NEWS

A variety of wood-related companies testified at the U.S. Trade Representative Section 301 hearings this week regarding proposed tariffs on approximately $200 billion worth of Chinese products. Those who testified include Masterbrand as well as a panel with Liberty Furniture, The Wooster Brush Company, Patriot Timber Products, Four Hands, Cascade Wood Products, Linyi Bomei Furniture Co, Alta Forest Products, and the China National Forest Products Industry Association.

This month, acting EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler confirmed that the EPA will be examining the science underlying its assessment of formaldehyde. For more information on formaldehyde and formaldehyde regulations, see the Decorative Hardwoods Association® website.

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Hardwood lumber exports to China have been severely impacted by China's new tariffs. The Hardwood Federation voices its concerns as the hardwood plywood and engineered flooring industry are embroiled in circumvention challenges of their orders.

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Decorative Hardwoods Association® (formerly HPVA) eNews Volume XI, Issue XIV: Trade Fallout With China Could Harm U.S. Hardwood Exports | Chinese Hardwood Flooring Company Builds First U.S. Plant | Chinese Multilayered Wood Flooring Received Subsidies | FSC Bans DuChateau From Certification Indefinitely

China has threatened retaliatory tariffs that could reach 25% on U.S. hardwood lumber and veneer exports and 20% on hardwood logs. AHEC's Mike Snow notes that the U.S. shipped $1.6 billion in hardwood lumber, $800 million in hardwood logs, and $260 million in veneer to China last year. The Chinese announced that the tariffs will be implemented "immediately" if the U.S.