A bipartisan, bicameral contingent of lawmakers led by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) are urging the Trump administration to make American hardwood lumber a priority in trade talks with China.
The members argue that any new Chinese purchasing commitments should focus on finished lumber rather than raw logs to protect U.S. sawmills, manufacturing jobs, and rural communities that depend on the hardwood industry.
“We believe that if the Board of Trade focuses on hardwood lumber, it can provide much needed economic relief for domestic lumber manufacturers and support communities that depend on a competitive American hardwood industry,” the 32 lawmakers wrote in a June 30 letter sent to United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer.
The lawmakers cited information from the Hardwood Federation, which says the U.S. once supplied more than 31 percent of China’s hardwood lumber import market — a $1.5 billion annual relationship. Today, the figure has dropped to roughly $701 million as American firms cede market share to competitors from Russia, Malaysia, Thailand and elsewhere.
“The cumulative cost of lost market access is estimated at $9.882 billion in foregone sales,” they wrote. “This loss in sales led to a massive decline in production; domestic hardwood lumber production has dropped 48.3 percent since 2018, capacity was down 6 percent between 2020 and 2022 and output in the first quarter of 2025 declined 19 percent from 2024.”
Because China has historically accounted for about 25 percent of U.S. hardwood lumber production, “restoring this relationship is essential to communities in our states and across the county,” added the members.
Sen. Capito, Rep. Thompson, and their colleagues requested that the USTR explicitly add American hardwood lumber in the Board of Trade framework; include American hardwood lumber — not logs — in China’s $17 billion procurement commitment; include enforceable compliance mechanisms with measurable targets specific to hardwood lumber; and to regularly review hardwood lumber purchases at the Board of Trade to ensure actual purchases are made.
“It is critical that the Board of Trade and any hardwood purchases focus on lumber, not just logs, in order to prevent China from simply buying American logs and undercutting domestic lumber manufacturing,” they wrote.