[Index]
Recovery of forest
products markets in the UNECE region
Geneva, 9 September
2003 - The United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) just released
the draft of the UNECE/FAO Forest
Products Annual Market Analysis, 2002-2004.
It covers forest products market and
policy developments in the UNECE region
of Europe, North America and the CIS
countries. Its main findings are:
-
Forest law enforcement,
governance and trade policies are
being developed as countries build
partnerships to control illegal
logging and the trade of forest
products sourced from illegal harvesting.
-
Markets for forest
products in the UNECE region turned
upwards in 2002, overcoming the
dip in 2001, achieving some record
levels.
-
Certified forest
area worldwide extended to over
150 million hectares by mid-2003,
90% of which are in the UNECE region,
however, not all potentially labelled
certified forest products reach
final consumers.
-
Total roundwood
consumption for the UNECE region
was 1.3 billion m3, well within
sustainable harvest limits.
-
Structural oversupply
has arisen for some products and
subregions, and with strong global
competition, this has increased
pressure on the economic viability
of forest management in some countries.
-
Forest products
markets remained weak in western
Europe, with the exception of sawn
softwood, which bounced back from
a drop in 2001 to reach record production
and exports levels.
-
Strong housing
construction in the United States
drove demand for sawn softwood and
structural panels, with an increasing
amount being imported.
-
Increased market
share of imported forest products
led the United States to continue
quotas and tariffs on Canadian sawnwood
imports in 2002 through mid-2003.
-
Markets in the
Central and Eastern European countries
and the Balkans exhibited strong,
continuing recovery in 2002, and
for some products, pre-transition
levels were attained.
-
Consumption of
wood energy in the EU/EFTA rose
to a record level in 2002, leading
panel and pulp manufacturers to
express concern about competition
for their raw material.
-
CIS exports of
roundwood and sawnwood expanded
to record levels, but domestic consumption
remained soft.
-
Sawn softwood
consumption, production and trade
rose to record levels in the UNECE
region in 2002, but sawn hardwood
demand peaked in 1999 and has since
been falling.
The Annual Market
Analysis begins with an overview,
followed by a chapter on the policy
implications of forest products market
developments. These are followed by
analyses of the economic factors affecting
the forest and forest industries sector.
Statistics-based chapters are included
for markets of sawn softwood, sawn hardwood,
wood-based panels, paper, paperboard
and woodpulp, wood raw materials and
tropical timber. Other chapters highlight
the rapid developments in forest products
certification, as well as value-added
wood products, e.g. furniture.
The market effects
of wood energy policies is the theme
of the annual Timber Committee Market
Discussions on 7-8 October 2003 in Geneva.
Copies of the Annual
Market Analysis or its Executive
Summary may be obtained from the
web site homepage or postal address
below. For further information please
contact:
Mr. Christopher
Prins
Chief, UNECE/FAO Timber Section
Trade Development and Timber Division
United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe
Palais des Nations
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: +41 (0)22 917 2872
Fax: +41 (0)22 917 0041
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.unece.org/trade/timber
Ref: ECE/TIM/03/P01