How EUDR Threatens the U.S. Forest Products Sector
The U.S. does not contribute to global deforestation. The burden the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) places on U.S. forest products producers will not achieve the EU’s stated policy goal.
Our Concerns with EUDR
Lack of Recognition
The overly prescriptive requirements of the regulation do not recognize the U.S. as a world leader in modern, sustainable forest management.
Trade Disruption
The requirements include unworkable technical challenges that threaten to disrupt trade with the EU, valued at more than $3.5 billion annually.
Competitive Disadvantage
The obligations put nearly 11 million small U.S. family forest owners at a competitive disadvantage.
Unless further changes are negotiated, millions of private landowners, U.S. manufacturing jobs and significant exports to the EU will be put at risk.
EUDR's Impact on Forest Product Sector
Geolocation
EUDR requires us to provide coordinates for all plots of land from which a product shipment was sourced.
Approximately 90% of the fiber used by U.S. forest product producers comes from almost 11 million small private landowners.
Compliance costs to map and assess millions of individual plots of land will be exponentially higher for the U.S. compared to other countries with few private owners.
This puts the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage.
Traceability of Secondary Materials
EUDR imposes unachievable traceability requirements for wood chip by-products from sawmills and forestry operations.
40% of our fiber inputs come from leftover materials that are regularly blended multiple times throughout the production process.
This makes precise tracing of wood chips and forest residues from the original plot of land to a final product unrealistic and practically impossible.
A delay does not solve our concerns with the regulation’s complex requirements and significant technical barriers.
We are among the most responsible suppliers of forest fiber in the world and already have control mechanisms in place for all of our fiber inputs.
U.S. Forest Products Value Chain Urges Action on EUDR
Read the Letter to President TrumpMore than 60 organizations urged President Trump and his trade advisors to include EUDR on their list of items to negotiate with the European Union.
These negotiations are vital to ensuring the U.S. is recognized as a country that wisely manages its forest resources and must be recognized as not contributing to deforestation.