U.S. Must Redo Tariffs on Canadian Lumber

The U.S. must reconsider its 16-month-old determination to impose tariffs of as much as 27% on $5.5 billion in annual lumber imports from Canada, a trade panel ruled in the third decision the U.S. has lost in the dispute.

The ruling by a panel under the North American Free Trade Agreement may lead to elimination of the duties.

The NAFTA ruling sends the issue back to the independent International Trade Commission, which may decide that U.S. producers such as International Paper Co. aren’t being hurt by imports of Canadian timber.