Senator Cochran was right on timber

Senator Cochran was right on timber. Senator Cochran was right on timber.

Key points

• Governor Delbert Hosemann speaks to city leaders at the Capitol, January 13, 2026.
• When I was Secretary of State, I joined Shuqualak Lumber Firm and other Mississippi timber mill operators in contesting the "dumping" of Canadian timber.
• Governor Delbert Hosemann notes Mississippi needs to backing a final resolution by President Trump which provides the state a fair ability to compete with this valuable Mississippi commodity.
• Delbert Hosemann is serving his second term as Mississippi's 33rd Lieutenant Governor.
• Our 16th Section land, all of which the proceeds goes to public schools, owns hundreds of thousands of acres of timber.

Senator Cochran was right on timber. Senator Cochran was right on timber. By: Delbert Hosemann – September 9, 2026.

Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann speaks to city leaders at the Capitol, January 13, 2026. (Photo from MML on Facebook).

Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann notes Mississippi needs to backing a final resolution by President Trump which provides the state a fair ability to compete with this valuable Mississippi commodity.

There has been significant recent conversation regarding Canadian tariffs on numerous products, more specifically timber. This matters to Mississippi since timber is one of our state's most notable agricultural and economic commodities. Over 80% of the timber in Mississippi is privately owned.

In 2003, Senator Thad Cochran cautioned: "Canada subsidizes its lumber mills by subsidizing the cost of stumpage price for pine timber, and those mills are dumping lumber in our domestic market." The problem remains the same today.

Most of the timber in Canada is owned by their administration. The various provinces set the cost at the stump. Most are significantly lower than the cost paid here to private landowners.

For context, the United States sets a countervailing tariff on Canadian timber. The extra charge varies by species from 14.52% to 16.15%. This is how much the U.S. Department of Commerce notes is the difference in the Canadian provinces giving a lower stumpage cost compared to our private Mississippi sales.

There are other factors such as hauling distances, but generally the cost of delivering a 2-by-4 to a Mississippi dealer is cheaper for Canadian timber than if we harvested it right here.

This matter continues today to be challenged in various courts. The United States imposed an extra 10% tariff beginning on October 14, 2025, citing the need to protect our domestic timber industry and national security.

Mississippi produces regarding $600 million of timber every year. The downward pressure on Mississippi timber rates varies but is estimated to be between $30 million and $50 million per year.

That is why Senator Cochran was right. And we need to backing a final resolution by President Trump which provides us a fair ability to compete with this valuable Mississippi commodity. Regarding the Author(s).

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In short, senator Cochran was right on timber is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.