The flow of lumber, logs and pulp from the US to China has fallen sharply since the US government initiated tariffs on Chinese imports to the US in May of 2018. In the first four months of 2019, China’s imports of US forest products were down 43% from the same period in 2018.
The trade war between the US and China has not only resulted in higher costs for US consumers on home appliances, electronics, apparel, footwear, and industrial machinery, but has also impacted US exporters of forest products to China.