Attendees this week at the BC Council of Forest Industries AGM in downtown Vancouver, BC, got an excellent update on Canada-US softwood lumber trade issues from Assistant Deputy Minister at Global Affairs Canada, Kirsten Hillman, and BC Lumber Trade Envoy David Emerson.
Robust ongoing demand and looming potentially-retroactive duties on softwood lumber later this month and in the coming month pushed North American dimension lumber prices up substantially this week.
Hallman detailed to industry the current situation with softwood lumber negotiations, some of the difficulties, the various deadlines, and the added complications due to the change in the US Administration at the beginning of this year.
As much as forest industry players, the Canadian government is currently wait- ing for the preliminary determination announcement from the US agencies scheduled for April 24.