Why Are We Paying More for Lumber? Let’s Break It Down

Why Are We Paying More for Lumber? Let’s Break It Down

Ever wonder why we get lumber from other countries? It’s because, believe it or not, that's where the trees are. Those different colors in your timber? They're from different kinds of trees, and the ones we prefer for building houses just happen to grow in places like Canada. They’ve got trees for days, and guess what? We can’t even compete with that.

Sure, we could start chopping down our national forests to keep up with demand for 2x4s, but we’d run out of wood faster than you can say “deforestation.” Plus, those trees would take decades to grow back, and let's be real, who’s waiting that long?

Here’s a fun fact: The farther north trees grow, the harder the wood gets. You know, the better kind of wood for building houses. So, Canada's wood is not just more plentiful—it’s better quality too. They’re sitting on uncut forests, practically begging us to take it.

But let’s talk about Trump’s trade war for a second. Remember when he slapped a 30% tariff on Canadian lumber? The idea was that American companies would start cutting more lumber. Spoiler alert: that didn’t happen. Instead, the lumber we used to get from Canada? Now we’re buying it from Europe and Asia, and it costs us a lot more.

And get this: Lumber imports from Russia have increased by 40%—and where does that lumber come from? Forced labor camps in Siberia, where workers are being bought and sold by the North Korean government. So, we’re basically supporting oppression in North Korea and Russia to pay higher prices for soft lumber, just so we can build houses that cost 20% more than last year.

How does this put America First, exactly? We’re creating a housing crisis, inflating construction costs, and buying lumber from places that exploit workers. It’s a mess.

So next time someone asks why we get lumber from Canada, tell them it’s like asking why we get coffee from Ethiopia or pineapples from South America—it’s just where the good stuff grows. And yet, here we are, paying the price for a political agenda that hurts the American consumer