Other single-mill operations, largely family owned, will close their doors permanently. The trade dispute is "ravaging this industry," endangering the livelihood of mill workers, craftsmen, loggers and foresters, Kuster said in July in a letter urging more support from the USDA co-signed by 37 other members of Congress. "I think that what the industry didn’t realize was how long this trade war would go on for.". Correction: An earlier version of a photo caption in this story included incorrect information about the Allard family. The decision was made "as prospects dimmed for a quick resolution to the U.S. and China trade dispute," the company said in a statement. "I think we’re all feeling like puppets on a string.". Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. All lumber exports to China fell by $615 million compared to the previous year. It's located where Trevor's grandfather once farmed the land. But the hardwood industry has received no such support. He added: "The most troubling thing is the loss of infrastructure. This is a pretty challenged industry. Allard's father co-founded the company, in Brattleboro, Vermont, nearly 50 years ago. In 2018, after soybeans, hardwood lumber was the largest export product to China by value. Tariffs have been like a "buzz saw" through Appalachian hardwood businesses and the families who own and operate them, Frank Stewart, executive director of the West Virginia Forestry Association, wrote in an opinion piece sent to various publications. Got a confidential news tip? ", In a statement, the USDA says the lumber industry has received more than $5 million from the department's Agricultural Trade Promotion Program, "one leg of the President's Support Package for Farmers. "Unlike the other main row crops," French says, "we have gotten absolutely no support other than comments of, you know, 'take one for the team' or, 'we can't help you — it's too complicated,' 'you're not really an agricultural product.' But unlike some other agricultural sectors affected by escalating tariffs, the hardwood industry has received little to no compensation from the federal government. The trade war with China has caused a steep drop in U.S. exports, and now the industry is cutting jobs. Ruling: William Pendley 'served unlawfully' as public lands chief. Hardwood plywood manufacturer Timber Products to install Meinan lathe line [Jan 18] U.S.: Building materials price growth slowest since 2015 [Jan 17] Canada: Good news for lumber and OSB industries [Jan 17] Malaysia: Timber exports hit RM18.46b in Jan-Oct 2019 [Jan 16] UK: Timber prices set to … "This is a pretty depressed group. Sept. 26 (UPI) -- COVID-19 cases ticked past the 1,000 mark in New York and Florida lifted restrictions on restaurants and bars to start the weekend. As political and commercial ties between our two countries continue to deteriorate, our industry is caught in the middle of a fight with a country who has been our largest market for a decade," wrote Tripp Pryor, international program manager at the council, in an August report. When sawmills close down, the loggers go into other industries and they're not going to come back. We want to hear from you. Ron Paul 'doing fine' after medical episode on live stream. Annie Kuster, a Democrat who represents New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District, co-authored a letter last summer, signed by 12 other Democrats and 25 Republicans, to the USDA, calling for the industry to be included in future farm aid packages from the Trump administration. In 2017, the industry shipped nearly $2 billion of hardwood lumber to China — an all-time high. We regret the error. This segment aired on September 24, 2019. The Tacoma, Washington-based company, which is one of the largest producers in North America, is also closing a plant in Virginia, cutting an additional 30 jobs, and is then laying off 30 more at the corporate level. There's no other market that will pick up the slack for what the Chinese are not buying," Ondich said. "You have sawmills that have millions of feet of logs that they've already purchased, and they've purchased those based on a price of what lumber is selling for," Aplin says. Trump argues that the back-and-forth over tariffs is necessary, part of a negotiating tactic that will benefit the U.S. economy in the long run. Workers at Northwest Hardwoods' mill in Mount Vernon, Washington, don't have much time left on the job. An employee looks at hardwood logs stacked in piles in the yard at Superior Hardwoods of Ohio Inc. in Barlow, Ohio. "And the irony, I mean, as with agricultural commodities, is the hardwood industry in general comes from red states and a lot of the hardwood sawmillers were supporters of Trump, and in some cases willing to take a bloody nose for what some believed was the greater good of getting China to play fair in other industries," he says. In the 12 months since tariffs on U.S. hardwood were announced in July of last year, lumber exports to China were down $615 million compared with the previous year, according to the American Hardwood Export Council.