1 September 2013: The 16-31 August issue of the International Tropical Timber Organization’s (ITTO) Tropical Timber Market (TTM) Report highlights a proposal for a new International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard on chain of custody requirements for forest products.

The new standard, proposed by the German and Brazilian representatives to the ISO, is, according to the report, causing controversy as it is disconnected from the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) forest management certification systems.

The report also features stories on the strong market for Brazilian furniture in Mexico, as well as the improvement in the Japanese economy based on increases in exports and industrial production, reduced deflation and other relevant indicators.

The report further notes plans for the corporatization of the Myanmar Timber Enterprise, which will remain as a state enterprise, but will be restructured to run more efficiently. In India, the report notes a faster than expected rate of depreciation of the Indian rupee against the US dollar.

Following the last report, the shift to no-customs inspections for many forest products in China has progressed, according to the latest report, while the period for comments on new rules on formaldehyde emissions in the US has been extended to 9 October 2013. Finally, the report notes a shift from tropical to temperate hardwoods in German sawmills in part due to the financial crisis, as well as export bans by a number of countries in Africa.

In addition to the headline stories, the report contains tropical timber market reports from Brazil, China, Ghana, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar and Peru. The report further recounts regional tropical timber market statistics from Central and West Africa, Europe and North America.

The TTM Report is published through the ITTO Market Information Service (MIS) with the aim of improving transparency in the international tropical timber market. [Publication: Tropical Timber Market Report – Issue 17 Number 16]