A Full-Court Press on Lumber

Material Costs
Published

NAHB continues to move rapidly and aggressively to engage the Biden administration on lumber and to urge policymakers to take immediate action to address skyrocketing lumber prices and supply shortages that are harming home builders, home buyers, remodelers and the economy.

This week, letters were sent to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and the U.S. Forest Service Chief Victoria Christiansen that addressed NAHB’s urgent concerns on this issue and recommended key strategies to ease lumber price volatility and boost supply.

Last week, NAHB spearheaded an effort that led to 35 organizations signing onto a joint letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo urging the secretary to “examine the lumber supply chain, identify the causes for high prices and supply constraints, and seek immediate remedies that will increase production”

The letter to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack urged him to include the lumber supply chain in a report to the White House regarding President Biden’s executive order to secure supply chains for critical and essential goods.

“Thank you for your efforts to examine America’s agricultural supply chains,” the letter stated. “We respectfully encourage you to include the lumber supply chain in your review and report to President Biden. We stand ready to work with you to ensure American consumers and home builders have a reliable, affordable supply of lumber to meet housing demand. ”

The message to U.S. Forest Chief Christiansen noted that “improving the health of our nation’s forests and increasing the supply of domestic timber are not mutually exclusive goals, and we strongly urge you to maintain current harvesting plans for the National Forest system ”

“Better forest management practices will not only promote the health of our nation’s forest system but also improve housing affordability,” the letter stated. “As additional supply of domestically produced timber is brought into the market, upward pressure on lumber prices will soften.”

View the full text of all the lumber letters, including one sent to President Biden in January, here.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Oct 24, 2025

Is the Construction Industry Attracting Younger Workers?

According to the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS), the median age of construction labor force is 42 years old — one year older than a typical worker in the national labor force. However, the construction industry has seen an increase in younger skilled labor since the peak of the skilled labor shortage in 2021.

Codes and Standards

Oct 23, 2025

NAHB Requests Member Feedback on ICC Review of International Residential Code

The International Code Council (ICC) has announced it will begin a holistic review of the International Residential Code (IRC), the national model construction code for one- and two-family dwellings that ICC updates every three years.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Oct 24, 2025

Inflation Picks Up in September

Inflation increased in September to the fastest pace since the start of the year, showing tariff pressure on prices continues to materialize gradually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) latest report.

Economics

Oct 23, 2025

Existing Home Sales Increase in September

Existing home sales rose to a seven-month high in September as mortgage rates eased and inventory improved, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Resale inventory matched to the highest level since May 2020, though it remained below pre-pandemic levels.

Economics

Oct 22, 2025

Where are Porches Most Common for Newly-Built Homes?

Although the share of new homes with porches edged down in 2024, porches continue to rank as the most common outdoor feature on new homes, according to NAHB tabulation of the latest data from the Survey of Construction (SOC, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau with partial funding from HUD).