NAHB Commends House Passage of Forestry Bill

Material Costs
Published
Contact: Alex Strong
astrong@nahb.org
Senior Director, Federal Legislative
(202) 266-8279

The House has passed NAHB-supported legislation that will contribute to better forest management practices, help strengthen the nation’s housing supply chain and promote affordable housing opportunities for all Americans.

The Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 471) will help improve the U.S. forest management system by expediting environmental reviews and ending frivolous litigation that often grinds needed forest management projects to a halt.

Legal obstacles, as well as administrative barriers, have contributed to the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management’s inability to effectively manage their lands. Consequently, overgrown and poorly managed forests have dramatically increased the risk of catastrophic wildfire across the country, which are extremely destructive to Americans living in fire prone areas as well as to the forest ecosystem.

Better forest management has positive ecological benefits along with the economic benefit of increasing the supply of federal timber products. Despite America’s vast timber resources, the United States does not produce sufficient lumber to meet the housing industry’s demand, requiring costly imports.

Lumber and wood products are a major cost driver in housing affordability, accounting for approximately 15% of the cost of construction for a single-family house. Additional domestic supply can help stabilize what is otherwise a volatile market for wood products, giving builders greater price stability.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

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

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Student Chapters | Membership

Apr 02, 2025

How NAHB's HBCU Student Leadership Program Shaped Their Futures

Two students of the program share how their career trajectories were changed by their experiences with NAHB.

Advocacy

Apr 01, 2025

Eliminating Excessive Regulations Will Ease the Nation’s Housing Affordability Crisis

Excessive government regulations are frustrating the efforts of home builders and multifamily developers to build more housing and address the nation’s housing affordability crisis, NAHB told Congress today.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Apr 01, 2025

Private Residential Construction Spending Rises in February

Private residential construction spending increased by 1.3% in February, rebounding from a 1.2% dip in January. The growth was largely driven by higher spending on single-family construction and residential improvements. On a year-over-year basis, the February report showed a 1.6% gain, indicating a modest growth in private residential construction spending during market uncertainties.

Economics

Apr 01, 2025

Soft Job Openings Estimate for Construction

After a period of slowing associated with declines for some elements of the residential construction industry, the count of open construction sector jobs remained lower than a year ago, per the February Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).

Economics

Mar 31, 2025

Affordability Pyramid Shows 94 Million Households Cannot Buy a $400,000 Home

NAHB recently released its 2025 Priced-Out Analysis, highlighting the housing affordability challenge. While previous posts discussed the impacts of rising home prices and interest rates on affordability, this post focuses on the related U.S. housing affordability pyramid. The pyramid reveals that 70% of households (94 million) cannot afford a $400,000 home, while the estimated median price of a new home is around $460,000 in 2025.