U.S. forest products trade policies: what are the options.

Abstract

Trade and other policies are being considered by the U.S. Forest Service according to the terms of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-378,93d Congress, S.2296). This paper describes the issues involved in the question, "Should we or should we not attempt to reduce net imports of forest products?" In terms of volume, net imports of forest products amount to about 12 percent of U.S. consumption. The value of imports exceeds the value of exports by about $1.5 billion. Most of U.S. softwood imports come from Canada and hardwoods from South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines. Japan and the Common Market countries are the major markets for U.S. forest products exports. Without a change in trade policy, net imports of forest products may increase. Constraints on options for increasing exports or decreasing imports limit the feasibility of policies designed to change existing and expected trade patterns. Policies should be weighed in terms of their effects on both international and domestic goals. Most effects of changes in either import or export policies would be due to increases in the relative prices of forest products. There is no clear rationale, either in theory or in existing U.S. trade policy, for balancing imports and exports of a commodity.

Citation

Darr, David R. 1975. U.S. forest products trade policies: what are the options. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-041. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 42 p