NEWS

A conservation project led by Cornell University and the Nature Conservancy is propagating ash trees that are resistant to the emerald ash borer. If successful, the long-term project will reintroduce resistant white, green, and black ash trees to repopulate the species.

PHOTO © SREANG HOK, CORNELL UNIVERSITY

The volume of U.S. cabinets sold continues to decline, falling by 16.8% in November 2025 vs. November 2024. Unfortunately, this continues the declining trend, as sales volume fell by 13.5% from January to November 2025 vs. one year ago. 

Read More: November 2025 Trend of Business Report → 

Poland has arrested members of a criminal network accused of smuggling timber products from Russia and Belarus into the EU. Three Polish and two Russian citizens were arrested in December and face charges of circumventing EU restrictions on imports of Russian and Belarusian plywood and wooden planks.

Rumors swirled that the Supreme Court would decide by January 14 whether the Trump administration could impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). This did not happen; the ruling may be announced next week. Most experts believe the Court will rule against the IEEPA tariffs. However, this is unlikely to affect bilateral agreements between countries, and the administration has many other ways to impose tariffs.

The most recent data available shows that U.S. imports of hardwood plywood continued to grow in 2025, up by 25% in value through September. Imports from Indonesia accounted for nearly 32% of imports and increased by more than 50%. Vietnam was the second-largest source of imports at 22%, an increase in value of 48%.