Vital Forest Graphics

Intra-regional trade in primary wood and paper products in 2006

NORTH AMERICA

EUROPE

ASIA

OCEANIA

LATIN AMERICA

AFRICA

Global trade in forest products in 2006

Source: FAO 2008a.

Billion dollars

2.75 25

85

Global trade in primary wood and paper products in 2006 (excluding intra-regional trade)

CANADA

JAPAN

UNITED STATES

CHINA

RUSSIA

EUROPE

ASIA

OCEANIA

LATIN AMERICA

Exports Billion US$

Regions

AFRICA

America Europe Africa Asia Oceania

4 to 6.5

0.5 to 1 1 to 2 2 to 4

Source: FAO 2008a.

and sawnwood – being overtaken by secondary processed wood products (SPWPs), such as furniture and pre- fabricated wooden buildings. In Latin America, only one per cent of logs are exported whole. In Asia, the exports in primary products dropped from 7 per cent to 4 per cent in 2007 (UNECE/ FAO 2007). Some central and western African countries, however, still export logs in significant quantities, making up between 20 to 30 per cent of total production, and mainly destined for Europe and China. This is most likely due to bans on log export placed by countries, such as Brazil and Indone- sia, where only added valued products,

including sawnwood and SPWPs, may be exported (UNECE/FAO 2007; WWF 2005). The Russian Federation has recently emerged as the largest exporter of industrial roundwood, accounting for 35 per cent of global trade in 2004, amounting to 42 million cubic metres. The largest importers of forestry products in general remain the devel- oped countries, led by the United States, Japan and the European Union. However China is catching up with the developed nations in terms of the import and consumption of forestry products. In Scandinavian countries, the Russian Federation and Canada, the domestic output is generally suf-

ficient to meet national demand. Nev- ertheless, these countries continue to import roundwood. New investments Direct foreign investment has boosted the development of wood process- ing industries through technology transfer, infrastructure development and improved access to global mar- kets (FAO 2007). Such investments have been driven by a range of factors including low labour and produc- tion costs, advances in education and research, incentives for foreign invest- ment and a growth in domestic econo- mies. Proximity of forest resources

VITAL FOREST GRAPHICS 27