U.S. Sawmill Operators Continue Investments to Further Increase Production Capacity Despite Declining Home Starts by U.S. Homebuilders
WASHINGTON, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Despite a dramatic decline in housing starts since 2022 that worsened in 2024 due to the under-construction of new affordable housing by members of the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB), the United States softwood lumber industry has continued to make investments to boost the domestic production of softwood lumber. Since 2016, U.S. softwood lumber mills have added 8.7 billion board feet of production capacity, resulting in the production of an additional 36 billion board feet of lumber in the United States (enough to build over 2.4 million new homes).Â
This commitment to American production has resulted in a level of lumber supply self-sufficiency not seen since the 1970s, with U.S. sawmills now supplying nearly 75 percent of the U.S. market. Meanwhile, Canadian production capacity has declined by 4.3 billion board feet, and Canadian lumber producers’ market share in the United States plummeted from more than 30 percent in 2016 to below 19 percent this year. Non-Canadian imports are also trending downward.
“The United States industry has been winning back market share from unfairly traded Canadian imports while increasing the total supply of lumber to U.S. market thanks to the strong and consistent enforcement of our trade laws by President Trump and his Administration,” stated Zoltan van Heyningen, Executive Director of the U.S. Lumber Coalition, adding that “the positive impact of the antidumping and countervailing duty measures coupled with President Trump’s Section 232 tariffs has been nothing short of historic, and as such must be maintained.”
“The U.S. softwood lumber industry is responding to President Trump’s impactful and successful trade policies by investing to further increase Made in America softwood lumber production, employing thousands of additional U.S. workers in the process,” stated Steve Swanson, CEO and Executive Chairman of Swanson Group, and Chairman of the U.S. Lumber Coalition.Â
Since President Trump imposed additional Section 232 tariffs last September, the domestic industry has made even more progress. For example:
- In September 2025, Hood Industries in Mississippi announced plans to build a brownfield sawmill in Waynesboro, MS, at an estimated cost of $260 million. This new mill will have an initial annual capacity of 300 million board feet, which reflects an 88% increase for the company. Construction is expected to be completed in February 2027.
- In January 2026, Pleasant River Lumber in Maine added a second shift at its Enfield mill, which has increased production by 50%. Over the next five years, the company plans to spend $15 million on capital expenditure projects and add more jobs to meet their production goals. Jason Brochu, co-owner of the mill, said, “I think what you’re seeing now is the benefit of trade protection leading to investment, which is going to make the mill stronger.”
- In January 2026, Winwood Forestry Products in Mississippi announced a $2 million capital investment in Adams County, MS, to expand its sawmill operations there and increase production capacity, creating 15 jobs and retaining 30 more.
- In April 2026, New South Lumber Company, a lumber producer in Alabama that is owned by Canadian producer Canfor, announced that it is investing $10.5 million to expand operations at its Mobile County facility, which will allow the company to retain more than 250 jobs.
- In April 2026, Davis Timber Company in Louisiana announced that it will invest $1.9 million to expand its Beauregard Parish operations with new production capabilities. This investment is expected to create 12 new direct jobs and 9 new indirect jobs and retain 11 current jobs.
- In May 2026, West Fraser, a Canadian company, announced a $70.25 million expansion of a sawmill that it owns in Escambia County, Florida, which will create 30 new jobs.
- In June 2026, Irving Forest Products, which manufactures softwood lumber both in Canada and the United States, announced a $42 million investment to expand its sawmill operation in Maine to increase production capacity and add 80 jobs. Reportedly, “the size of the mill is effectively doubling, from 68,500 square feet to 136,500 square feet” and is a significant, multimillion dollar project.
- In June 2026, C&C Forest Products in Louisiana announced that it is investing over $21 million to rebuild its Coushatta sawmill following a 2025 fire. This is expected to “create 77 direct new jobs with an average annual salary of $65,260, which is 34% above the average Red River Parish wage, while retaining 27 current positions. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in an additional 256 indirect new jobs, for a total of 333 potential new job opportunities.”
- In October 2026, Stimson Lumber in Oregon will complete construction of new sawmill at its Forest Grove, OR site. Andrew Miller, Board Chair and Owner of Stimson Lumber, said that this $90 million investment “would not have been made without the duties and tariffs on Canadian lumber.” Strong trade enforcement “provided the marketplace certainty” for Stimson to justify expanding its production capacity.
President Trump’s tariff policies and trade law enforcement are having their intended effect. Softwood lumber producers are increasing investment in the United States – more than half a billion dollars of new investments have been announced in just the eight months since the Section 232 tariffs were imposed. And more softwood lumber is being produced here in America – in total, more than 2.5 billion board feet of additional production capacity is already set to come online in the next two years.
“The National Association of Homebuilders should stop its misguided advocacy for the importation of unfairly traded Canadian lumber, which threatens tens of thousands of U.S. jobs, and instead redirect that “Canada First” energy toward reversing the decline in housing starts and building more affordable homes for Americans. In the meantime, we strongly applaud President Trump’s efforts to increase the production of Made-in-U.S.A. softwood lumber through his strong and unyielding trade policies,” added van Heyningen.
The U.S. Lumber Coalition also commented on the most recent Canadian federal and provincial government subsidy announcements designed to undermine President Trump’s trade policies and maintain Canada’s nearly twenty billion board feet of excess lumber capacity that is driving Canadian unfair trade practices.
“Since August 2025, Canada has announced over $2.57 billion dollars in new subsidies for its forestry industry and appears to be adding new subsidies almost weekly,” stated van Heyningen, adding that “the recent release of the Canadian Forest Sector Transformation Task Force is tripling down on these unfair practices as it calls for over $10 billion dollars in additional subsidies for the Canadian forestry sector. We must and will stop this cycle of Canada’s massive excess lumber capacity being dumped into the U.S. market, which is made possible by billions of dollars in unfair new subsidies from the Canadian Government that operate to the direct detriment of U.S. workers, companies and our forestry dependent communities.”Â
U.S. lumber community voices on President Trump’s Trade Policies Boosting U.S. Forest Products Manufacturing — West Coast
U.S. lumber community voices on President Trump’s Trade Policies Boosting U.S. Forest Products Manufacturing – East Coast
About the U.S. Lumber Coalition
Video: Building American Dreams
The U.S. Lumber Coalition is an alliance of large and small softwood lumber producers from around the country, joined by their employees and woodland owners, working to address Canada’s unfair lumber trade practices. Our goal is to serve as the voice of the American lumber community and effectively address Canada’s unfair softwood lumber trade practices. The Coalition supports the full enforcement of the U.S. trade laws to allow the U.S. industry to invest and grow to its natural size without being impaired by unfairly traded imports. Continued full enforcement of the U.S. trade laws will strengthen domestic supply lines by maximizing long-term domestic production and lumber availability produced by U.S. workers to build U.S. homes. For more information, please visit the Coalition’s website at www.uslumbercoalition.org.
CONTACT:Â Zoltan van Heyningen
[email protected] | 202-805-9133
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SOURCE The U.S. Lumber Coalition
