Photos: Georgia wood industry whipsawed by U.S. trade war with China
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November 14, 2019 - Cleveland, GA - Jim Howard stands among several million board feet of stacked lumber at his Cleveland factory. Howard's Atlanta family business of buying and selling hardwood grew since the Great Recession on the strength of exports mostly to China, whose growing middle class wanted red oak floors and white oak furniture. When the trade war resulted in 25% Chinese tariffs on American wood, Howard's growing export business fell from 25% of company income to 8% in a year. Bob Andres / robert.andres@ajc.com