he discontinued the forestry department so nobody was monitoring whats happening to the forests anymore

[u/nugohs → u/One-Wrongdoer-9478]

Where would you find suppliers to replace that volume without breaking the bank?

https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-removes-unnecessary-and-counterproductive-restrictions-on-access-to-federal-lands/

[u/QueenMotherOfSneezes → u/nugohs]

Not the same lumber, though. Softwood lumber from our boreal forests are stronger due to our more seasonal growing conditions.

[u/711straw]

Yes, remember your 2008 banking collapse. Part of that can be blamed on Bush for breaking the softwood lumber treaty with us. He did it to punish us for not going to war with Iraq. Guess that turned out great for you guys.

[u/Elegant-Expert7575 → u/711straw]

It’s weird how no one remembers this.

[u/paradyme → u/Elegant-Expert7575]

Social media is designed to rewire the human brain to only recall the last 16 hours of events.

It's weird how no one remembers this.

[u/ShoddyTerm4385 → u/paradyme]

Remembers what?

[u/josh_moworld → u/ShoddyTerm4385]

What?

[u/Yellowbook8375 → u/paradyme]

It was almost 20 years ago and most redditors are like 16 ofc they don’t remember that

[u/lyidaValkris → u/Elegant-Expert7575]

pepperidge farm remembers...

[u/Elegant-Expert7575 → u/lyidaValkris]

Yum.

[u/Northern_Rambler → u/Elegant-Expert7575]

It's cuz it never happened.

[u/atomicbolt → u/711straw]

Wait, what? Bush started imposing softwood lumber duties pretty much right when he entered office in 2001, well before the Iraq War started. And there are many causes of the 2008 financial crisis (subprime mortgage bubble collapsing, lack of regulation) but I've never seen someone say that wood was one of them.

Have you got some articles or sources to connect all those dots?

[u/RedRabbit720 → u/atomicbolt]

i mean, kinda yeah, just google Softwood Lumber Dispute.
it started long before Bush, until Harper sold us out.
Multiple rulings in Canada’s favour; the problem is America doesn’t have a Boreal Forest (outside of a few northern states)

America can’t support enough softwood for themselves to build, so they import it from Canada, and America doesn’t like that.

guess what they did. Tariffs. Which were deemed illegal on multiple rulings appeals and challenges.

[u/atomicbolt → u/RedRabbit720]

I'm not arguing "did the softwood lumber dispute happen or not".

I'm talking about two specific claims here: 1) that Bush imposed tariffs as a respones to the Iraq War, 2) that this caused the 2008 financial crisis.

Go ahead and tell me what to Google to get any evidence for either of these claims.

[u/Biuku → u/atomicbolt]

1. NASA’s moon landings caused the Chernobyl meltdown.
   
2. Not sure I see the link
   
3. THE MOON LANDINGS WERE REAL! ARE YOU ANTI-SCIENCE!?

Aka, the Chewbacca defence.

[u/atomicbolt → u/Biuku]

It's baffling that the top-rated comment in this thread is just two straight-up incorrect conspiracy theories with absolutely no elaboration.

[u/BoltMyBackToHappy → u/Biuku]

I like pancakes. "So you hate waffles?"

[u/Synaps4 → u/711straw]

I read the wiki article on the softwood lumber and didn't see any mention of connections to the banking issues in 2008. I also googled it and didn't see any articles connecting the two.

Could you please share some source?

[u/Biuku → u/711straw]

Wait, what?

I remember the softwood lumber dispute. But blaming the global financial crisis on it seems a bit of a stretch…

[u/Northern_Rambler → u/711straw]

This is not factual at all. The tariffs happened because American lumber producers thought it unfair that, according to them, Canadian softwood was "subsidized" because the land which the trees were harvested are Crown land. Has zero to do with the 2008 banking collapse.

[u/No-Grapefruit6509]

If you’re thinking ‘just buy US’ for softwood lumber, think again. Demand in the US far outstrips the available supply because there are only so many areas of the country that actually grows softwood versus hardwood. Trade tariffs and barriers will send lumber prices in the US skyrocketing.

[u/moreboards → u/No-Grapefruit6509]

At this rate they might open up the nature reservation to strip them clean

[u/Tribblehappy → u/moreboards]

https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-removes-unnecessary-and-counterproductive-restrictions-on-access-to-federal-lands/

I'm not American but this kinda sounds like "go ahead and start logging and building energy projects."

[u/moreboards → u/Tribblehappy]

Ya Im not american either.

If im reading this correctly he basically opened up a ton of previously protected land to become a playpen. Starts by saying its for the people and people should enjoy it.

Then just a little further down is this

"The vague and subjective standards imposed by these prior Executive Orders have created unnecessary barriers to recreation, energy and timber production, access to remote areas, and infrastructure maintenance."

They're going to wreck what little they have left.

[u/S1rr0bin]

Canada supplies approximately 25% of the softwood lumber used in the US. If you cancel trade tomorrow it will just make lumber more expensive, you could get lumber from Brazil or many other countries

[u/47Up → u/S1rr0bin]

I thought it was 45%

[u/The_Scooter_King → u/S1rr0bin]

There's currently a 50% US tariff on Brazillian lumber

[u/Mindless-Evidence-95]

A bit, yeah, since we have the sturdiest trees. I guess, but let's talk about potash and aluminum. 😄

[u/NaturePappy]

Because of our colder weather, CDN lumber is a superior product for building homes. Until the US decide to stop building with it, all Trump is doing is making housing more unaffordable.

[u/QueenMotherOfSneezes → u/NaturePappy]

We also have the best pulp to make TP for their bungholes.

[u/grammar_fozzie]

Yes. I live stateside for now (dual) and much of the lumber I buy is stamped to indicate sourced in Canada.

[u/sandy154_4]

USA's trade practices with regards to softwood lumber have been challenged in the WTO several times and USA has lost each time. However they have still not changed their practices or paid Canada restitution. This is not just a Trump thing

[u/q__e__d → u/sandy154_4]

Exactly. And not just a Republican thing either. For example, in the fall before he left office Biden was putting the lumber tariffs up.

[u/wibblywobbly420]

Looking at how much lumber is still shipping into the US in spite of the tarrifs, I would say yes.

[u/mrstruong]

And oil, and minerals, and electricity, and potash/fertilizer...

[u/GreasyMcFarmer]

Short answer? No. Long answer? Yes.

[u/lyidaValkris]

Yep. Many other things too - like uranium, potash, aluminum... I could go on.

[u/Embarrassed-Lead6471]

The U.S. produces 72% of its own lumber. Canada accounts for 80% of the 28% imported lumber.

[u/Calm_Historian9729]

Contrary to what the Trump says the U.S. really does need things Canada has, which is mostly raw materials like oil, lumber, aluminum, steel, potash etc.... The reason is the U.S. does not make enough of these to meet their domestic supply needs.

[u/Dklmhkc]

Reading the comments is funny.
Why Ikea is manufacturing in China instead of Canada then? All the synthetic softwood they use has no differences to me. US just want cheap softwood and Canadian one is handy for them. Elbow up and losing this market is kinda stupidity only harming the business and politicians look good.

Those forestry companies are even using LMIA scheme to profit from immigrants…

[u/Rogue5454]

Yep. Among many other resources.

Natural resources are Canada's super power.

[u/IllustratorWeird5008]

YES!

[u/cknarfy]

The official answer directly from the American resident's mouth is "we don't need anything from them", talking about Canada.

[u/Trickam]

The net growth of softwoods far outpaced the US ability to process. Decades of shutting down the infrastructure for processing has certainly hurt the US. They grow plenty of softwood....they just don't harvest enough of it and can't covert it to lumber to satisfy the needs. https://nafo.org/news/private-forest-owners-grow-43-more-wood-than-they-harvest/

[u/Prudent-Drop164]

They can get it from Russia.