b'28American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comCanada challenging unfair US duties imposed onFOREST PRODUCTS 2023softwood lumber exportsThe long-standing lumber dispute between the US and Canada heating upagainBy Leo Ryan, AJOTWhile its often pointedwas initially set based on the outthatTheUnitedStatesnumber of trees harvested (or and Canada share the worldsprice per stump). Today, it is longestundefendedborder,determined based on quantity the two friends also shareunits,suchascubicmeters, oneoftheworldslongestboard feet or tons.runningtradedisputesInCanada,theforest adisputeoverCanadianareasaremainlylocatedon lumber exports to the Unitedlandownedbythefederal States.Theessenceoftheorprovincialgovernments disagreementisCanadasand the provinces lease these disapprovalofUSdutiesareas to forest companies for imposedonallegedlysub- thepurposeoftimberhar-sidized Canadian softwoodvesting.Thestumpagerates lumber exports. For decades,aredefinedbylaw.Onthe thesoftwoodlumbercon- otherhand,intheUnited flict has refused to go away.(IMPOSEDcontinued on And the latest developmentspage 30) Lumber piles on Vancouver Island illustrate the major contribution of the forestry industry to the BC economy.suggestthereislittleroom for compromise on bilateral negotiationsinthecurrent. 2iteration. Access to of the U.S. population within 24 hourstryCanadian forestry indus- . 3interestsgenerallyseeA large regional distribution center networkthe tariffs as unproductivehurting producers in Canada.whileharmingconsumersClosest East Coast port to the Midwestsouthoftheborderalready dealingwithinflationand. Neo-Panamax cranessupply chain issues.Between 2017 and 2021,.it has been estimated that the50- foot-deep berthsduties cost Canadian produc-ersaboutC$5.6billionto exporttheresource.Some two thirds of Canadian soft-woodlumberproduction withBritishColumbias massiveforeststhedomi-nant factor - is exported, with more than 80% flowing to the UnitedStatesamountingto over $8 billion in value.u nfair , u njust , i llegalInlate August,Canadas InternationalTradeMinister Mary Ng said Ottawa is for- Go mally challenging as unfair, unjust and illegal a July assess-ment of the levies by the USBigger Commerce Department.Canada is launching chal-lenges to the latest U.S. coun-tervailingdutydetermination under(CUSMA)Chapter10a n dandtothelatestU.S.anti-dumpingdutydeterminationBetterbefore the US Court of Inter-national Trade, Ng said.TheU.S.reduceditsanti-dumpingandcountervail- ining duty rate to 7.99% fromBaltimore17.6%, but Ng signalled that Canada would still fight the measures.Attheheartofthedis-pute: the low stumpage fees Canadianprovincescharge fortimberharvestedfrom Crown land have been quali-fied as akin to subsidies since USproducersmustinstead pay market rates.What are stumpage fees?Marylandports.com 1.800.638.7519They are the price a forestry companypaystotheland-owner to harvest timber fromGovernor Wes Moore MDOT Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld MPA Interim Acting Executive Director Brian Milleracertainarea.Thisprice'