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Issue 2 2017

 

 
 

Forest Information Billboard

 
 

Issue 2, June 2017

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REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR Las2017

 

 
 

 Forest reporting

 
Young people aged 5-19 are invited to use their imagination and artistic talent to enter the European Forest Week 2017 Art Contest to share their ideas about European forests and their many benefits with others around the region. There are three age group categories for the contest: age 5 to 8, age 9 to 12, and age 13 to 19. Winning drawings or paintings will go on display at European Forest Week in Warsaw, Poland, 9 - 13 October, and in a European Forest Week calendar. For more information on how to enter please visit the contest website or refer to the announcement. Feel free to translate the content and promote the art contest in your country.
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ECE and FAO are currently conducting a short survey to gather some information on perceptions of sustainable forest management and forest certification. We would be delighted if you could spare 15 minutes to complete the survey, using the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/forest-management-and-certification.
The deadline for the submission of the survey is Friday, 28 July 2017.
Outcomes of the survey will be presented and discussed during the International Conference Marianske Lazne +70, 5-7 September 2017 in Czech Republic.
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Durham, United States - Malaga, Spain – Tromsø, Norway – hosted three UNECE/FAO Teams of Specialists in May 2017 to discuss problems of wood energy, forest assessment and forest communication.
The U.S. Forest Service kindly hosted the 4th meeting of the ToS on Wood Energy from 17 - 19 May 2017 in Durham, North Carolina, United States. The first day of the meeting was a field trip to naturally regenerated hardwood stands that were used for pellet production in the Enviva pellet plant in Samson, North Carolina.  The ToS revised the draft chapters of the future study on wood energy in the UNECE region. [Website]
The 25th meeting of the “UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Monitoring Sustainable Forest management” was held in Tromsø, Norway 22-24 May 2017 at the invitation of the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO). The meeting focused on the scope, definitions and reporting arrangements for the 2020 Global Forest Resources Assessment and the 2020 Joint FAO/UNECE/FOREST EUROPE Data Collection.  By organizing the meeting above the polar circle attention was drawn to the boreal zone and helped experts to learn and understand forests and forest management in this important and abundant biome. [Website]
The annual meeting of the ToS on Forest Communication - the Forest Communicators’ Network- was this year organized in collaboration with IUCN on 30 May -1 June 2017 in Malaga, Spain. More than 30 forest communication experts met, to discuss and compare their experiences on communicating the issues forests face including adaptation to climate change in Europe and other regions of the world. A visit to the Sierra Nevada National Park gave the opportunity to learn more about forest management and adaptation to climate change in the Mediterranean. [Website]
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In the beginning of 2017, #WOODVETIA was launched as a Swiss Wood Campaign. Less and less timber is harvested in Switzerland and half of the timber is exported as raw material. This wood is then processed outside Switzerland and afterwards imported back to Switzerland – without adding value within the country. The campaign, under the guidance of both the Swiss wood- and timber industry and the Federal Office for Environment wants to make Swiss Wood better known and more popular, so that customers ask specifically for Wood produced in Switzerland. It is actually the first time ever that the whole timber chain stands behind a common communication campaign.
To transport the key messages, #WOODVETIA uses 19 selected Swiss personalities from the last 300 years such as Madame Tussaud. All personalities are carved in wood, in relation with their home region and using the wood species, which match their biography. Moreover the wood also has the same age than the wooden figure. Madame Tussaud for instance is built from a 175-years old small leaf linden tree [Tilia cordata] from Berne, which is also her place of birth in 1760.
Until now, 10 different Swiss Personalities have been launched: www.instagram.com/woodvetia
The national campaign #WOODVETIA communicates in German, French and Italien, the three main official languages of Switzerland. [website] [facebook] [Instagram]
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EU forests serve a wide range of economic, social and environmental purposes and provide around three million jobs. Wood remains the main source of financial revenue and forest biomass represents the biggest source of renewable energy in the EU. However, forests also provide a large range of other products, such as cork, resins, mushrooms, nuts, game or berries as well as recreational services which are increasingly being valued on the market. Promoting new value chains for such products can be a powerful economic incentive for integrated forest management schemes, increasing forest multifunctionality, contributing to sustainable forest management and fostering rural development. The EIP-AGRI workshop “New Value Chains from Multifunctional Forests” was organised to share examples of existing innovative value chains around Europe and explore opportunities for developing new value chains of forest products and services which are currently less-used. In this final report, you'll find all the information and examples discussed at the workshop.
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The market of OSB, MDF/HDF, particleboard and plywood in Russia has changed significantly in recent years. Companies are finding new niches in Russia and abroad, master the production of new, specialized products like transport industry plywood or thin panels for laminated floors. Under conditions of low activity in construction and furniture production, panel mills have passed the stage of import substitution and are gradually becoming exporters. Read more on http://whatwood.ru/english/40-facts-on-the-plywood-panel-industry-in-russia/
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The DIABOLO annual project meeting took place at BFW and the IIASA on 4-5 May 2017. It brought together over 60 experts and scientists from 33 leading European scientific institutions in the fields of quantitative modelling, policy and social science, and national forest inventories, all committed to providing new methodologies and information for a variety of end-uses within the ecological, social and economic diversity in Europe.
In Vienna, the DIABOLO Working Groups (WG) reported on their collaborative research progress and outlined their next steps for the months ahead. The DIABOLO project is proceeding in harmonising the processing of data and the reporting of information for forest biomass estimation and other ecosystem goods and services. The annual project meeting in Vienna highlighted the progress in developing distributed, integrated and harmonised forest information for bioeconomy outlooks.
DIABOLO – Distributed, Integrated and Harmonised Forest Information for Bioeconomy Outlooks. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 633464. Project duration: 1.3.2015–28.2.2019. Coordinator: Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). http://diabolo-project.eu/news-events/
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DIABOLO originates from the collaboration of European National Forest Inventory Network (ENFIN) carried out since 2003 on harmonization of forest inventory methods. As a consortium of 33 partners from 25 countries and as many national forest inventories (NFIs) DIABOLO aims at producing information for bioeconomy policies and future post-fossil alternatives from European to local levels.
First, DIABOLO will harmonise and enhance estimation of European forest-based biomass supply and carbon pools to support greenhouse gas reporting and identification of mitigation potential. Second, DIABOLO will integrate remote sensing and field data for faster mapping of forest disturbances in Europe and promoting biomass mobilization in local scale. The results will benefit all EU member countries on regional, national and European level.
For more information: http://diabolo-project.eu; https://www.luke.fi/en/news/diabolo-brussels-diabolo-provides-information-bioeconomy-policies-future-post-fossil-options/ Twitter @diaboloprojecte
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‘Spending time in natural and cultural landscapes increases not only your personal welfare, but can also reduce the costs of health care systems’ are the outcomes of the third international conference on “Landscapes and Human Health: Forests, Parks and Green Care”. The event took place 17th-19th of May 2017 in Vienna, and was organized by the Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW) and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU).
Gerhard Mannsberger, Director General of the Forestry Department of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management, emphasized that Green Care offers new opportunities to establish closer collaborations between the different sectors of health, tourism, social care and forestry, by advertising attractive means and meeting the needs of various target groups and therefore generating additional income.
The conference drew attention to the question on the connectedness of today’s society with nature and highlighted practical examples how to support the health of certain user groups through nature-orientated landscapes. “This topic plays an even more important role in a time of changing societies, leading to increasing stress disorders and burn-outs. Stays in forests are proven to have a particularly positive impact. Because of that – prescribe yourself a dose of forest”, says Peter Mayer, Director of the Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW). Read more: https://bfw.ac.at/rz/bfwcms.web?dok=1010301
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In 2017, Forest2Market will launch an International Index (I2) that will provide producers and consumers of wood raw materials a global perspective of market dynamics and their competitive positions in the global marketplace. I2 will include the following:
- Raw material pricing by country and region for both export and domestic logs and chips
- Cost structure and pricing comparisons by log dimension and quality
- Supply chain operating stump-to-mill costs by region
- Price trends reported regionally in US $ per m³
Forest2Market’s award-winning content—news, analysis and commentary on issues affecting forest products industries in North America (US South, Western US and Canada, the Great Lakes region of US and Canada and Eastern US and Canada), South America (Brazil and Chile), Europe (Scandinavia, the Baltic States and Russia) and Australasia (Australia and New Zealand)—will also be included. Forest products companies compete for customers globally, a dynamic that is only going to become more complex and competitive. Understanding the wood raw material costs of your competitors and the supply chain dynamics at play in local markets provides insight into their costs and therefore their pricing strategies. The comparative index also increases your understanding of your own cost position in the global marketplace, a foundational insight for building go-to-market strategies. With the global insight available through Forest2Market’s International Index, subscribers gain strategic advantage in today’s rapidly changing marketplace. The International Index will include both Western and Eastern Hemisphere data. Following is a sample of our Western Hemisphere index. Read more.
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Forest owners, managers and administrators have insisted that they must be included in decision-making at all levels of the implementation process in order to ensure that the goals of the EU Nature Directives will be reached.
According to the conclusions of the Fitness Check process, which preceded the "Action Plan for nature, people and the economy", adopted by the European Commission, there is still room to improve on the implementation of the Nature Directives. In order to foster better implementation and acceptance of Natura 2000 management plans, the European State Forest Association (EUSTAFOR) strongly advocates a bottom-up approach, pushing for partnerships with and the involvement of forest owners, managers and other stakeholder communities who are the ones ultimately responsible for delivering results on the ground.
“The management of State forest lands is multifunctional,” says Piotr Borkowski, Executive Director of EUSTAFOR. “State forest managers balance different social, ecological and economic aspects in their daily operations. The best results can be achieved when the profound expertise and experience of state forest managers, as well as the potential of state forestry, are better recognized during the decision-making process.”
As a result of decades of experience in sustainable forest management, state forests have contributed to Natura 2000 from the very start. “The more forest managers are involved in the strategic planning phase, the more efficiently Natura 2000 objectives will be integrated into their daily operations. This will make the Natura 2000 network an even greater success than it already is,” says Mr. Borkowski.
EUSTAFOR’s members manage 30 % of the EU’s forests. https://www.eustafor.eu/forest-managers-play-a-key-role-in-natura-2000-directives-implementation/
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SFI fiber sourcing standard recognized as a verification mechanism for PEFC chain of custody certification
WASHINGTON, DC and OTTAWA, ON — The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Fiber Sourcing Standard is now recognized by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) as a tool that meets PEFC equirements for the avoidance of controversial sources in the PEFC Chain of Custody standard. “PEFC is pleased to support initiatives of its members that are unique and innovative such as the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard, which provides an effective mechanism to demonstrate compliance with PEFC Chain of Custody requirements concerning controversial sources at a global level, while promoting the responsible procurement of wood fibre for SFI manufacturing facilities across the USA and Canada,” said Ben Gunneberg, CEO and Secretary General of PEFC International, in a PEFC blog. Read full release.

 


 

 

Publications

 
Now for the second time a statistical yearbook is available which covers the external trade of all EU-countries with regard to their most important wood products, for example, exports or imports of sawnwood from Sweden or imports of logs to Germany: For each particular product there are tables with the amount, the value and the price of the imported or exported product for all 28 EU-countries.
The Excel-tables and graphics (which are also available as pdf files) provide the most important information about the international trade with wood products. Though written in German, everything is relatively international and easy to understand. More than 800 pages, 800 graphics 2.400 tables. Price: 298€ + VAT
Order your copy from: www.holzmarktinfo.de or by e-mail to [email protected]
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New policy brief by IUFRO’s Special Project on World Forests, Society and Environment (IUFRO-WFSE)
Forests are relevant for almost all of the SDGs and make important contributions to the attainment of these goals. These contributions can be further strengthened. Indigenous and local communities and smallholders, who use and manage a considerable share of the world forests, have a crucial role in harnessing this potential in rural areas.
Many SDGs and their targets align with the conditions that have been found to support community and smallholder forest management and related livelihoods. Meaningful progress in these specific SDGs can generate positive feedback loops that will support community and smallholder forestry and further boost progress towards the SDGs.
Efforts to attain the SDGs can lead to synergies among the goals, but they can also lead to trade-offs that can undermine the achievement of livelihood and conservation goals to which community and smallholder forestry can contribute. To realize the potential that the close interlinkages among community and smallholder forestry and the SDGs provide, it is necessary to address the inherent trade-offs among the SDGs and build on the syn-ergies among them. The policy brief was launched at the 12th Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests in early May. It is available for download at: http://www.iufro.org/science/special/wfse/wfse-news/#c26245
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1Q2017 Baltic Rim Index brings transparency about wood raw material prices to region’s forest products, forestry and bioenergy industries.
Forest2Market has published its first Baltic Rim Wood Price Index, a transaction-based wood raw material price benchmark for the forest products, forestry and bioenergy industries in Scandinavia (Sweden and Finland), the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and Northwest Russia.
The results for 1Q2017 show that, among other trends, there are significant differences in delivered wood costs (roadside wood costs plus transportation costs to mill) for both pulp producers and sawmills in Sweden.
- Pulp producers: the highest-cost mill paid 26 per cent more for conifer pulpwood than the lowest-cost mill.
- Sawmills consuming pine sawlogs: the highest-cost mill paid 20 per cent more for conifer sawlogs than the lowest-cost mill.
- Sawmills consuming spruce sawlogs: the highest-cost mill paid 34 per cent more for spruce sawlogs than the lowest-cost mill.
With the Baltic Rim Wood Price Index, timber buyers and sellers will be able to clearly and confidently compare their performance to market, accurately assess market prices and build strong partner relationships, as well as define, measure and adjust strategic decisions based on actual and actionable data. While high-cost mills can use the Index to lower their costs, low-cost mills can use the data to demonstrate to stakeholders that they are extracting as much value as possible from the supply chain. Read the full press release.
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Imported wood flooring (engineered and solid) lost US market share in 2016 and the underlying reasons present an opportunity for US flooring manufacturers, according to Hardwood Floors, the magazine of the National Wood Flooring Association. US manufacturers accounted for 67% of total wood flooring sales in 2016, and 56% of total square foot sales. This is up from 67% and 52%, respectively, in 2015. US production increased by an estimated 9% in 2016, while imports declined by almost 5%. The decline was in both solid and engineered wood flooring. While the decline in imports is relatively small, compared to annual imports growth rates in the previous eight years, US wood flooring may increase its market share if US manufacturers invest in new production capacity. Several factors contributed to the slowdown in wood flooring imports, according to the Hardwood Floors magazine. The main factor is probably rising prices of imported wood flooring, while US flooring prices declined. At the same time imported wood flooring had to comply with the Lacey Act requirements, which made many US distributors and retailers turn to domestic sources. <Read the latest edition of ITTO’s Tropical Timber Market Report>
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Assessing wood use efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions of wood product cascading in the European Union
Cascading use of biomass is a recognized strategy contributing to an efficient development of the bioeconomy and for mitigating climate change. This study aims at assessing the potential of cascading use of woody biomass for reducing GHG emissions and increasing the overall wood flow efficiency in the European Union's forest and bioeconomy sectors. A scenario and life cycle approach was followed to quantify the potential benefits of cascading use of woody biomass. We started from a reference scenario in which (post-consumer) waste wood and paper are re-utilized for energy only (S0). Then we compared the reference scenario with two alternative scenarios, the current waste wood and paper recycling practices (S1) and the maximum technical potential to increase recycling of waste wood and paper flows (S2). Through cascading use, the wood use efficiency ratio (cascade factor) in the European wood sector would be increased and GHG emissions would be reduced. However, increased wood product cascading is counter effected in the short term by reduced savings in the energy sector due to delayed availability of waste wood and waste paper fibers. This explorative study highlights the potential of cascading use of woody biomass in the wood production chains to contribute to a reduction of environmental impacts, but it also reveals trade-offs in terms of GHG emissions reduction, relevant especially in meeting short-term (2020–2030) renewable energy targets. Full article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652617308831
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ITTO has released time-series data for 83 countries, including all ITTO producer and consumer member countries, on the production and trade of 16 primary timber products, such as logs, sawnwood, veneer and plywood. The data, for the period 1990–2016, are available in ITTO’s online statistical database. <go to the statistical database>
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The EU renewed anti-dumping duties on imports of okoumé plywood manufactured in China on 7th April. These duties were originally introduced by the EU in 2004 and would have lapsed after only five years had not an interested party requested the European Commission (EC) to initiate an expiry review. In 2009, the European Panel Federation (EPF) requested a review which led the EU to extend the duties for another 5 years from January 2011. Near the end of that period, in October 2015, the EPF once again requested that the EC initiate an expiry review. This new investigation led to the announcement of another 5-year extension from April 2017. The duties renewed on 7th April are unchanged from those originally imposed in November 2004, requiring payment of between 6.5% and 23.5% by four named Chinese manufacturers and 66.7% by all other Chinese manufacturers.
The review investigation carried by the EC – which focuses on the years 2012 to 2015 – is interesting for the insight it provides into the current extent and status of the EU okoumé plywood manufacturing sector. It reveals an industry that remains extremely fragile, suffering from very low profit margins, weak demand, and negligible levels of investment. The EC concluded that although the sector’s financial position has improved slightly over the last 5 years, removal of the anti-dumping duties on equivalent Chinese products would lead to a “recurrence of injury” and threaten its survival. The product covered by the anti-dumping duties and investigated by the EC is that falling within TARIC code 4412 31 10 10 and defined as “plywood consisting solely of sheets of wood, each ply not exceeding 6 mm thickness, with at least one outer ply of okoumé not coated by a permanent film of other materials”. This definition captures both "full okoumé" plywood with okoumé throughout and combi plywood with at least one outer face of okoumé, the rest being made of other wood. The product is used for a variety of end-uses in the EU, notably exterior joinery and carpentry applications for boarding, shutter boards, exterior basements and balustrades and riverside panelling, and more decorative purposes particularly in vehicles and yachts, and for furniture and doors. <Read the relevant edition of ITTO’s Tropical Timber Market Report>
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In this study, firstly the unemployment prevention politics in Turkey were introduced and then socioeconomic analysis supported by questionnaires as well as the working force productivity of labor employed in a public based working program in the Directorate of Şanlıurfa Forest District and its effects on employment were carried out.
Turkish Employment Agency (TEA-İŞKUR) is in charge with providing employment opportunities, improving occupational qualities and reducing unemployment rate. For this reason İŞKUR offers an occupational training course under the title of Public Based Working Program. It was identified that the Public Based Working Program has an important contribution on the regional economy. Unemployment is becoming an increasingly severe problem in Turkey. Public Based Working Program is getting the most determinative solution in Turkish economic policies. In this context, the study investigates the contribution of employees to the national and local economy, working conditions and problems of employees, educational status, training on general rules of occupational health and safety, first aid, education and labor efficiency, income level and the contribution of labor to the forest enterprise. Prof.Dr.Özden GÖRÜCÜ and MSc.Betül ŞENSO, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Turkey

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In this study, socio-economic dimensions of PBWP employees with regard to their working conditions, productivity, education level, health conditions, family status, occupational health and safety, training on first aid, contribution to regional and national economy and their problems experienced at enterprise scale were investigated in the State Forest Directorate of Kahramanmaraş-Andırın, in 2015. Unemployment is one of the major problems in Turkey. In this study, it was observed that PBWP is a useful program in terms of solving unemployment problems. PBWP is also helpful in providing new job opportunities in forest enterprises and in forestry sector. This research is the first of its kind carried out in Andırın- Kahramanmaraş Province and it also examines productivity and socio-economic aspects of working force in the State Forest Directorate of Kahramanmaraş-Andırın. Prof.Dr.Özden GÖRÜCÜ and MSc.Kevser CİNKAR, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Turkey

 

 
 

Events

 
Forest Europe together with UNECE and FAO will jointly organize a workshop on promotion of green jobs in the forest sector, 27 -28 June 2017 in Bratislava, under the auspices of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic.
The workshop will share lessons learned and provide platform for discussions on the promotion of green jobs and the development of new skills for the forest sector, while supporting sustainable development and the transition towards a green economy. It will discuss possible countermeasures to improve the sustainability of the existing workforce and the creation of new employment opportunities in the forest sector in line with the concept of green jobs.
The programme will include the opening address by the Slovakian Minister of Agriculture, setting-the-scene presentations and a panel discussion on how the development of green forest jobs are seen by employers and employees in the forest sector. On the second day, the parallel roundtables will cover specific topics related to the forest sector workforce: 1) Occupational health and safety 2) Education and Training Systems for new Skills development 3) Social equity and gender issues 4) Creating forest green jobs opportunities. The roundtables will provide recommendations for the consideration of Forest Europe, UNECE and FAO intergovernmental processes.
The detailed programme of the event and the information about the registration can be found here.
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On 5 – 7 September 2017, the Czech Republic will host the International Conference Marianske Lazne +70 to celebrate 70 years of fruitful ECE COFFI and FAO EFC cooperation on forests. This meeting will focus on forest certification and the future of the forest sector in the region.
In May 1947, an International Timber Conference was convened in Marianske Lazne, former Czechoslovakia, to address the situation of forests and timber in post-war Europe, addressing both the future demand for timber and the capacity of forests to supply the necessary wood. New intergovernmental bodies were created to improve cooperation and promote mobilisation of wood on a sustainable basis after the wartime levels of harvest: the UNECE Timber Committee, later renamed the Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry (COFFI), and the FAO European Forestry Commission (EFC). 
A short survey to gather some information on perceptions of sustainable forest management and forest certification is currently conducted. We would be delighted if you could spare 15 minutes to complete the survey, using the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/forest-management-and-certification. The deadline for the submission of the survey is Friday, 28 July 2017.
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14th September 2017, 13–17 p.m., the House of Estates, Helsinki
Countries around the Baltic Sea consume annually over 300 million cubic meters of roundwood and also volume of wood traded between the countries is remarkable – nearly 30 million cubic meters.
Welcome to hear and discuss:
What are the status and bottlenecks of roundwood markets in the Baltic Sea Region?
How does the future look like in the light of new investments of forest industries?
Key market operators will provide insights on the wood procurement and its future prospects in the Baltic Sea Region. Leading roundwood market experts from the Baltic Sea countries will be present and share their knowledge. Further information is available at the event website.
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The 1st World Congress on midrise and tall wood buildings at the heart of the sustainable city and ecological transition will be held in Bordeaux, France, from September 12 to 15. Organized by the Institut technologique FCBA (France), FPInnovations (Canada), the Building Research Institute (Japon), with the support of ADIVbois (France), this congress aims to gather for the 1st time, all the international stakeholders in the wood, construction and design sectors in one place around wood as an essential material for the development of sustainable cities.
The WOODRISE World Congress will be focused on this increasing trend, pursuing 4 objectives:
- Confirm the internationalization of the demand for midrise and tall wood buildings, into a dynamic low-carbon environment for sustainable cities.
- Demonstrate international scientific and technological excellence.
- Identify economic development opportunities and how to implement them with regard to these new markets of the wood sector.
- Value competencies and national ressources in a circular economy.
  WOODRISE is aimed at all public and private stakeholders:
- Project owners, promoters, public planning institutions, architects...
- Engineering teams,
- Design departments, economists, control offices, certifiers, R&D experts,
- Public Authorities.
Beyond the exhibition hall, a comprehensive program will be featured for the entire duration of the congress, featuring international stakeholders, public authorities and European Union, Japanese and Canadian construction experts. All the information on the Web site : http://en.wood-rise-congress.org/
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Implementing Natura 2000 in forests: lessons learned and looking ahead
What is the state of biodiversity in Europe’s forests? How is Natura 2000 implemented in forests, and what do we know about the effects of the policy on biodiversity and forest management? What policy-relevant conclusions can be drawn for Natura 2000 in the future?
These questions will be discussed in the next ThinkForest seminar on 27 September 2017 in Brussels. ThinkForest is a high-level science-policy discussion and information-sharing forum on the future of the European forest-based sector. Registration will open in early August. More information available soon at: http://www.efi.int/portal/policy_advice/thinkforest/upcoming_events/
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2017 SFI Annual Conference, September 27-29, 2017, Ottawa, Canada. The SFI Annual Conference brings together thought leaders and influencers from the forest sector, conservation and community partners, tribal and indigenous leaders as well as some of the most engaged forest product customers in North America. This year’s conference theme – Forests. A Way of Life – will highlight how we all depend on forests whether we are harvesting professionals, landowners, producers, customers, Indigenous peoples, or individuals using forests for recreation. More information: http://www.sfiprogram.org/annual-conference/annual-conference-2017/
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EFI 2017 Annual Conference will take place in Oslo, Norway on 4-6 October 2017. The event will be organised in cooperation with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) and The Norwegian Institute for Bioeconomic Research (NIBIO).
The first day of the Annual Conference will be built around the new EFI strategy - how to implement the strategy to benefit the whole network? Scientific seminar  Emerging forest-based solutions and their implications for forest management will be held on 5 October. This open seminar looks into the biobased future with a special focus on innovative bio-based technologies and opportunities and challenges for forest management in the 21st century. Check out the latest updates on the seminar and register here: http://www.efi.int/portal/members/annual_conferences/2017/
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FAO and UNECE have the pleasure to announce the 4th European Forest Week, which will be celebrated throughout Europe from 9 to 13 October 2017 under the theme Forests, our common good.
The week highlights the contribution that European forests make to people’s lives, including providing wood and renewable energy, promoting fresh water supply and protecting the environment.

How can you participate?
Organize an event
National and local activities held simultaneously in participating countries will raise awareness on forests, our common good, through contests, exhibitions, talks and videos. Events in the past have included a wilderness retreat in Austria, lectures in Spain, a forestry film festival in Czech Republic, a workshop on flood prevention in Ukraine, and many more. For more inspiration see the past list of events: http://www.fao.org/forestry/efw2013/events/en/
If you wish to organize an activity during the European Forest Week 2017 using its logo, please contact [email protected] 
Youth art contest
Young people aged 5-19 are invited to use their imagination and artistic talent to enter the European Forest Week 2017 Art Contest to share their ideas about European forests and their many benefits with others around the region. There are three age group categories for the contest: age 5 to 8, age 9 to 12, and age 13 to 19. Winning drawings or paintings will go on display at European Forest Week in Warsaw, Poland, 9 - 13 October, and in a European Forest Week calendar. For more information  refer to the announcement. Feel free to translate the content and promote the art contest in your country.
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Las2017 - the joint 75th session of the ECE Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry (COFFI) and the 39th session of the FAO European Forestry Commission (EFC) will be held  9 - 13 October 2017 in Warsaw, Poland, together with the 4th European Forest Week.
The theme of Las2017 is ‘Forests, our common good: Enhancing sustainable development in light of the Paris Agreement’. The session will specifically focus on forest and forest products in a changing climate.
The draft programme for the event, the annotated agenda, all relevant documents for the meeting and information on practical matters regarding the meeting will be available at: http://www.unece.org/forests/las2017.
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Regional, national and European stakeholders interested in wood mobilisation are invited to the conference ‘Solutions for Wood Mobilisation in Europe’. The programme is designed to address both forest practitioners (forest managers, entrepreneurs, wood suppliers etc.) and policy-makers.
From October 12 to 13, 2017, the members of the EU research project SIMWOOD will present their findings of four years of region-based research action and trans-European cooperation at a final conference in Paris, France. The SIMWOOD project aims to increase the mobilisation of wood from forests and woodlands in Europe. The project reaches out to stakeholders and regional initiatives with the aim of engaging and mobilising forest owners and practitioners, promoting collaborative forest management and ensuring sustainable forest functions. Project website: http://www.simwood-project.eu/
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“Wood – Science – Economy”, 16-17 October 2017, Poznan, Poland , is the second international scientific conference organized by the Wood Technology Institute and the State Forests.
Both in Poland and abroad scientific conferences have so far been organized separately by the scientists in the field of forestry and those in the field of wood industry. However, the issues regarding forestry and wood management are so complex that they require multidisciplinary approach and new, innovative technological and organizational solutions. In the modern world fast exchange of the latest knowledge from the perspective of the entire wood chain is necessary.
The aim of the conference is to internationally exchange knowledge about the latest research findings in forestry and wood science and in the related fields, as well as about the achievements and possibilities of their practical use in the forestry and wood sector and the economy.  This will allow not only identification of investigation trends with the greatest potential for implementation, but also elevation of research carried out in this field to a higher level.
The conference is addressed to the representatives of science and economic practice in the field of forestry, wood industry, and neighbouring fields. More information: http://wood-science-economy.pl/
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International Conference on Forest Conservation using Forest Early Warning System is being held in Tokyo, Japan, October 24-25, 2017, organized by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in cooperation with the Forestry Agency of Japan. JICA and JAXA launched the Forest Governance Initiative at the UNFCCC COP21 in Paris, which led to the development of a new system called “JICA-JAXA Forest Early Warning System in the Tropics” (JJ-FAST) to track deforestation with JAXA’s Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2). ALOS-2 can monitor forest cover changes in the tropics effectively with its capacity to obtain imagery data even under cloud-covered conditions and those findings will be updated about every six weeks on the JJ-FAST website (http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/jjfast/) with resolution of up to 50 meters. The two-day conference provides opportunities for participants to exchange views on how developing countries can improve forest conservation measures by means of satellite technologies and how their development partners can support them. Additional information will be made available in due course.
 
 

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