For nearly a century, Washington’s timber industry produced everything from paper to 2x4s to the massive wood beams that hold up the Tacoma dome. But the industry’s been on a long decline since the 1990s.  

Now, President Trump wants to reduce foreign competition and increase U.S. logging to bring back those jobs. Could Trump’s strategy revive the timber industry in the Northwest? 

We went to a sawmill in the foothills of Mt. Rainier to find out. 

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. 

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

For nearly a century, Washington&rsquo;s timber industry produced everything from paper to 2x4s to the massive wood beams that hold up the Tacoma dome. But the industry&rsquo;s been on a long decline since the 1990s.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Now, President Trump wants to reduce foreign competition and<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/immediate-expansion-of-american-timber-production/"> increase U.S. logging</a> to bring back those jobs.&nbsp;Could Trump&rsquo;s strategy revive the timber industry in the Northwest?&nbsp;
We went to a sawmill in the foothills of Mt. Rainier to find out.&nbsp;
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kuow.org/donate/booming">kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.</a>&nbsp;
Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/carol-smith">Carol Smith</a>. Our producers are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek">Lucy Soucek</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/alec-cowan">Alec Cowan</a>. Our hosts are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/joshua-mcnichols">Joshua McNichols</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/monica-nickelsburg">Monica Nickelsburg</a>.

Booming is a weekly podcast about the economic forces shaping our lives here in the Pacific Northwest. The Seattle area's been home to many booms over the years. It’s brought jobs, people, and wealth to the region, but also real growing pains that people here feel every day. In Booming, KUOW economy reporters Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg help listeners make sense of our ever-changing economy. We'll dig into what people are seeing or feeling and unpack the story behind it.

Booming is a weekly podcast about the economic forces shaping our lives here in the Pacific Northwest. The Seattle area's been home to many booms over the years. It&rsquo;s brought jobs, people, and wealth to the region, but also real growing pains that people here feel every day. In&nbsp;Booming, KUOW economy reporters Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg help listeners make sense of our ever-changing economy. We'll dig into what people are seeing or feeling and unpack the story behind it.

Booming

President Trump wants to reduce foreign competition and increase U.S. logging to bring back lumber jobs. Could Trump's strategy revive the timber industry in the Northwest? We went to a sawmill in the foothills of Mt. Rainier to find out. 

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