Final Rule Clarifies SLB Assessment Rate and Adds Board Seat 

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service published a final rule in the Federal Register on September 22 clarifying the assessment rate for softwood lumber imported into the United States and modifying the membership of the SLB established under the Softwood Lumber Research, Promotion, Consumer Education and Industry Information Order (or Checkoff). The final rule is published here.

Clarifying Assessment Rate

The assessment rate on softwood lumber remains unchanged at $0.41 per thousand board feet (MBF) for both domestically manufactured and imported softwood lumber. The rule clarifies a discrepancy where lumber in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico was measured by nominal size or count, while lumber from European countries is often measured by its “net” size or count. This discrepancy in volume measurements resulted in an imbalance in assessment payments between North American, European, and other importing countries. The rule addresses this issue by clarifying that the assessment rate calculations shall be on the nominal count for domestically manufactured or imported softwood lumber.

Changes in Membership

The Board is required to review membership at least every five years to determine if the distribution of members accurately reflects the makeup of the industry. According to FEA data, production of softwood lumber in the U.S. South has increased in recent years, warranting an additional board seat to accurately represent the industry. The rule adds one board seat to the U.S. South region, bringing the total number of seats across all regions from 14 to 15 industry seats, with an additional seat for a public member, for a total of 16 Board members. The change will be implemented with the nominations for the 2028 Board.

Please contact SLB Director of Operations Lauren Sandbulte at sandbulte@softwoodlumberboard.org if you have any questions.