The B.C. Lumber Trade Council (BCLTC) finds U.S. President Joe Biden’s Buy American stance, revealed in the state of the union address at Capitol Hill, to be a point of concern.

Biden says he wants to put limits on the use of imported lumber in federally funded infrastructure projects. Instead, he wants all the materials for such projects including, copper, aluminum, drywall, fibre-optic cable, and lumber, to be produced in America.

According to the council’s president, the U.S. was able to fill only 70 per cent of its lumber requirements with its own production and had to rely on Canadian lumber to meet the rest.

Canadian lumber producers have been in a dispute for decades with the U.S. over anti-dumping duties placed by the country on Canadian softwood lumber to protect its own lumber producers.

According to the Vancouver Sun, the president said: “This is concerning, and we are seeking to better understand what this means for Canadian producers. Our focus remains on working on both sides of the border to maximize the opportunity Canada has in providing the sustainably produced, low-carbon lumber products we know American homebuilders, consumers, and construction workers want and need.”