Trump takes actions to increase lumber supplies and curb wood imports

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Saturday signed a pair of actions to increase domestic lumber production, including a directive for the Commerce Department to investigate the possible harms that lumber imports pose to national security.

The U.S. president signed an executive order to increase the possible supplies of timber and lumber and possibly lower housing and construction costs. The goal is to streamline the permitting process by salvaging more wood from forests and expand how much wood product can be offered for sale, according to a senior White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the actions on a call with reporters.

The official said the order would also help prevent wildfires and improve the habitat for animals. The order would streamline the permitting process for obtaining wood products.

The official said that Canada, Brazil and Germany, among others, are engaged in subsidies regarding lumber that put the United States at a disadvantage. At the president's direction, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick would start a Section 232 investigation under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to determine possible national security risks.

Trump told reporters on Feb. 19 while aboard Air Force One that he was considering a 25% tariff on lumber imports, according to Reuters.