The US Department of Commerce added another hefty duty to Canadian lumber and wood product imports last week.
The anti-dumping duty, ranging from about 6% to 19%, was added for the alleged selling of products on the US market at less than production costs.
Canadian producers, already struggling to cope with the preliminary 19.3% countervailing duty imposed three months ago, now face crippling costs.
International Forest Products (Interfor) was quick to react with the indefinite closure of its Hammond Cedar division with the loss of 450 jobs.
Meanwhile, the effects of September 11 and countervailing duties on the North American wood products industry will be the main topics of discussion at a meeting in Vancouver in December.
Chair of the North American Wood Products Marketing Conference Charles Widman says there is heightened uncertainty about the economy since the terrorist attack adding: ‘We hope to provide the industry with some much-needed insight into next year’s markets.’
