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Chapter 1 Overview of forest products markets and policies
and-heat (17.3%) sectors. Wood for energy (by volume of wood used) in 2013 was derived mainly from wood-processing coproducts (57.8%) and direct (36.4%) sources, including trees in and outside forests. The wood pellet manufacturing sector is dynamic, undergoing important organizational restructuring in 2014, including downstream expansion into retail and distribution. Per capita wood pellet consumption increased significantly in the UNECE region between 2011 and 2013, from 25.9 kg to 38.8 kg. Standardization is important for the expansion of pellet markets, and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) issued standards for forest-based solid biofuels under ISO 17225. Expected growth in wood pellet demand, which some estimate will reach about 50 million tonnes by 2024, drives investments in new manufacturing capacity. Public policy plays an important role in the current use and future expansion (or contraction) of wood energy markets. For example, issues such as legality assurance, minimum combustion efficiency, maximum levels of particulate matter, and net greenhouse-gas emissions are being incorporated into regulatory frameworks at the national and regional levels.
1.5.7
Value-added wood products
The value of global furniture production was estimated at $480 billion in 2014, an increase of almost 10% compared with 2013. The global economic recovery led by the US is fuelling construction demand, which, in turn, is the major driver of increased furniture consumption. Furniture manufacturing is increasingly taking place inside the UNECE region as the benefits of producing furniture in lower-cost countries decline. Markets for builders’ joinery and carpentry (BJC) products are recovering swiftly in Germany and the US, but other markets in Europe are flat. German imports grew by 9.5% in 2014, and the US market experienced a third consecutive year of solid growth. BJC markets are typically local, and manufacturing abroad is not as profitable as it is for wooden furniture. Nevertheless, about one-third of UK and US imports originate in Asia. Profiled wood markets continue to recover in the US. Import growth increased by 58% from 2010 to 2014, concentrated in a few producer countries with comparative advantages. Profiled wood markets in Europe, which are more local, continued to stagnate in 2014. Global wood laminate flooring production increased from 925 million m2 in 2013 to 940 million m2 in 2014. The largest producers were China, which accounted for 27% of production in 2014, and Germany, which accounted for 25%. Turkey’s production is growing in importance, accounting for 10% of global production in 2014, replacing the US as the world’s thirdlargest producer of this product. The consumption of engineered wood products (I-beams, finger-jointed sawnwood, glue-laminated beams, laminated veneer lumber and CLT) in North America has
Source: G. Schickhofer, 2015.
recovered modestly since the bottoming-out of building construction activity. Data for engineered wood were unavailable for Europe in 2014, except for CLT. About 90% of CLT production worldwide is in Europe, with a total production volume of 560 thousand m³ in 2014, forecast to increase to about 630 thousand m³ by the end of 2015. The global distribution of CLT production is likely to change, however, with new capacity planned in Japan and North America. National CLT production volume is not necessarily proportional to national consumption – the central European timber industry is strongly export-oriented, supplying other parts of Europe as well as overseas markets. CLT has become an important material in urban multistorey residential and public buildings. Worldwide, the use of CLT as a building product is expected to grow at rates in the double digits. Within the next decade, CLT could become as important as glue-laminated timber, and it is likely to extend the height limits of tall wooden buildings upwards. The current record-holder is “The Tree” in Bergen, Norway, at 14 storeys.
1.5.8
Housing
Although the housing construction sectors in North America and Europe are improving, they are yet to fully recover from the global financial crisis. The Russian housing sector is improving steadily, with a record number of units built in 2014. The construction sectors of all three UNECE subregions are affected by tepid or declining aggregate economies. Housing in the Euroconstruct region4 remains hindered by sluggish economies in several countries and by potential international risk, and all subsectors of housing construction are forecast to remain steady through 2017. Germany, France, Italy, the UK and Spain (in descending order, by market value)
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The Euroconstruct region comprises 19 countries. The western area consists of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. The eastern area comprises the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.