Nafta : the Timber Industry and Some Consequences

Agricultural Trade Policy







INTRODUCTION


Over the past four hundred years or so, timber has helped to fuel the economy of the United


States of America.   Billions of dollars change hands every year on timber alone just from the United


States's producers and their counterpart retailers.   In the 1970's the United States was second on the


list of the largest lumber producing countries in the world trailing only Russia ( by a few billion board


feet per year).   We were the powerhouse when it came to timber production, and we continued to be well


into the 1980's.


During the 1980's the industry began to take on a new shape with one of our closest neighbors,


Canada, discovering it had a vast supply of a natural resource which was quite marketable.


Canada soon took advantage of this, and by the late 1980's exceeded the United States output ( per board


feet) by a few million board feet (World Book Encyclopedia @1985).


With Canada so close in proximity, more and more of their


found it's way into the United States.   We are not saying that Canada was not a major player in the


market before, it had just begun to maximize it's potential in the American market.   This is also the


most significant part of history in regards to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).  


The emergence of Canada was due in part to the increasing number of United States regulations on


the timber industry. Clearcutting was a process of cutting down every tree in the area without leaving


the unsalvageable trees.   This production process caused a spark of interest in several U.S.


organizations.   Clearcutting had raised the eyebrow's of the proponents of the endangered species act


because clearcutting was leading to the extinction of the spotted owl, a species whose home was in the


northwest region of the country (Newsweek April...