Forest Products Annual Market Review 2017-2018 Ii UNECE/FAO Forest Products Annual Market Review, 2017-2018
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Forest Products Annual Market Review 2017-2018 ii UNECE/FAO Forest Products Annual Market Review, 2017-2018 NOTE The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. DISCLAIMER The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or carry the endorsement of the United Nations. ABSTRACT The Forest Products Annual Market Review 2017-2018 provides a comprehensive analysis of markets in the UNECE region and reports on the main market influences outside the UNECE region. It covers the range of products from the forest to the end- user: from roundwood and primary processed products to value-added and housing. Statistics-based chapters analyse the markets for wood raw materials, sawn softwood, sawn hardwood, wood-based panels, paper, paperboard and woodpulp. Other chapters analyse policies and markets for wood energy. Underlying the analysis is a comprehensive collection of data. The Review highlights the role of sustainable forest products in international markets. Policies concerning forests and forest products are discussed, as well as the main drivers and trends. The Review also analyses the effects of the current economic situation on forest products markets. ECE/TIM/SP/46 UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION Sales No. E.18.II.E.27 ISBN 978-92-1-117174-7 eISBN 978-92-1-047350-7 ISSN 1020-2269 Foreword iii FOREWORD Why do the UNECE and the FAO care about forest products markets? Firstly, forests are a key biome on our planet and the aim of maintaining their integrity is crucial to sustainable development. Secondly, forest products are economically important; thus, their production, trade and consumption have strong ramifications for maintaining livelihoods in rural forest areas and providing needed products for urban consumers. These two aims would appear to be incongruent; preserve the integrity of forests yet provide products that require removing trees with the use of chainsaws, bulldozers and other heavy equipment. However, these two points are not mutually exclusive, and in fact there is a body of scientific evidence indicating that the use of forest products is not only good for the environment at large, but also is good for forests. We know that wood has a relatively tiny carbon footprint when compared to alternative materials and this is not only the case for embodied carbon within the product but also over the entire lifecycle. Harvested wood accounts for only a moderate share of total tree growth with most of the CO2 emissions returning to the atmosphere through tree mortality. Increasing the utilization rate of trees by using wood to construct buildings and bridges could avoid significant carbon emissions if done in a sustainable manner. Studies indicate much lower emissions for wood compared with steel and concrete. The possibility of increasing timber utilization rates will vary from one country to another, but consider the example of the US, where it is estimated that the current level of timber harvest could be more than doubled and still be well within the threshold of sustainability.1 Of course, the benefits of forest products are not limited to buildings, packaging from wood and woodpulp can reduce the use of plastics, and textiles made from sustainable wood fibre can help mitigate the environmental harm from using fossil fuel-based synthetic fabrics or cotton farmed in dryland regions. We are also aware of the fact that wood is reusable, recyclable and biodegradable, virtually without peer in other materials. The net result is that the use of wood can be a strong tool for mitigation of climate change - a major threat to forests: increasing the number and severity of wildfires, wind events, as well as increasing the severity of insect epidemics. All these climate change related disturbances result in massive CO2 emissions, which can be juxtaposed with the sustainable harvest of trees, reducing fire danger, while providing raw materials for forest products and sequestering carbon dioxide in long-lived forest products. This publication provides the reader with a concise view on the state of wood-based forest products in the UNECE region. Products that have the potential to provide a solid “wooden” platform for achieving many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Hiroto MITSUGI Olga ALGAYEROVA Assistant Director-General, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Forestry Department of the Food and Agriculture Executive Secretary of the United Nations Organization of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 1 https://archpaper.com/2017/11/timber-construction-sustainable/ iv UNECE/FAO Forest Products Annual Market Review, 2017-2018 CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... viii CONTRIBUTORS TO THE PUBLICATION .........................................................................................................................................................................................................ix STATISTICAL CORRESPONDENTS .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................x DATA SOURCES ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................xi EXPLANATORY NOTES............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................xii ACRONYMS, ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS ....................................................................................................................................................................................... xiii 1 Overview of forest products markets and policies ................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction to the publication........................................................................................................................................................................................................2 1.2 Economic developments with implications for the forest sector ...............................................................................................................................2 1.3 Policy and regulatory developments affecting the forest products sector ..........................................................................................................3 1.4 Summary of regional and subregional markets .....................................................................................................................................................................5 2 Policies shaping forest products markets .................................................................................10 2.1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................12 2.2 Trade-related .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................12 2.3 Certified forest area ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................18 2.4 Carbon-related .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................20 2.5 References ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................22 3 Wood raw materials ......................................................................................................................26 3.1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................28 3.2 Europe ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................29 3.3 Commonwealth of Independent States ..................................................................................................................................................................................31