Alaska’s forest products industry — once worth US$115 million a year in trade — has emerged as one of the biggest winners from the new thaw in relations between the United States and China.
Last week, China restored its log trade with the United States, once responsible for buying 40 per cent of U.S. hardwood and 38 per cent of U.S. softwood exports, after the General Administration of Customs reversed a March decree that had halted the import of raw logs amid concerns over bark beetle and longhorn infestations. Starting from November 12, the decision means that Southeast Alaskan millers who harvest from the 17‑million‑acre Tongass National Forest — the nation’s largest — can again move large volumes of logs through Chinese ports.
According to Politico, the 12‑month resumption of trade will still carry a 10 per cent tariff on timber exchanged between the world’s two largest economies. “This solution allows our members to resume their relationships with Chinese customers,” said Tessa Axelson, executive director of the Alaska Forest Association, who credited the Trump administration and Alaska’s congressional delegation for “keeping focus on this issue and finding a solution.”
The Tongass is one of the few national forests where federal law permits the export of unprocessed logs, a practice banned elsewhere to protect domestic mills. That exception has long sustained Southeast Alaska’s timber economy, even as logging has dwindled and mills have shuttered. “This is a big deal for our members,” Axelson added, noting that the Chinese market has historically been one of the most important for Alaska producers.
Industry leaders described the deal as a lifeline. “Without access to China, our mills were facing an impossible situation,” one operator told Politico, noting that domestic demand alone could not sustain operations. The Tongass remains the only national forest where log exports are permitted, making the Chinese market essential for survival.
- To learn more about the impact of a potential trade war on Chinese and United States forest products, click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
