Jason Smith Backs Missouri Timber Industry During Visit

By Blake Jackson

Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08) recently visited Naeger Forest Products in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, where he toured the sawmill and met with owner Mike Naeger to discuss opportunities and challenges facing the state's timber industry.

“Mike has spent more than four decades building this sawmill into one that produces some of the highest-quality cedar in the country, and it was clear from our conversation just how much pride he takes in that work," Congressman Smith said.

"We talked about the flood of cheap, fake wood products coming in from China, the toll the railroad merger has taken on the tie market, and the need to open up new domestic and foreign markets for Missouri timber. Our forest products industry is every bit as important to America’s supply chain security as our farm, food, and pharmaceutical industries, and I’ll keep fighting in Washington to make sure it’s treated that way,” he continued.”

Naeger has worked in the logging business for 41 years and founded his sawmill 34 years ago. The operation specializes in Aromatic and Eastern Red Cedar harvested within a 100-mile radius of Perry, St. Francois, and Jefferson counties.

The mill also processes hardwoods, marketing oak and pine products to regional buyers and producing approximately 3 million board feet of lumber annually.

During the visit, Smith also met with Missouri Forest Products Association President Brian Brookshire to discuss concerns affecting the industry, including competition from imported imitation wood products, reduced demand linked to railroad consolidation, and the need to expand markets for U.S.-made timber products.

The discussion also highlighted the Fix Our Forests Act, which supports active management of federal forestlands through logging, thinning, and restoration efforts aimed at reducing wildfire risks and improving forest health.

Smith said he remains committed to policies that strengthen domestic timber production, expand market access, and support Missouri’s forest products industry.