President Trump recently announced new and increased tariffs affecting key construction materials. The on-again, off-again nature of the Trump Administration’s tariff measures are contributing to the economic uncertainty in...more
On March 4th, President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and Canada, the United States’ two largest trading partners. Two days later, those tariffs were largely lifted as President Trump signed...more
The 25 Percent Tariff on Canadian and Mexican Products - On March 3, 2025, the Trump administration announced that the United States would proceed with its anticipated plan to impose a 25 percent tariff on products imported...more
Executive Orders on Timber and Lumber Imports and Expanding US Timber Production - On March 1, President Trump issued a pair of Executive Orders intended to address the impact of timber and lumber imports and to promote...more
On March 1, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to initiate an investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (Section 232) to determine whether...more
The executive order directs the Secretary of Commerce to conduct an investigation pursuant to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 regarding “the effects on the national security of imports of timber, lumber, and...more
This order revises federal policies to increase domestic timber production. All relevant agencies shall eliminate, to the maximum extent permissible by law, all undue delays within their respective permitting processes...more
On March 1, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) requiring the US Department of Commerce (Commerce) to investigate the national security implications in connection with imports of timber, lumber, and their...more
In 2022, the Ascent, a 25-story apartment building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, became the world’s tallest mass timber structure. The Milwaukee tower, which features luxury apartments, retail space, an elevated pool, and a sky...more
At the intersection of San Francisco’s SOMA, Potrero Hill and Showplace Square districts, a first-of-its-kind building offers an example of the potential widespread success of mass timber construction in the United States. 1...more
Q&A with the Carolina Small Business Development Fund - We are fortunate to have connected with Kevin Dick, the President & CEO, and Emily Blevins, Marketing & Communications Director, of the Carolina Small Business...more
Design professionals, real estate developers and builders alike are advocating for a relatively new way of using one of the world’s oldest building materials—wood—in large-scale commercial and residential construction...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (“Ninth Circuit”) addressed in a November 25th Memorandum a judicial challenge to the United States Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) North Landscape Project (“North...more
The demand for sustainable, lower-carbon solutions in the construction industry is creating new opportunities for the use of mass timber in Canada. Building code regulations are changing to allow for taller wood...more
The U.S. lumber market has seen unprecedented price rises in recent years. Prices could climb even higher as the world responds to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Russia is a major exporter of wood in the global...more
On April 18, 2022, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued preliminary guidance to federal agencies on how to implement the new “Buy America” requirements applicable to federally funded infrastructure projects. ...more
On Monday, D.C. District Judge James Boasberg granted Facebook’s motion to dismiss the antitrust lawsuits filed by the Federal Trade Commission and 40+ states in “a stunning setback to regulators’ efforts to break up...more
Fresh off her Senate approval as newest commissioner to the Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan—“a prominent critic of Big Tech”—has been named chair of the Commission. President Biden’s decision to make the 32-year-old Khan...more
The Times digs into what it’s calling private equity’s “conquer[ing of] the American tax system”—where “slight-of-hand tax-avoidance strategies” are so “aggressive” and pervasive that “at least three private equity officials...more
The recent increasing price of lumber may be the single biggest threat to affordable housing in the United States, not to mention the threat it poses to the U.S. economy. Covid-19, which spurred an upsurge in home renovation...more
The Daily Journal of Commerce recently reported that increased demand for mass-timber material, such as cross-laminated timber (“CLT”), has caused a shortage as suppliers struggle to expand production. Iain Macdonald, an...more
On April 9, 2019, a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel issued its ruling in the most recent installment of the long-running US–Canada softwood lumber dispute. The panel’s decision is notable for its...more
The Third District Court of Appeal rejected a CEQA challenge to a county’s general plan update, holding that a county’s California Timberland Productivity Act finding that a residence or structure is necessary for timberland...more
The Arkansas Forestry Association (“AFA”) announced it is holding a workshop titled: Technology in the Forest Workshop (“Workshop”) ...more
At its February 9, 2018 meeting, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission (the “Commission”) voted to “uplist” the marbled murrelet’s status from a threatened to an endangered species by a 4-2 margin. The marbled murrelet is a...more