Beyond Tariffs: A Policy Prescription for Bolstering Canada’s Forest Economy – Policy Magazine
September 15, 2025
Canada’s forest sector stands at a pivotal moment. And while Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent softwood lumber support package offers a welcome first step toward stabilizing the sector, more can be done to put Canadian forestry on a permanent and sustainable path to growth.
Canadian forestry has the potential to grow jobs and opportunities in rural and northern Canada, provide domestic wood for constructing affordable housing, and use forest management practices—including Indigenous practices of prescribed burns—to help reduce the risk of severe wildfires.
But persistent trade uncertainty — including the increased duties on softwood lumber exports to the U.S. — threatens both the thousands of jobs at risk as trade negotiations continue and Canada’s ability to operate at scale.
