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In a major victory for DHA's hardwood plywood and engineered wood flooring trade coalitions, the Department of Commerce has agreed that Vietnam is still a non-market economy. This is a big decision since Vietnam is the leading source of U.S. imports of both products—and these imports have been growing in recent months. DHA's trade coalitions filed comments advocating for this decision, which will make it harder for Vietnam to obscure trade-distorting practices that harm U.S. manufacturers and workers.

U.S. imports of hardwood plywood are up dramatically this year vs. 2023. Vietnam and Indonesia are the largest sources. Imports from Vietnam are up by 191% through May. It looks like importers of hardwood plywood have adapted to or found a way around the Department of Commerce ruling in 2023 that found that most hardwood plywood imported from Vietnam was circumventing the duties on Chinese hardwood plywood.

DHA and our allies are promoting real American hardwoods—and reaching nearly 93 million consumers. The Real American Hardwood ad campaign has gone live again on the Magnolia Network, the cable TV network owned by industry influencers Chip and Joanna Gaines. Still in its initial phases, the results of the ad campaign are already very promising.

DHA continues to promote North American manufacturing of decorative hardwoods. I recently spoke to our Canadian colleagues at the Canadian Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association Spring Meeting where we discussed trade challenges and misleading marketing by producers of fake wood products.

I joined the Hardwood Federation and about 60 other members for their annual Capitol Hill Fly-in on May 22 and May 23. Like last year, it was a great experience meeting with our elected representatives in the Senate and House to discuss our policy priorities including the Farm Bill, Jobs in the Woods Act, Hardwood Products Access and Development Act, and tax policy.