EU Anti-Deforestation Law Faces US Industry Lobbying Push

American and Canadian forestry groups pressure the European Union to reduce new rules requiring proof that wood and paper products avoid deforestation and forest degradation.

The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), scheduled to take effect in December, faces significant pressure from North American forestry and paper sectors. Industry groups from the United States and Canada have mobilized to reduce rules concerning North American timber and paper goods under the new law.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), a leading trade group for paper and wood product manufacturers, has spent nearly $11 million on lobbying efforts since 2023, according to lobbying disclosures. These efforts include campaigning against the EUDR. The group's political action committee has also contributed over $272,000 in campaign donations since 2025.

Several U.S. lawmakers, including Senator Tom Cotton and Senator John Boozman, both Republicans from Arkansas, received AF&PA campaign funds. These lawmakers have publicly pressured the EU for looser regulations. Representative Austin Scott, a Republican from Georgia, reportedly asked former President Trump to intervene against the EUDR, stating it was “telling the American farmer what they can and can’t do.”

U.S. government officials, including representatives from the Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service, and the State Department, have also toured European capitals to press for exemptions. Delara Burkhardt, a member of the European Parliament and a lead negotiator on the EUDR, confirmed that the U.S. ambassador to the EU and other U.S. government officials have worked in Brussels to “water-down” the regulation.

The EUDR requires companies selling wood, paper, and certain other commodities in Europe to prove their products have not contributed to deforestation or forest degradation. Industry groups advocate for a “no-risk” category with reduced due-diligence requirements. This new law differs from earlier timber regulations by including “degradation,” which encompasses structural changes to a forest, not solely the conversion of primary forest to new land use. This expands scrutiny to practices in North America, where traditional deforestation is less common but forest industries may degrade the environment.

The U.S. exported $879.7 million worth of forest products to the EU in 2025, according to the USDA. The U.S. forest products industry is valued at around $300 billion, and the U.S. and Canada are the second and third-largest exporters of wood pulp globally. While AF&PA and Canada's Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) argue their exports should be exempt due to sustainable forestry practices, critics like Jennifer Skene, global forest policy director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, say “sustainable forestry” is a vague term often manipulated.

For jungle travelers and hosts, the implementation of such laws can shape the availability and sourcing of materials used in construction and design, influencing the long-term sustainability of remote stays.