Following a period of robust performance in 2021 and 2022, the U.S. housing sector has since moved at a slower pace. Over the last three years, key indicators, such as sales of existing homes, new residential construction, and home improvement spending, have remained weak. For timberland investors, this matters, as timber markets are structurally tied to the housing sector. More than 70% of U.S. lumber demand is driven by new home building or home improvement.

Over the past month, duties on Canadian softwood lumber imports into the United States have increased significantly.