Forestry workers in Port Alberni are bracing for job cuts after the U.S. government announced significant duties on lumber imports from Canada.

On Tuesday, the Trump administration declared the new tariffs could be as high as 24 per cent on Canadian lumber.

One third of jobs in Port Alberni, which is home to roughly 26,000 people, come directly and indirectly from the forest industry. 

The city’s mayor says the extra costs will change how mills operate and will put people’s livelihood at risk.

“I think we’ll get to the point where people lose jobs and have to, in the end, re-evaluate their whole involvement in the forest industry,” said Mike Ruttan.

The Port Alberni Port Authority says when the mills start to feel the impact, it’ll only be a matter of time before the tariffs hit its operations as well.

“Any reduction in their production could have an effect of them producing lumber for Asia, for our export and potentially slowing down or shutting down the mill,” said the port authority’s president and CEO Zoran Knezevic. “At that point it could have a devastating effect on us in our operation because we won’t have any cargo to ship through here.”

The city’s multi-million dollar industry took a big hit this past winter after the supply flow to local mills was cut off by heavy snow and 500 employees were left without work. 

The community anticipates another major blow, but officials say the extent of the damage won’t be known for at least another few months. 

With files from CTV Vancouver Island’s Jessica Lepp