Forestry Protection Act of 2026

The Forestry Protection Act of 2026 reduces certain duties and import restrictions on finished forestry products by 50% if the importer proves the product is made entirely from raw wood material originating in the United States. It also requires advance notice and public comment before the President can impose or modify such duties or restrictions on these products.

Sec. 2, Tariff reduction for goods containing 100 percent United States raw wood material: Any duty or covered import restriction (a fee other than a duty) on a finished forestry product under a covered trade law must be reduced by 50% if the importer shows the product contains 100% raw wood material from the U.S. The Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with the U.S. Trade Representative, must issue regulations within 90 days for verification and fraud prevention. A finished forestry product is an article under tariff codes 4408-4421 made outside the U.S. from raw wood material. Raw wood material is a product under codes 4401-4407 that has only been sawed, chipped, or dried. Covered trade laws include sections 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, 122 or 301(b) of the Trade Act of 1974, and 203 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Sec. 3, Notification requirement for imposition or modification of duty or other import restriction pursuant to covered trade law: The President cannot impose or modify a duty or other import restriction on a finished forestry product under a covered trade law unless the action is published in the Federal Register at least 90 days before it takes effect. The notice must include the rate or amount, the law used, each product and its tariff code, the justification, and the proposed effective date. It must also allow at least 60 days for public comments. This section defines finished forestry product to include a broader list of tariff codes (4401-4421 and 4701-4705) and uses the same definitions for covered import restriction, covered trade law, and raw wood material as in section 2.