Trump orders review of wood supply chain

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President Donald Trump on Saturday ordered a broad review of the wood supply chain, arguing that bolstering domestic production is vital for national security.

The president signed two executive orders focused on lumber, timber and their derivative products. In one order, he is directing the Commerce Secretary to start a multi-month review of trade practices and domestic production capabilities for those products. In a second order, he is asking the Interior Secretary and Agriculture Secretary to review existing guidelines and suggest updates that could increase domestic wood production.

The news comes as construction firms, which often rely on wood products, are already feeling the effects of Trump’s trade strategy. Many firms rushed orders of construction inputs in January to get ahead of potential tariffs. Others are proactively renegotiating contract clauses to protect themselves from rising supply costs.

The Trump administration, however, says since both civilian and military construction activities rely heavily on wood products, securing a strong domestic supply base is essential to national security.

“Each year, the United States military spends over 10 billion dollars on construction,” the executive order focused on wood trade reads. “The military also invests in innovative building material technology, including processes to create innovative wood products such as cross-laminated timber. The procurement of these building materials depends on a strong domestic lumber industry and a manufacturing base capable of meeting both military-specific and wider civilian needs.”

Per the trade order, the Secretary of Commerce has 270 days to conduct a Section 232 review assessing: the impact of foreign trade practices, whether tariffs and quotas are necessary, and the feasibility of increasing domestic production to meet current and projected demand for wood supplies.

Trump has used Section 232 in the past to enact tariffs on other commodities, such as steel and aluminum, arguing domestic production of those products is essential to national security.

Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Agriculture are being asked to review existing federal policies, including permitting processes and forestry management policies, over the next year. The goal, per the production-focused executive order, is to expand the United States’ ability to exploit its domestic timber supply.

“The United States has an abundance of timber resources that are more than adequate to meet our domestic timber production n…