There is no lumber shortage. We already produce enormous amounts of timber. Canada, the world’s softwood giant, can supply more lumber than we could ever reasonably use, and at bargain prices.

The Trump administration imposed tariffs, drove up prices, then declared a crisis of its own making to justify logging old growth.

And now they’re talking about returning logging to 1960s levels — the era of industrial clearcutting that scarred the Pacific Northwest and nearly erased what little ancient forest remained. For what? We’re not running out of lumber. We’re not dependent on old growth to build homes. Most of that timber wouldn’t even stay here, it would go overseas.

Cutting down 400-year-old forests when we already have all the lumber we need is vile and senseless. The only way to explain this is that it’s greed mixed with staggering economic stupidity.