4 September 2015: Produced by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the ‘Forest Products Annual Market Review 2014-2015’ provides general and statistical information on forest products markets in 2014 and early 2015 in the UNECE region, as well as market influences from outside the region. It finds that the general condition of forest product markets continued to improve in North America and Europe in 2014, driven by positive economic developments, upward trends in housing and construction, and increasing consumption of roundwood and wood products.

The review covers the range of products from the forest to the final end-user: from roundwood and primary processed products to value-added and innovative wood products. Statistic-based chapters of the review analyze markets of wood raw materials, sawn softwood, sawn hardwood, wood-based panels, paper, paper board and woodpulp. Other chapters analyze policies, innovative wood products, markets of wood energy, value-added wood products and housing. A special section on institutional forest ownership is also included in the review.

Among the review’s main findings is that the region is a major net exporter of raw logs, mainly to Asia. The export of logs has attracted the attention of policymakers in some countries, with Belarus, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Romania, all either planning on or already implementing some form of ban on the export of raw logs. Structural changes in the pulp and paper sector are continuing to have wide-reaching ramifications, with Latin America emerging as a big player; while the use of wood for energy continues to grow at almost a 5% rate in the region (2011 through 2013) and currently accounts for about half of all UNECE region renewable energy. [UNECE Press Release] [Publication: Forest Products Annual Market Review 2014-2015]