Publications

Investment in the Liberian Forest Sector

A Roadmap to Legal Forest Operations in Liberia (English and Chinese)

This briefing document explains why Liberia needed reforms that ensure that logging no longer contributes to conflict in this country and how logging will be conducted under the new law and regulations that govern the management of Liberia’s forests.

Environmental Aspects of China’s Papermaking Fiber Supply

In recent years, China’s expanding pulp and paper sector has become a major influence on the global forests and forest product markets. Since 1990, China has accounted for over 50 per cent the world’s overall growth in paper and paperboard production. To meet growing domestic demand, the government is promoting a new industry based on […]

Recent Developments in Forest Product Trade between Russia and China

Potential Production, Processing, Consumption and Trade Scenarios

China has a very significant role in the global timber market and this has significant ramifications for forests, forest livelihoods and the structure of forest industries around the world. In this report we will focus on possible future trends in the forest products-processing, consumption and trade between China and its main suppliers, with a particular […]

Amendment to the U.S. Lacey Act

Implications for Malaysian Forest Products Exporters

Malaysia is one of the largest producers and suppliers of tropical hardwood and related products destined for the United States. In 2007, the United States imported almost 2.2 m3 RWE of timber products from Malaysia – mostly plywood and furniture – totaling USD$1.1 billion in value. Sabah and Sarawak supply the great majority of the […]

Linking FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreements to Jobs and Growth

Potential Challenges and Benefits for Small and Medium Sized Forest Enterprises

This brief report discusses the potential impact of the European Commission’s Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) on the extent to which improved investment and business climates supported by VPA programs can support the small and medium forest enterprise (SMFE) sector. Recognizing the important roles that SMFEs play in rural development and the alleviation of rural poverty, […]

Forest Products Trade Between China & Africa

An Analysis of Imports & Exports

Recent reports of China’s efforts to secure access to natural resources in Africa suggest that timber has already become an important traded commodity between China and the African continent. Many hold a general impression that Africa exports a significant and growing amount of timber to China. However, the true magnitude of the China-Africa forest product […]

Logging, Legality and Livelihoods in Papua New Guinea

Sythesis of Official Assessments of the Large-Scale Logging Industry Volume I

Between 2000 and 2005, in response to a widely held view that forest management in Papua New Guinea was not providing long-term benefits to the country or its citizens, and to assess the implementation and effectiveness of the new governance regime introduced in the PNG Forestry Act of 1991, the Papua New Guinea government commissioned […]

Capital Markets and Sustainable Forestry

Opportunities for Investment

In this report, we frame the differences in the business models of conventional forestry and sustainable forestry. We cover the sustainable forestry sector “from the forest to the floor”, along its value chain of business enterprises. We consider the varying situation in tropical, temperate and, to some degree, boreal forests. We endeavor to give a […]

Forest Company-Community Agreements in Mexico

Identifying Succesful Models

Agreements between the private sector and local forest communities have been increasingly recognized as a potential solution to problems related to poverty alleviation, the increasing demand for wood products, and the need to increase the part of global forest area that is under sustainable forest management. Mexico represents one of the few countries that have […]

An Assessment of Indigenous Participation in Commercial Forestry Markets

The Case of Nicaragua's Northern Atlantic Autonomous Region

Nicaragua’s Northern Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAN) contains a wealth of tropical forests and has a long history of forest exploitation. Nicaragua contains the largest tropical forest north of Amazonia with nearly 23,000 km2 of broadleaf and nearly 6,000 km2 of pine forest. Over three quarters of these forests are located in the Northern Atlantic Autonomous […]