Innovation for Structural Change Recovery
Forest Products Annual Market Review, 2009-2010
Now available!
Our annual Review of market and policy for the UNECE region and some key trading partners is the first comprehensive analysis available. It includes almost all wood and paper market sectors, as well as forest carbon markets and policies. Sawnwood, panels, roundwood, pulp and paper chapters are based on statistics from official sources from our 56 country region (Europe, North America and the CIS). Additional chapters cover value-added wood products, certified forest products and wood energy. Readers comments appreciated via the survey. The Review is an important input to the 10-11 October 2010 Timber Committee and Society of Wood Science and Technology Market Discussions. Download the publication.
Statistics for forest products for the year 2009 are also available. A set of over 100 pre-defined tables can be found at Forest Products Statistics. An interactive database prepared by our colleagues at FAO can be found at 
FAOSTAT. A complete file of all data in the database (1964-2009) in CSV format can be found here. In addition the data for trade in secondary products is now available for the period 2005-2009.
Forest Fires in Russia
- Smoke plumes from fires burning in Nijni Novgorod Region (1 August 2010)
This weekend has seen devastating forest fires in Russia, mostly in the Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod regions. Fires burnt down not only vast amounts of forests, but also villages, causing the death of 48 people. Thousands of people have lost their homes and a state of emergency has been declared as army troops have been deployed to fight the flames.
These fires followed an unprecedented heat wave in Russia, temperatures in Moscow reaching 37.5 degrees. Is this a consequence of global warming? What are the underlying causes and reasons for the fires?
For more information, please visit the website of the Global Fire Monitoring Centre, which issues daily updates on the situation in Russia and beyond: www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/current/globalfire.htm. Johann Georg Goldammer, Director of Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) and Leader of the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fires, has answered questions about the Russian forest fires.
UNECE Timber Committee Week, 11-14 October, Geneva, Switzerland
The Timber Committee of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe meets again this year at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, to review the latest international developments affecting the forest sector. For the first time, the Timber Committee Market Discussions and Policy Forum will be held jointly with Society of Wood Science and Technology. The meetings will take place at the UN Palais des Nations, Geneva, on 11-14 October 2010 (see detailed programme and related official documents)
For further information, please click here.
Workshop on Policy Options for Wood Energy in CIS Countries, Minsk, Belarus, 1-4 June 2010
This year, for the first time, national experts from both the forestry and energy sectors in the Commonwealth of Independent States and Turkey came together to examine policy options for accelerating the production and use of cost-effective wood energy in the region. They concluded that wood energy not only contributes to energy security but also stimulates sustainable social and economic development, especially in rural areas. However, in some countries, it still needs greater political commitment, both locally and nationally. The event was a regional workshop entitled “Policy Options for Wood Energy in CIS Countries”. It was organized in Minsk by the Belarus Ministry of Forestry, together with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) subregional office for Central and Eastern Europe, the United Nations Development Programme office in Belarus, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the UNECE/FAO Forestry & Timber Section on 1-4 June 2010. For further information click here. View a copy of the press release.
World Environment Day, June 5
The UNECE celebrated World Environment Day on 5 June. As part of the many activities which took place in Geneva, the UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section organized a forum on forests in the Ariana Park of the Palais des Nations.
For more information on this event, please click here.
European forests are central to climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as for the delivery of environmental services. This role of forests and its potential for further development needs to be fully recognized. This was one of the key messages of the 35th session of the FAO European Forestry Commission (EFC) which took place in Lisbon on 27-29 April. The conference discussed how the forest sector is crucial for countries’ economic and environmental wellbeing. The meeting recognized that the attention on forests is at an all-time high, in particular thanks to the focus of the climate change negotiations on this sector. The potential of European forests for climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable energy production and the provision of ecosystem services was at the center of the discussions. Given the challenges encountered by the forest community in reaching out to other sectors, the EFC decided to engage and intensify the dialogue with the water, energy and climate change communities in those discussions. For more information and to view the presentations from the meeting please our Lisbon meeting page. You can also consult the press release.
Good Practice Guidance on the Sustainable Mobilization of Wood in Europe
The publication, Good Practice Guidance on the Sustainable Mobilization of Wood in Europe, gives an overview of measures that countries can take to mobilize their wood resources. It presents a selection of eight mobilization areas, together with concrete measures and examples of good practice, which policy-makers and practitioners can take into account when developing wood mobilization strategies and practices for their own region. The guidance is intended for decision makers in administrations and industry, as well as forestry practitioners.
View the press release and download the publication
Forest Types - Technical Workshop 19- 21 May 2010
National experts dealing with forest site typology, forest inventory and reporting attended a European Forest Types Technical Workshop held in Bordeaux, France, 19-21 May. The objective of the workshop was to examine challenges and propose solutions for the implementation of the new forest types that are being tested in the reporting for the State of Europe’s Forests 2011 process. Additional information related to the forest types and results from the workshop are available here.
Corporate Social Responsibility in the forest sector in South-East Europe
Working with the State University of Belgrade, Faculty of Forestry and the UNIDO-supported regional project on CSR competence, the UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section held a workshop on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Belgrade, Serbia on 13 & 14 April 2010. This was targeted at the forest and wood processing/manufacturing sectors throughout the western Balkans, to introduce the concept and to raise awareness of CSR. Speakers from the region and beyond outlined their experience of CSR and how it has benefited their companies or organizations. The participants explained what aspects of CSR are of most relevance to their sector in the western Balkans and explored existing company initiatives.
For more information, including the press release, presentations, conclusions and recommendations, please follow this link
This workshop, was held in Geneva, it covered three main topics: non-tariff measures, tariff measures, and subsidies. The announcement and programme are available. Further information can be found here.
This workshop was co-organized with the Economic Research and Statistics Division of the WTO and was held just before the meeting of the FAO/UNECE Working Party on Forest Economics and Statistics
UNECE launches data collection on pan-European forests
The UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section has just launched its periodic enquiry on the state of forests and forest management in Europe. National correspondents from 46 countries in the pan-European region were invited to provide information on the status and changes of forests, their management and applied policies. Indicators monitored cover forest health and vitality, productive functions, the protection of biodiversity and the protective functions as well as the social and economic dimensions of forest management. For more information please see the press release, the enquiry web page or email 
fra timber
Now Available, Russian Language Version Forest Products Annual Market Review 2008-2009
Русская языковая версия Ежегодного обзора рынка лесных товаров за 2008-2009 годы теперь доступна здесь
Over the last ten years, China has moved from being a modest player in the world’s forest products markets, to becoming one of the leading exporters of manufactured forest products and a major trading partner of both Europe and North America. This is one of the main findings of the UNECE/FAO publication, “The Importance of China’s Forest products Markets to the UNECE Region” released today. China’s forest sector accounted for some 4.8% of total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2008.
For more information please consult the press release.
The workshop, "Policy Options for Wood Energy ", established a platform for sharing information on wood energy in the western Balkans that it is hoped will serve as a springboard for future cooperation. A number of country reports provide a good picture of the current situation as well as indicating future potential. Participants valued the opportunity to exchange ideas, identify common issues and begin to map a way forward for wood energy to play a more prominent role in a region heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels, yet with a significant productive forest area. An important hurdle to overcome is the perception of wood as an outdated, inefficient source of energy when in fact, using well-dried wood in modern equipment allows up to 90% of the energy content to be recovered and results also in significant emission reduction.The pace of change has been rapid and there have been important new developments, several of which were highlighted during the course of the workshop. The report of the meeting, including conclusions and five recommendations, recognises the need for improved information and for concerted action at the political level, if wood energy is to achieve its full potential. A press release is also available here.