The hardwood industry that crafts much of our homes’ interiors says it’s suffering under the Trump administration’s trade war and wants the same relief promised to the country’s farmers.
Over 450 loggers, manufacturers and distrubutors of hardwood, including 54 from Ohio, are asking for inclusion of the U.S. hardwood sector in any tariff relief programs. The industry, they argue in an Oct. 14 letter to the Trump administration, plays a “critical role” in rural economies and communities and has lost billions since the first trade war between the U.S. and China in 2018.
Hardwoods such as oak, maple, walnut, cherry and more are used for indoor flooring, furniture and cabinetry, as well as outdoor decking, fencing and outdoor furniture, among other uses. The Ohio forest products industry has a state economic impact of over $30 billion per year, according to the Ohio Forestry Association. There are approximately 8 million acres woodlands in Ohio, much of which is hardwood, and around 50,000 people are directly employed in forest products manufacturing and services in Ohio.
The U.S. is one of the largest exporters of hardwood in the world, and one of the top three largest exporters of hardwood to China, with whom the U.S. has been in yet another escalating trade war as well as other countries since President Donald Trump took office in January.
“The U.S. hardwood industry is the backbone of rural America – supporting 1.8 million good-paying jobs and driving economic activity in communities from Appalachia to the Pacific Northwest,” the letter states. “We respectfully urge [the administration] to prioritize the U.S. hardwood industry, ensure our sector has equitable access to relief programs, and preserve our ability to compete globally.”
On Oct. 21, the Wall Street Journal reported that the federal government would provide billions in aid for U.S. farmers impacted by the trade war, similar to bailouts in 2018 and 2019. The hardwood industry, who composers of the letter say is made up of farmers too, has not been included in that relief and did not receive relief in 2018.
Since 2018, it’s estimated that the hardwood industry has lost $9 billion in commercial opportunities, according to the American Hardwood Export Council. and between 2022 and 2024, lost 10% of its workforce, according to an analysis conducted by S&P Global Commodity Insights.
‘Don’t forget about us’
Doug Brenneman’s family business has been lumber for nearly 100 years. Brenneman Lumber Company, based in Mount Vernon, Ohio, is the company he was born into, has worked in since 1997, co-owned since 2006 and paid for his children’s college.
“It’s basically been our lifeblood for… my entire life,” Brenneman said.
The company weathered the 2018 tariff storm, but this time around it’s different, he explained. Tariffs stayed stable in the previous trade war, but this year, the tariff percentages change frequently, making it increasingly difficult to plan around them.
Profits for Brenneman Lumber Company dipped in May and have continued to since, and they’ve chosen not to replace recently retired employees and shrink their operation. He has equipment that’s aging, but the uncertainty of the market has made him cautious in investing heavily into the business he loves so much.
“There’s an effort to help support the farmers, which absolutely we agree should be getting help,” Brenneman said. “But we’re trying to say, ‘Hey don’t forget about us, too.’ We’re suffering the same kind of of pain that that the farmers are.”
Business and consumer issues reporter Samantha Hendrickson can be reached at shendrickson@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio hardwood industry asks Trump to include them in farmer tariff relief package
Reporting by Samantha Hendrickson, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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