Story By Tracy Dickinson | September 2026
As new tariffs became a focus of conversation at the beginning of 2025, there was concern that lumber prices would be adversely affected. Eighteen months later, no news seems to be good news, according to local lumber suppliers.
“In some ways, a story about the lumber market this summer could be a boring story,” says Leachman Lumber’s Jennifer Leachman. “We haven’t really seen any significant effects from all the tariff talk. Pricing has been fairly calm so far.”
After extreme demand and unprecedented high prices during the COVID years, the lumber market has returned to normal levels, and that’s a bright spot in the local home construction industry.
Several Des Moines area professionals share their outlook on the lumber segment and what that means for metro builders.
Dave Ling | Beisser Lumber
Although tariffs may not have directly affected lumber prices, Beisser Lumber’s Dave Ling says they have a number of indirect effects. “The biggest impact has probably been the uncertainty. We’ve seen customers and suppliers react to that by buying ahead when they’re concerned about potential increases.”
On top of that, new tariffs or the threat of more affects the domestic market as well.
“When there’s uncertainty around Canadian imports, for example, it can put additional pressure on domestic producers and change the flow of material throughout the market,” Ling says. “The U.S. has a very strong domestic lumber industry. But there isn’t necessarily enough domestic production to replace the volume regularly imported from Canada.”
Fortunately, product availability has not been a significant concern this year, although lead times have been challenging on occasion. “Lead times can still be unpredictable on certain products,” Ling says. “Customers are more conscious of that when tariffs are in the back of their minds. We’ve had to be more proactive about inventory and sourcing to make sure we have materials available for our customers when they need them.”
Beisser agrees with other metro lumber companies. Ling says, “Higher diesel prices affect both our inbound freight and the cost of getting material to our customers. That said, I would say lumber pricing itself is influenced more by supply and demand than by transportation costs. I think the biggest challenge is that there are simply a lot of variables right now. Tariff policy, Canadian trade, interest rates, housing starts, remodeling activity, and overall economic conditions all play a role.”
To adjust to those variables, Ling says Beisser has become more flexible, seeking out multiple sources for products and trying to gauge where the market is headed rather than relying on traditional supply channels.
“From our standpoint,” he says, “the most important thing is less about trying to predict exactly where prices will be a year from now. There can be a lot of attention on the headline lumber price. But what customers ultimately care about is the delivered cost, availability, and having the material when they need it. That’s where we really try to add value as a dealer.”
For most of 2026, there have been numerous headlines about tariffs and their potential effects, but Ling says having accurate information is key in the lumber business. It’s not the sensational headlines that matter. It’s genuine communication from a trusted source. And that’s good news to customers.
Dave Ling | Chief Executive Officer
Beisser Lumber | BeisserLumber.com
Kelvin Hafner | Lake Lumber
Kelvin Hafner of Lake Lumber says, “Tariffs can affect business as a whole. But if demand isn’t out of normal proportions like it was during COVID, then tariffs don’t have as great an effect. Right now, demand isn’t unusually high, so things are pretty stable.”
The buying structure in the lumber industry provides some protection from sudden changes in the market, which has helped alleviate potential spikes. “Because we buy through brokers who contract to secure our needs, we purchase far enough in advance that we’re somewhat insulated from short-term ups and downs,” Hafner says.
The threat of increased tariffs has created opportunities for domestic lumber producers, but it has added pressure as well. Industry statistics indicate that more than 80% of softwoods that the U.S. imports come from Canada. Replacing that quantity through domestic sources any time soon would be a challenge.
Hafner says, “Companies may be interested in purchasing more from domestic suppliers, but the mills have to be able to increase capacity, and that takes time.”
The two factors that are affecting business have nothing to do with tariffs.
“Specific products are hard to find or have unusually long lead times,” says Hafner. “But fuel surcharges are just as impactful if not more than tariffs or higher lumber prices. Because it’s not an increase in cost of goods, it’s harder for businesses to adapt and recover that cost. That has a huge impact on a company’s bottom line.”
He says any spike in demand in the next few months could make market prices more volatile. Combining that with the fuel surcharges would most definitely affect sales activity.
Still, he is optimistic about the metro home construction market. “It’s always a balancing act,” says Hafner. “But the steady lumber and construction markets overall mean it’s safe to buy and safe to hold inventory because things aren’t slowing down.”
This year’s steady market has benefited lumber distributors and suppliers, keeping construction activity at a solid pace. Like everyone else in the industry, Hafner is watching a number of factors as this year’s peak construction season wanes, including sales activity, interest rates, and fuel costs.
Despite the national headlines, however, the one number not high on his list is tariffs. As long as those remain mere talking points, their effect on the lumber market is negligible. And that’s the same as good news.
Kelvin Hafner | President/Owner
Lake Lumber | LakeLumber.com
Jennifer Leachman | Leachman Lumber
“In some ways, a story about the lumber market this summer could be a boring story,” says Leachman Lumber’s Jennifer Leachman. “The lumber industry has had tariffs for decades, long before President Trump was in office. That conversation is nothing new. Availability can usually be more of an issue.”
Not only is availability dependent on sales demand, but as big box stores purchase large quantities and mills do curtailments throughout the year, supply can wane just as demand rises for other customers.
In addition, domestic producers must have sufficient growth from which to harvest that supply. Douglas fir, typically imported from Canada, has a 50- to 100-year growth cycle. Pine, however, has a 30-year cycle.
“Fewer U.S. producers have Douglas fir,” says Leachman. “And Iowa has traditionally been a Douglas fir market. The lumber is popular in the Midwest because it’s stronger than southern yellow pine, which other regions more commonly use. And Douglas fir is better suited to the snow loads and temperature variations we have around here.”
Because of this, the U.S. will always have a demand for Canadian lumber to some extent.
The other concern is one that is hitting every consumer in multiple ways—the rising cost of fuel.
“We haven’t really seen any significant effects from all the tariff talk. Pricing has been fairly calm,” she says. “But in the last few months, everyone is adding fuel surcharges to invoices. All of our vendors are doing that.”
And from one week to the next, different products can be harder to come by. She says, “One of my buyers told me it’s become nearly impossible to get 10-foot boards. He can find 12-footers but not 10-footers for some reason.”
Nevertheless, Leachman says the Des Moines metro market is doing well. “Business has been steady from a lumber perspective. There are issues in the construction market, but they aren’t lumber-related. Things like labor shortages and just the price of new homes are bigger concerns than the lumber supply.”
Local and national economists are watching the numbers as they prepare for next year’s building season and anticipate an uptick in demand for new construction, which could put a strain on lumber supply if production does not increase as well. If fuel surcharges continue, prices could become an issue.
But for now, Leachman says the lumber outlook is the same old story, and that’s not a bad thing.
Jennifer Leachman | Chief Executive Officer
Leachman Lumber | LeachmanLumber.com