timber News
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EU and Indonesia sign historic deal to curb illegal timber
Today the European Union and Indonesia signed a historic trade agreement which will contribute to halting the trade in illegal timber. Under the agreement, only verified legal timber and timber products will be exported to the EU. Indonesia is the first Asian country to enter into such an agreement, and by far the largest Asian timber exporter to the EU. European Environment Commissioner Janez ...
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New rules on illegal timber come into force across EU
New rules to prevent illegal timber being sold on the European market have come into force across the EU. The legislation will strengthen efforts to halt illegal logging which causes serious environmental damage and biodiversity loss and undermines the efforts of those trying to manage forests responsibly. The Regulation, which was first proposed by the Commission in 2008, was adopted by the EU ...
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EU and Indonesia sign historic deal to curb illegal timber
Today the European Union and Indonesia signed a historic trade agreement which will contribute to halting the trade in illegal timber. Under the agreement, only verified legal timber and timber products will be exported to the EU. Indonesia is the first Asian country to enter into such an agreement, and by far the largest Asian timber exporter to the EU. European Environment Commissioner Janez ...
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The Drive Towards Forest Certification in New Zealand
“International customers are increasingly demanding wood to be sourced sustainably,” said Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General of PEFC, during a recent interview with Radio New Zealand’s Morning Rural News. “Not only are a growing number of countries demanding verification that timber has been sourced legally, but international companies are also playing a big role in the push ...
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New timber regulation comes into force
On 3 March, new legislation comes into effect to counter the trade in illegal timber. The new EU Timber regulation will affect everyone in the wood trade. It prohibits the placing of illegally harvested timber on the European market in an effort to tackle the problem of illegal logging across the world. Illegal logging has severe economic, environmental and social impacts: it is associated with ...
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Carbon credits for forestry management
A recent study has investigated two carbon credit payment schemes which the authors say could provide incentives for forest managers to increase forest land and lengthen rotation time between harvests. There are a number of reasons for ensuring the upkeep of forests, including promoting biodiversity and providing social and cultural benefits, such as recreational opportunities. The ...
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Expobiomasa delivers: 16,423 professionals visited the largest annual sector fair in Europe
The 564 exhibitors, who came from 24 countries and took up over 26,000 m2of exhibition space, were already expecting Expobiomasa to be a success. Now, only a few days after doors closed on the event, organiser AVEBIOMcan confirm that those and their own expectations were fulfilled. The final number of unique visiting professionals recorded accessing the event comes to 16,423 – slightly ...
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African countries agree to curb illegal timber trade in the Congo Basin
Governments from Africa's main timber producing countries, together with timber industry representatives and civil society organizations agreed to jointly combat illegal timber trade in the Congo Basin, FAO said today following an international wood industry meeting in Brazzaville. Covering an area of 300 million hectares, the Congo Basin harbours the world's second largest tropical forest. It ...
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UPDATE: Fitness check of the EU Timber Regulation
At the end of November, the European Commission closed the public consultation on a fitness check for the EU Timber Regulation (EU) No. 995/2010. In addition to the review of the EU Timber Regulation, the fitness check also serves to reflect on the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Regulation (EC) No 2173/2005) in terms of the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance ...
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SGS Fforestry Monitoring Programme is awarded a five-year contract in DRC
SGS Forestry Monitoring Programme (GIS) is pleased to announce that, on January 20, 2010, it signed a five year contract with the Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Tourism (MECNT) of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to initiate implementation of an integrated forest control system to monitor and verify forest logging, timber chain-of-custody and forest product exports. DRC’s ...
By SGS
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Growth-oriented logging: a new concept in forest management
Deforestation in the tropics has both local and global effects, but conservation remains a major challenge. New research describes a method for measuring tree growth and timber harvesting, which can lead to sustainable management of tropical timber resources. The method tailors cutting cycles according to accurate growth rates of different tree species. Research explored the Mamirauá Sustainable ...
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Two Organizations Join PEFC International as International Stakeholder Members
“PEFC is pleased to welcome the European Timber Trade Federation (ETTF) and theInternational Council of Forest and Paper Associations(ICPFA) as PEFC International Stakeholder members,” said Ben Gunneberg, PEFC Secretary General, following their acceptance during the PEFC General Assembly. “We are looking forward to enhanced opportunities for collaboration in our common effort to ...
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Wood from illegal harvesting in EU markets estimated
Illegal timber imports into the EU were between 8 and 18 million m³ in 2009, representing 6-13% of total imports, new research suggests. Although figures for illegal logging are associated with high uncertainties, the authors claim that these figures provide the best available estimates for policy and decision makers. Illegal logging is a worldwide problem, which exacerbates climate change ...
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Responsible Forestry and CSR – The Business Case
The significance of responsible timber sourcing practices to promote sustainable forest management and combat climate change will be the focus of the keynote speech by Ben Gunneberg, PEFC International Secretary General at the forthcoming World Engineers Summit (WES) in Singapore next week. Sustainable forest management is key to maintaining the forest carbon stock and has been identified as an ...
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Multifunctional forests - balancing timber, water and carbon sink needs air
Traditionally, forests have needed different management programmes depending on their purpose, for example, whether the priority is to maximise their value in terms of timber, water or as a carbon sink. However, the integration of these values in management strategies has become increasingly important. A new study has explored one means of achieving this, by placing an economic value on fresh ...
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An inside look at Latin America’s Illegal Logging – Part One
This post was co-authored with Eduardo Arenas Hernández Jr. and Ana Domínguez, who work for Reforestamos Mexico. This is the first post in a two-part series on illegal logging in Latin America, with key insights coming from the Forest Legality Alliance’s recent event, “Legal Forest Products and International Trade: A Regional Perspective.” The first installment ...
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Climate change is fueling forest disturbances
Climate change is already altering the environment. Long-lived ecosystems such as forests are particularly vulnerable to the comparatively rapid changes in the climate system. A new international study published this week in Nature Climate Change shows that damage from wind, bark beetles, and wildfires has increased drastically in Europe’s forests in recent years. Europe’s forests ...
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`Working forests`: How land protection can save and even make money
A new issue brief shows how public forestland can be “put to work” to increase revenue in the southern United States. Public support remains high for land conservation, even in the challenging state of today’s economy. Traditional conservation strategies rely on public institutions to purchase land from private owners and protect these areas by forming parks, wilderness areas, ...
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PEFC Takes Center Stage at Leading European Timber Tradeshow
Early June saw PEFC International take to the stage at Europe’s leading timber tradeshow, Carrefour International du Bois, to discuss PEFC certification and tropical wood. Taking place every two years in Nantes, France, the Carrefour International du Bois brings together over 500 exhibitors and 10,000 visitors from 60 different countries, promoting its 100% wood concept through a dedicated ...
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New EU Forest Strategy: Better Management can Boost Rural Jobs, say MEPs
The new EU forest strategy must focus on managing forests sustainably, promoting efficient use of the raw materials that they produce, and boosting the competitiveness of forest-related industry so as to create jobs, says a non-legislative resolution voted by Parliament on Tuesday. "The new EU forest strategy is a much-needed response to growing demands on forests and significant societal and ...
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