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UNECE/FAO Forest Products Annual Market Review, 2014-2015
FOREWORD The UNECE/FAO Forest Products Annual Market Review 2014-2015 provides an early look at, and a comprehensive analysis of, forest products markets and policies in the UNECE region in 2014 and the first half of 2015. It focuses on the various sectors of the forest products industry, presenting data and analyses of markets and the policy and economic factors driving trends. This information is critical: many rural livelihoods in the UNECE region have a significant stake in the forest sector, and the products covered by the review offer a multitude of options for greener, low-carbon economies. In previous editions, the Review described the slow recovery of forest products markets in developed economies. The recovery has now picked up a little steam, but is uneven across the countries and industries of the region. The currencies used to trade wood products fluctuated significantly in late 2014 and early 2015. These fluctuations, along with global changes in competition, trade and policies, and the ownership of forestlands, have had significant impacts on the UNECE region’s forest products industry. This year’s edition of the Review provides a first assessment of these and other impacts on the various sectors and the trade flows of wood products. It is likely that these fluctuations will continue to change where wood is harvested, transformed and consumed, with significant impacts on States/Countries in the UNECE region and the rest of the world. The recovery is uneven across subsectors of the forest products industry. The woodpulp sector is probably the most striking example of an industry that has been shaken structurally: for example, the consumption of newsprint in North America is now half of what it was ten years ago. Electronic bill pay, e-readers and email have drastically reduced paper consumption for billing, media, books and communication, while the consumption of packaging paper products has increased due to the rise of online shopping. On the other hand, some long-standing products, such as railway ties, continue to be in demand. Other breakthrough changes are occurring in the forest sector. The traditional limits of wood in engineering have changed, with new products such as cross-laminated timber allowing the construction of wooden buildings that are 14 storeys tall. Many countries in the region now have policies to support the use of wood, not only because of wood’s suitability for construction but also because of its strong green credentials – it is renewable, has low embodied carbon, and constitutes a carbon store. We take this occasion to express our appreciation to everyone who has played a part in the preparation of this joint publication – the experts, the many partner organizations, the information suppliers, the governments, and the staff of our two organizations.
Fernanda Guerrieri Assistant Director-General ad interim Forestry Department Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Christian Friis Bach Executive Secretary & Under-Secretary-General United Nations Economic Commission for Europe