Timber Imports Research Articles

Economic interpretation of lost due to improper stump-height of trees in Nepal

In recent years, import of timber and other wood products from different parts of the world have been increasing in Nepal. The Government of Nepal aims to be a self-sustain in timber production. In this context, the objective of this study was to estimate efficiency of harvesting practices in Nepal in relation to stump-height. We collected the data on the stump-heights and other biometric characteristics of the trees from different felling sites of Kailali, Kanchanpur, Jhapa and Morang districts of Nepal. The volumes of the individual trees as well as the proportions of the volumes of their stumps with different heights were calculated. Correlation and ANOVA were used to find the significance of the associated factors. The average stump-heights using the conventional felling method and the chain saw method were found to be 0.74±0.17m and 0.46±0.21m, respectively with wider range. The correlation between the stump-height and diameter at breast height (dbh) was found significant. Similarly, the harvesting method, skill and experience of the tree-fellers and tree species were also found to be significant with the stump-heights. On an average, 5% of the total timber production equivalent to one million cubic feet (cft) is lost in the Fiscal Year 2074/075 in Nepal while adopting the conventional method of harvesting because of the higher stump-height than the one prescribed by the Government. The estimated loss was NRs. 2 billion (roughly equivalent to US $ 20 million, @NRS 100 = 1 USD) to the national economy, and the Government had to bear loss of about NRs. 500 million (roughly equivalent to 5 million USD) from the royalty of timber. This amount of loss could be reduced to half by using power chain saw. Lack of skilled laborers, poor implementation of law, and weak knowledge of officials were major causes for losses in harvesting practices. Moreover, about 2% wood volume loss can be avoided, without any further investment, by setting minimum standard stump-height at 15 cm and providing training to the field staff and tree harvesters.

Simulating the forest fuel market as a socio‐ecological system with spatial agent‐based methods: A case study in Carinthia, Austria

AbstractThe paper presents an agent‐based modeling and simulation approach to model the forest fuel supply chain for heating purposes (i.e., heating plants). The paper focuses on the simulation of the processes of timber harvesting by forest enterprises and the competition of heating plants for the limited resource of wood chips. In particular, the work identifies different stakeholders having an adaptive behavior—with respect to the overall market conditions and timber prices. The agent‐based model developed here—called SimFoMa—uses three types of agents—forest enterprises, heating plants, and traders. The agents are interacting in an environment that has rich information on the forests and road network. The SimFoMa model is applied to a test area, the province of Carinthia, Austria. We defined six different simulation scenarios that cover different market situations—from increasing timber prices, volatile market conditions, or decreasing market conditions—and evaluated the harvest patterns, transport distances and the forest itself. The paper utilizes the agent‐based modeling methodology to model the agent's adaptive behavior of the forest fuel supply chain and to model the competition of heating plants for forest fuels. To evaluate this phenomena we mainly analyze transport distances of the simulation runs. For the test area of Carinthia, the experiments show that the behavior of small forest owners influences the supply of forest fuels. Timber prices not meeting the expectations of small forest owners might not motivate them to produce timber and forest fuels. On the long run the overall forest fuel supply does not meet the demand in the test area Carinthia—hence it relies on biomass imports. Furthermore, we witnessed increasing transport distances from harvest site to heating plant.Recommendations for Resource Managers The results of the spatial Agent‐based simulation of the forest fuel market with agents competing for the limited resource forest biomass show that transport distances for forest fuels can vary and may increase over time. Hence, the planning of the forest fuels supply and the respective transport distances is crucial to reduce the carbon footprint of the timber for heating purposes. As small forest owners produce timber on a more irregular basis (based on the price in the market), the motivation of small forest owners is crucial for the steady supply of biomass for heating purposes—for the case of Carinthia. In the long run it is not possible to fulfill the demand of biomass for heating purposes for Carinthia, without imports of timber. Again, crucial is the motivation of small forest owners to produce timber.

Sustainable Consumption and Production: An Analysis of Implementation of Pakistan’s Policy Framework of SDG-12

The sustainable consumption and production is crucially relevant for Pakistan, given the massive degradation and depletion of natural resources due to the population explosion – and agricultural and industrial development pursued without regard for environmental sustainability. Freshwater availability has declined and quality of drinking water has deteriorated, leading to increase in water-borne diseases. The decaying water infrastructure results in a 40pc water loss in conveyance from dams to farms, for agricultural development. Industrial, agricultural, and household chemicals are freely imported and used without any regulatory system. Massive depletion of natural resources has meant the cutting of trees, resulting in increased timber imports. Pakistan National Action Plan (PNAP) was developed in May 2017 to achieve the sustainable goal particularly goal 12, which is about Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP). This paper focuses on the ingenious activity and strategy devised in the PNAP for the preparedness, implementation and monitoring of the SDG-12, as National Developmental Agenda of Pakistan. Utilizing library research methods, the major material used for this research is qualitatively collected by analyzing the contents of documents. For primary data, government documents have been consulted. Whereas the secondary data has been collected from books and articles available on the theme.

Covid-19 Outbreak, Timber Production, and Livelihoods in Nepal

The study assesses the likely consequences of COVID-19 in the forest sector of Nepal, focusing on timber production and rural livelihoods. The study conducted telephone interviews along with a review of the secondary source of information and consultations. The timber production in 2020 is likely to decrease by 80% compared to previous years, resulting in a monetary loss of NRs 647.0 million. Furthermore, local community will lose 147,447 days of employment, amounting NRs 117.9 million. This will make livelihoods of the people more vulnerable. Returning of youths from abroad can further escalate biodiversity threats. Timber import is likely to increase in the country, thus impacting on local level employment opportunities. Both long-term and short-term strategies are necessary to revive the timber production and rural livelihoods, where priority should be on increasing investment in the forestry sector. However, public-sector investment is declining. Hence there is a need to expand conservation finance portfolios to incentivise rural people on timber production and achieve synergies between conservation and livelihood outcomes.

Transparency Index of the Supplying Countries’ Institutions and Tree Cover Loss: Determining Factors of EU Timber Imports?

Illegal logging and the associated deforestation have serious consequences for biodiversity, the climate, the economy and society. The EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) prohibits the placing of illegally harvested timber or timber products on the market. The objective of this paper is to analyse the recent evolution of EU imports of these products from the international market, in order to check how the transparency index of the supplying countries’ institutions and tree cover loss have influenced this trajectory. To that end, a panel data model is estimated with 228 observations from 38 exporting countries between 2012 and 2017. The results show that EU timber imports have a direct association with the transparency index and an inverse relationship with tree cover loss; both these relationships are highly significant at the one-percent level. Other significant factors are the performance of the EU construction sector (as a proxy for timber demand) and timber supply. In the short and medium-term, Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) signed between the EU and non-EU timber-producing countries have a negative influence on the supply to EU member states. This study presents an analysis of EU timber imports after the implementation of the EUTR, providing specific conclusions that can inform policymakers’ efforts to foster sustainable forest management.

Are imports of illegal timber in China, India, Japan and South Korea considerable? based on a historic trade balance analysis method

ABSTRACT Illegal logging has caused serious damage to the global forest environment. China, Japan, India and South Korea have been criticized for their imports of illegal timber. Based on a trade balance analysis method, this paper evaluates the imports of illegal timber of China, Japan, India and South Korea. The results show that China has serious illegal timber imports with the Republic of Congo, Ghana, Papua New Guinea, Laos, Brazil and Malaysia. India has serious illegal timber imports with Brazil and Papua New Guinea. Japan has serious illegal timber imports with the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. South Korea has serious illegal timber imports with Malaysia. In order to control the imports of illegal timber, there is a need to further strengthen international cooperation and domestic legislation, enhance the protection and cultivation of forest resources and reduce dependence on imported timber.

Highlightening the Timber Products Sales Between Russia and China (Adapted from Internet-Mass Media of China)

China is the biggest importer of Russian timber. However, the economic advantage, obtained from timber export, is not explicit for Russia. A pressing issue is the non-controlled cutting-down of forests on the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as their low reproduction. In view of this, The Russian Federation enacted the law envisaging temporary on timber export. Harvesting is allowed only for processing or using without processing on theterritory of he Russian Federation. This law will allow to restore the afforestation on cut-down or damaged areas, will serve as an impetus for developing national timber manufacturing industry, will contribute to creating additional jobs, and as well will increase budget incomes at various levels. What assessment is the Russian timber industry subject to and what is the response of the Chinese Internet–mass media to the prohibition of timber export? The answers to these questions are revealed in this article.

Impact of policies on raw material procurement in the Vietnamese timber processing industry: a case study of sawmills in Hue City

ABSTRACTIn Vietnam, the expansion of plantation forests, the logging ban in natural forest, and the partial timber import ban were predicted to drastically change the industry’s procurement of raw material. We investigated the response of timber processing companies to these events and policies, and discuss the future development of Vietnamese sawn timber industry. First, we considered the macroeconomic trends: timber imports from far-off countries have increased, and the expansion of plantation forests has also increased timber consumption. Second, interviews on sawmills in Hue City show that the events and policies have impacted the sawmills’ choice of raw material such shifting from Laotian timber to southern Africa timber due to the partial import ban of timber, from natural forest timber to southern Africa timber due to the logging ban in natural forest, or from natural forest timber to plantation forest timber due to both the logging ban in natural forest and plantation forest resources expansion. Regarding the impact of policies on the change of operation scale, the strategy of procurement for raw material in each sawmill is a significant element. Especially in the case of plantation forest timber, even though sawmills may consume the same plantation forest timber, business strategies, such as aggressive procurement of timber and obtaining timber source certification, have effects on the rate of development among sawmills.

Capacity Building in the Congo Basin: Rich Resources Requiring Sustainable Development

The Congo Basin is a unique freshwater ecosystem supporting hundreds of millions of people and a crucial part of regulating Earth’s water cycle. Increasing international attention on its resource potential brings worrying pressures to this understudied region. Equitable collaboration is the key to understanding this complex, interconnected system and enabling its sustainable development.

Vietnam's cross-border timber crackdown and the quest for state legitimacy

The cross-border timber trade between Cambodia and Vietnam provides a window into frictions between different tiers of government in Vietnam. Divergent central and provincial government interests in the cross-border timber trade show that state legitimacy is multi-dimensional and can stem from conflicting sources. The central government's recent devolution of regulatory powers over the cross-border timber trade has enabled provincial authorities to increase illicit timber flows from Cambodia to finance local economic agendas. Timber imports have become a key revenue source for provincial budgets. They are also critical to the burgeoning Vietnamese wood processing sector and to the livelihoods of thousands of wood processing households in the Red River Delta region. Meanwhile, the central government has made a commitment to its international trading partners to stem the trade of illegally harvested timber from countries such as Cambodia. The corruption associated with these timber imports, often involving high-level provincial officials, has added to public concern about corruption in Vietnam and further eroded the central government's political legitimacy. Thus, the timber trade sustains the legitimacy of provincial actors by supporting economic development and local livelihoods, but undermines both the international reputation and domestic legitimacy of the central government. The central government has responded by ‘performing’ corruption crackdowns on provincial officials in an effort to restore its political legitimacy. Through a high-profile case of Cambodian timber imports, we reveal the conflicting sources of legitimacy that the state must continually navigate across provincial and central axes, and between domestic and international spheres, which play out through state practices and representations.

中国进口巴布亚新几内亚木材合法性和可追溯性的实证分析

中国进口巴布亚新几内亚木材合法性和可追溯性的实证分析

中国原木进口依存度分析

中国原木进口依存度分析

PM 10/26 (1) Fumigation to control adult Leptinotarsa decemlineata

Specific scopeThis Standard describes fumigation to control adult Leptinotarsa decemlineata.

NDVI-derived forest area change and its driving factors in China.

China harbors diversified forest types, from tropical rainforest to boreal coniferous forest, and has implemented large-scale reforestation/afforestation programs over the past several decades. However, little information is available on changes in China’s forest area and the causes. In this study, we used the classified forest distribution thematic map derived from Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) datasets and a revised IPAT model to examine China’s forest area change and the possible driving factors from 1982 to 2006. Overall, NDVI-derived forest areas were numerically consistent with those reported in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th National Forest Inventories, respectively. Over the past 25 years, China’s forest area was estimated to have an average of 169.18 million hectares with an annual increase of 0.15 million hectares (c.a. a total net increment of 3.60 million hectares), which is equivalent to 0.089% of the relative annual change rate. However, a large difference in the changing rate and direction of forest area at the province level was found; for instance, forest area has declined in 10 provinces, mainly in Northeastern and Southern China, while 21 provinces showed an increase. The changes were most likely attributed to the policy regarding the import and export of timber and affluence (per capita gross domestic product), and both contributed more than 80% of the total contribution of the six factors of the revised IPAT model.

Analysis of the India-Myanmar timber trade

Abstract. Maria-Sube E, Woodgate G. 2019. Analysis of the India-Myanmar Timber Trade. Asian J For 3: 1-9. Myanmar’s forest cover declined by 1.8% annually between 2000 and 2015: the result of on-going civil wars and institutional weaknesses. As Myanmar transitioned from military dictatorship, round log exports were banned in 2014. Until 2014, India was the most important importer of timber from Myanmar in terms of value, and the second most important in terms of volume, after China. This article assesses the value and volume of timber traded between Myanmar and India from 2010 until 2015. In addition to trade flows, the timber species and main actors involved in the timber trade are identified and the governance environment of trade is assessed. The paper goes on to investigate the impact of recent regulatory changes enacted by the Government of India and the prospects for the future of the India-Myanmar trade. The analysis showed that (i) from an economic perspective the timber trade between the two countries, once active, is currently stalled. (ii) From a governance perspective, illegality occurs to a limited extent at the international border but probably happens to a greater extent at timber auctions in Myanmar. Finally (iii), from a social and environmental point of view, as infrastructure expands it will be crucial to include forest management and timber trade governance in discussions regarding border relations between the two countries.

Assessing the impact of China's timber industry on Congo Basin land use change

Through the rise of global commodity chains, consumer demand in China and the USA has given rise to the extraction of natural resources in the Congo Basin. The Chinese market for high‐valued animal products such as elephant ivory and pangolin scales has encouraged poaching, exploitation and trafficking of these goods in Africa. Chinese demand for other African commodities, however, remains less well known. Using data across a 15‐year period (2001–2015), we analysed the relationship between Chinese timber imports and tree‐cover loss in the Congo Basin. Tree‐cover loss was measured via remote sensing and the value of imports was obtained from official trade statistics. Results indicate that the total accumulated export of wood from Congo Basin countries to China doubled between 2001 and 2015, with 50% of exports originating from Cameroon and the Republic of Congo. We found a positive relationship between measures of Chinese logging and the loss of tree cover in the Congo Basin. Further investigation of the timber products market showed that US demand for Chinese‐made furniture was positively correlated with Chinese timber imports from the Congo Basin. These findings suggest that US demand for furniture encourages Chinese economic actors to harvest timber from Congo Basin forests. Our results help to illuminate the complex environmental and economic drivers surrounding trade and deforestation and can help inform consumers about more sustainable ways to purchase wood products from one of the world's preeminent biodiversity hotspots.

Adapting Chinese Forest Operations to Socio-Economic Developments: What is the Potential of Plantations for Strengthening Domestic Wood Supply?

Over recent decades, China’s forestry sector went through a transition phase characterized by a management and institutional reform process, with a constant rethinking of the ecological and societal role of forests within a unique political system. Nevertheless, despite impressive achievements in forest restoration and conservation efforts, the enhancement of ecosystem services and forest area expansion through plantation development, China was not able to improve its domestic timber supply capacities according to its demands. Consequently, the continually growing wood processing industry is facing a severe demand-and-supply gap, causing high dependencies on timber imports. Outdated forest operations practices, dominated by manual labour, are not able to meet supply demands or to implement new silvicultural strategies for enhancing forest quality and productivity and are a widely unnoted disruption of a sustainable development. Therefore, this review presents the status quo of China’s forest operations sector, how it is shaped by forest policy reforms and recent socio-economic developments. In addition, suggestions are developed how the sector can progress through policy adaptations in order to develop sustainable timber supply capacities based on a domestic plantation sector.

Policy analysis for realizing the potential of timber production from Trees Outside Forests (TOF) in India

Trees outside forests (TOF) in India are defined as trees growing outside government recorded forest areas (RFAs). They are well known contributors towards the rural economy, food security and biodiversity. Recently, TOF have emerged as an important source for timber production globally as well as in India after a significant decline of timber production from forests in the last 25 years due to stricter conservation policies, acts and regulations. The paper attempts to analyse the state level TOF policies and guidelines, and suggest strategies to augment timber supply in the country through TOF. Analysis revealed that the potential of TOF for timber production is not being realized due to the absence of a uniform nationwide policy related to management, harvest, transit and marketing of timber from TOF. We further describe how the ambiguity and cumbersome nature of existing policies pose as constraints for farmers who want to grow and benefit from TOF. Finally, the paper concludes with a recommendation for a nationwide strategy for developing an umbrella policy and a network of markets to realize the complete potential of TOF for timber production in India. This in turn would also significantly reduce the growing gap between demand and supply of timber at the country level, in addition to reducing pressure on forests and timber import.

Ma l’ISTAT sa che in Italia esistono boschi e foreste?

Abstract: Taking into account the last National Report of ISTAT (The Italian National Institute of Statistics), the present paper deals with the astonishing fact that forest chain has not been considered nor cited. The importance of woods and timber is highlighted, in connection with the great range of ecosystem services forests are providing to the entire society.

Consumer willingness to pay for modern wooden structures: A comparison between China and Japan

The use of timber materials in construction has a long history in Asian countries, especially China and Japan. Wood, as an eco-friendly construction material, can play an important role in sustainable development. During past decades, the early modern and modern wooden structural industry in Japan has developed rapidly, compared with that in China; this difference is due to the distinct domestic situations of the two countries, which involve forest resources, timber imports and exports, forestry industrial development, government policies, and geographical factors. This study analyzed the modern wooden structure market at the consumer level in Japan and China, given their different market environments. The results show that Japanese consumers have a higher premium acceptance for modern wooden structure residences, whereas Chinese consumers are more willing to pay for modern wooden structure hotels. Several factors were examined as determinants of consumers' willingness to pay for modern wooden hotels and residences. The results indicate that, for modern wooden hotels, affection and prior experience influence both Japanese and Chinese consumers' willingness to pay price premiums, while education negatively impacts the likelihood of paying a premium for modern wooden structure hotels in China. For modern wooden residences, only affective factors increase the likelihood of paying a premium in both China and Japan; moreover, prior experience, positive knowledge, and household size have negative effects on it in China. Compared with cognitive and demographic factors, affective components influence consumers' willingness to pay for modern wooden structures strongly. These results help to provide a better understanding of the modern wooden structure market in Japan and China, and we offer suggestions to policy makers, developers and timber companies regarding modern wooden structure promotions.