Timber Committee renamed “Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry”

As part of the review of its work, the Economic Commission for Europe has changed the name of the Timber Committee to “Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry” in order to better reflect the Committee’s current focus and tasks.

Through a joint programme with the European Forestry Commission of the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Committee covers a range of forest-related subjects, in particular on the interface between forest management and the work on wood and non-wood products and forests services.

“A name is not about semantics” said Paola Deda, Chief of the joint ECE-FAO Forestry and Timber Section and Secretary to the Committee, “but about identity”. The ECE Committee on Forest and Forest Industry is addressing much more than timber and the new name makes justice to its functions”.

In addition to preparing a new programme of work, the joint bodies are developing an Action Plan for the Forest Sector in the Green Economy. The plan identifies the forest sector as a key sector in guiding the transition of the UNECE region towards a stronger and greener economy.