Tariffs Drive Maine Logging Costs up 30% to 50%, Trade Group Says

Prices for trucks, logging equipment, parts and wood products have risen 30% to 50% because of tariffs between the United States and Canada, Dana Doran of the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast told AFP in a report carried by KMVU FOX 26 Medford on October 26.

Maine's forest-related industry is valued at $8 billion, and some logging companies have cut back or closed as costs climb, said Garrett Martin, president of the Maine Center for Economic Policy. Martin also said Canadian travel to Maine dropped 43% in the first year of the tariffs, reducing retail sales and tax collections. Eight pulp and paper mills in the state have shut since 2012, according to Doran, who leads the contractors group as executive director.

Canada, Maine's largest trading partner, answered in September 2026 with duties of 25% to 50% on American lumber and wood furniture.

Not every producer objects. Jason Brochu, a co-owner of Pleasant River Lumber Company, which cuts 110 million board feet of softwood a year at its Enfield mill, said the duties offset Canadian subsidies and called the company "a glaring example of how trade protection works."

President Donald Trump announced a pause on tariffs for Canadian wood products on October 23, ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

This story was first reported by KMVU FOX 26 Medford.