Region Archives: International

Opinion / EdiTOADial

Demand is not coming to the rescue for the forest industry, thus capacity rationalization and supply discipline are crucial: Mason

By Kevin Mason, Managing Director
ERA Forest Products Research
October 1, 2025
Category: Opinion / EdiTOADial
Region: Canada, United States, International

Kevin Mason

As we have stated multiple times over the past months, demand is not coming to the rescue for this industry, thus capacity rationalization and supply discipline are crucial. The traditional refrain in the commodity space is that “low prices are the cure for low prices.” Well, prices are depressingly low for many key commodities, notably pulp, lumber and OSB, with precious little rationalization to date.  Although some current commodity prices are slightly above trough levels, costs have risen substantially since then. Many softwood pulp mills in Canada and Scandinavia are losing money at these levels, yet there has been only a smattering of downtime concentrated in Finland. The tolerance for pain has been surprising! 

For lumber, even with punitive duties on Canadians, a lot of production continues to run despite losing $100‒150/mbf. SYP prices are also horribly low and stuck below cash-cost levels. US producers expect Canadians to take the brunt of the closures, but they will likely need to curtail production as well given that the substitution of SYP for S-P-F is not happening at the speed many had hoped. Canadian sawmill shuts should also spur pulp mill shuts.  On OSB, mills are in the money-losing zone and there is more capacity on the horizon with Kronospan and Huber mills soon to start up. Supply needs to be removed, but aside from a couple of temporary shuts from Arbec, nothing has transpired.

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Business & Politics

New Zealand timber industry welcomes 10% tariff as a ‘bit of relief’

Radio New Zealand
September 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

NEW ZEALAND — News that US President Trump imposed a tariff of 10 percent on imported timber has come as a relief to industry, which expected a higher figure. Mark Ross, chief executive of the Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association, said it was a relief as they thought it would be higher. “We’ve been working through the essential impact of a tariff on our products since March this year so it wasn’t a shock because we were, at one point, expecting a 50% tariff. “So 10% is a bit of relief. It is still going to have a financial impact on the wood processing industry in New Zealand. …Ross said they were working with exporters to work out how to handle the extra costs. …Ross said the United States was New Zealand’s third-largest export market and continued to grow.

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China Reacts to Donald Trump’s New Tariffs

By Shane Croucher
Newsweek
September 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

©wayfair

China said there are no winners in trade wars as it reacted to U.S. President Donald Trump’s new and rising import tariffs on softwood lumber, upholstered furniture, and kitchen cabinets and vanities. Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a regular press briefing on Tuesday that “there are no winners in tariff or trade wars, and protectionism leads nowhere,” according to a paraphrasing of his remarks by state-run Global Times. The tariffs are being introduced despite fruitful talks between trade delegations from the U.S. and China as Trump continues to aggressively pursue his economic policy of trying to rebuild American manufacturing by throttling foreign competitors. …”In order to make North Carolina, which has completely lost its furniture business to China, and other Countries, GREAT again, I will be imposing substantial Tariffs on any Country that does not make its furniture in the United States,” Trump said a post on Truth Social.

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Vietnam Wood industry faces new challenges

By Vuong The – Translated by My Le, Thu Ha
Đồng Nai Online
October 10, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

From October 14, wooden furniture exported to the United States will continue to be subject to a new import tariff of up to 25 percent. This has come as a “shock” at a time when enterprises are accelerating production, raising concerns over the feasibility of maintaining Vietnam’s 2025 wood export targets. In the long term, aside from adapting to frequently changing tariff policies, enterprises in the wood industry are working to improve product quality. Expanding markets and building the Vietnamese wood brand are considered key solutions for the sector’s sustainable development. On September 29, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a decree imposing a 25 percent tariff on wooden furniture, effective from October 14. The tariff rate may increase to 50 percent for dressing tables and kitchen cabinets, and 30 percent for upholstered products early next year. This move is regarded as a “shock” to Vietnam’s wood industry.

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Sappi Europe announces closure of PM2 at its Kirkniemi Mill in Finland

Sappi Limited
October 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

LOHJA, Finland — Sappi Europe announced in August the commencement of a consultation process for the potential closure of Paper Machine 2 at its Kirkniemi Mill in Lohja, Finland. The consultation process, aimed at improving the mill’s profitability and cost competitiveness, has been completed resulting in the planned closure of Paper Machine 2 by the end of the calendar year 2025. As a result, Sappi’s annual production capacity of coated mechanical paper will be reduced by 175,000 tonnes. The closure will lead to a reduction of 93 positions. …The shutdown of Paper Machine 2 is part of Sappi’s strategic plan to align production capacity with market demand and to optimise the utilisation of the mill’s remaining paper machines. Production of Paper Machine 2 grades will be transferred to Kirkniemi’s Paper Machines 1 and 3, which will continue operating. Deliveries to customers will continue without disruption. 

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EU to impose antidumping duty of 6.2% on softwood plywood from Brazil

The European Commission
October 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

The European Commission proposed preliminary antidumping duties on imports of softwood plywood from Brazil, following an investigation launched earlier this year into alleged unfair pricing practices. The proposal, published on October 7, sets a provisional duty rate of 6.2% on Brazilian softwood plywood, expressed on the CIF Union border price, customs duty unpaid. The Commission said the rates will not take effect until the provisional measures are formally adopted. The move follows a complaint filed in January by the Softwood Plywood Consortium (SPC) on behalf of EU producers, alleging that Brazilian plywood was being sold in the Union at dumped prices, harming the bloc’s manufacturers. The investigation period, covering January–December 2024, examines both dumping and injury to the EU industry.

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UPM Finland to close paper production in Kaukas and relocate operations to Rauma

Tissue Online
October 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

FINLAND — UPM has completed employee consultation processes following its late July announcement to permanently end paper production at its Kaukas mill in Lappeenranta, Finland. Coated mechanical paper production will be relocated to the Rauma mill, Finland. Paper machine 1 in Kaukas will be permanently closed during Q4 2025, resulting in a reduction of 220 positions. Following the closure, coated mechanical paper production capacity in Finland will decrease by 300,000 tonnes annually. UPM’s pulp, sawn timber, biofuels production, and R&D activities at Kaukas will continue unchanged. …The closure will affect 220 employees and reduce coated mechanical paper capacity in Finland by 300,000 tonnes per year. …An after-care team will be established to ensure safe conditions at the mill following the closure.

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Australia’s last paper mill, Tasmania’s Boyer Mill, locked in energy security negotiations with Aurora

By Madeleine Rojahn
ABC News, Australia
October 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

TASMANIA — Australia’s last paper mill and supplier of newsprint remains locked in negotiations for power security, with Tuesday’s meeting to resolve an impasse over costs concluding with no outcome. As one of Tasmania’s major industrials, the Boyer pulp and paper mill in New Norfolk is also one the state’s largest power users. Aurora Energy is seeking a $7 million bank guarantee to cover energy costs for the mill as it looks to electrify and move away from its coal-powered boilers, a figure Boyer owner David Marriner has labelled “obscene”. A spokesperson for the Boyer Mill said discussions had been “constructive”, and remained committed to ensuring a positive outcome. Aurora Energy said it would “continue to negotiate in good faith”. …The Boyer Mill, which is currently Tasmania’s fourth-largest carbon emitter, is working to convert its coal boilers to electric after years of energy concerns.

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Metsä Group to initiate statutory negotiations to improve its profitability and operational efficiency

Metsä Group
October 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

On 31 July 2025, Metsä Group announced it would launch the planning of a EUR 300 million cost savings and profit improvement programme. Planning is now complete, and Metsä Group will initiate statutory negotiations concerning its personnel as part of it. “Our profitability has been undermined by three factors. First, increased uncertainties in global trade have reduced demand for our products. Second, changes in exchange rates have weakened our result and will continue to do so. Third, the increase in raw material costs and the general cost level has eroded our profitability,” says Jussi Vanhanen, President and CEO of Metsä Group. …According to preliminary assessments, the planned measures may lead to a permanent reduction of 800 permanent jobs. A significant share – 540 jobs – are expected to be in Finland. In addition to redundancies, the planned changes may lead to changes in duties.

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New Era as Ric Sinclair Takes Helm as Forestry South Australia Chair

By Jason Ross
Wood Central Australia
October 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

Ric Sinclair

SOUTH AUSTRALIA — Ric Sinclair has been appointed as Chair of ForestrySA, succeeding June Roache, who has served as Chair of South Australia’s government-owned forest manager since 2018. “It is a great honour to be appointed Chair of ForestrySA for a 3-year term,” said Sinclair, who from 2008 until 2021 served as the long-time CEO of Forest Wood Products Australia (FWPA). …Sinclair, who was instrumental in establishing FWPA’s long-running social license partnership with Planet Ark and the award-winning WoodSolutions programme, will take over from Roache, who has increased ForestrySA’s net asset position and returned a dividend to the government. …ForestrySA oversees 10,500 hectares of plantation pine—supplying logs for regional domestic markets and select exports—and more than 16,000 hectares of native forest. These support conservation, recreation, and eco-tourism whilst adhering to a certified Forest Management System under Responsible Wood’s Australian Forestry Standard.

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Wood industry seeks solutions under US tariff pressure

Voice of Vietnam
October 1, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

US President Donald Trump has signed an order imposing tariffs of 10%-50% on a range of wood and furniture products, piling pressure on Vietnam’s exports. Starting October 14, 2025, imported softwood and sawn timber will face a 10% duty, while kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets and upholstered furniture will be levied at 25%. From January 1, 2026, the rates will rise to 30% for upholstered items and 50% for kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Experts warn the new policy could pose major challenges to the Vietnamese wood sector. In 2024, exports totaled US$16.25 billion. Over the past eight months of this year, shipments reached US$11.1 billion, up about 6.5% year-on-year, a modest yet encouraging result. The US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, China and the EU remained the top five markets, accounting for over 80% of total export value. …beyond the tariffs, Vietnamese exporters are also facing a Section 232 investigation by the US into plywood and decorative wood.

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Finance & Economics

Which countries could win or lose from US containerboard tariffs

By Natalie Schwertheim
Packaging Insights
October 14, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, International

The recent US tariffs on paper and pulp may trigger a zero-sum dynamic, with rising prices and costs pushing trade flows toward cheaper, lower-tariff partners like Canada and Brazil, according to Xinnan Li, senior analyst for Packaging and Logistics at RaboResearch. Rabobank’s Q3 2025 containerboard quarterly report, outlined the research department’s forecasts for containerboard demand, production, and linerboard prices.

  • RaboResearch expects US tariffs on pulp and paper to reshape global trade, favoring lower-tariff partners like Canada and Brazil while disadvantaging European exporters.
  • Containerboard demand is expected to recover modestly, with production rebounding and prices projected to rise by 2026–2027 as inventories stabilize and inflation pressures ease.
  • Winners could include low-cost South American and Canadian producers, while European and Chinese suppliers face declining competitiveness and higher costs.

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Profitability of UK wood-based panels producers declines amid challenging economic conditions

By Stephen Powney
The Timber Trades Journal
October 14, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

The latest set of financial results for UK panel products manufacturer West Fraser Europe show that its turnover fell by £65m for the year ended December 31, 2024. The results show that West Fraser Europe’s turnover for the period was £352m (2023: £417m). The company recorded a loss for the year after taxation of -£12.1m (2023: £4.8m profit after tax). The West Fraser Europe operation includes an MDF and particleboard mill in Cowie, and OSB mills in Inverness and Genk, Belgium. …Fellow UK panel product manufacturer Kronospan UK, which produces MDF and particleboard, published its last set of results in June 2025, relating to the 12 months ended September 30, 2024. The results show revenue during the period had been £309m (2023: £354m), down 12%, while profit before tax was £489,000 (2023: £47.4m). 

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China’s Pulp and Paper Expansion: How Overcapacity Is Reshaping Global Competitiveness

ResourceWise Forest Products Blog
October 14, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

China’s pulp and paper industry continues to expand at an unprecedented pace, with new mill projects, advanced technologies, and state-backed financing driving record output. What began as a push to meet domestic demand has now evolved into an era of overcapacity and a structural imbalance that is reshaping trade dynamics, pricing strategies, and sustainability priorities worldwide. This expansion has far-reaching effects: global producers are contending with lower-priced exports, disrupted supply chains, and a shifting balance of power that challenges traditional market leaders in North America and Europe. …Industry observers expect consolidation in China’s pulp and paper sector, as smaller and less efficient mills struggle to survive. Strategic investments in transparency, benchmarking, and efficiency will be crucial for staying competitive in a tightening global market.

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UK timber industry records fragile softwood sales along with critical supply chain tensions

Wood & Panel
October 9, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

The UK timber industry is currently experiencing a crisis, even as it reports record sales of softwood, raising concerns over supply chain challenges, rising costs, and sustainability issues. The surge in softwood sales, particularly in the construction and woodworking sectors, has overshadowed the ongoing difficulties facing the industry. While the demand for timber has been high, particularly due to the growing construction boom and a shift toward more sustainable building materials, the challenges related to timber shortages and price increases remain deeply concerning for businesses across the sector. …The Timber Trade Federation (TTF) reports that softwood sales in the UK reached record levels in 2024. However, one of the most pressing issues facing the UK timber sector is the disruption of supply chains. The UK has faced considerable difficulty in securing a steady supply of raw timber. The global timber shortage has exacerbated the situation.

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Mondi warns of weak demand as shares plunge in paper and packaging sector

By Mohamed Dabo
Packaging Gateway
October 7, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

Shares in packaging and paper group Mondi fell sharply on Monday after the company issued a cautionary outlook, citing weak demand and falling prices across pulp and paper grades. The warning rattled investor confidence in the paper and packaging sector, dragging Mondi shares to a 12-year low. The company said volumes remained subdued and selling prices declined in most grades, particularly in fine paper and corrugated segments. Citing fragile demand, Mondi described the trading environment as challenging and flagged continued weakness for the rest of the year. CEO Andrew King told analysts that demand for packaging “has not become worse, nor has it become better,” and that weakness in the fine paper market persisted. …Mondi’s warning underscores continued strain across the paper and packaging industry. Oversupply in key markets, weak industrial demand in Europe, and aggressive pricing competition are pressuring margins and volumes across the sector.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

The Annual Australian Timber Design Award winners for 2025 were announced in Melbourne

Australian Timber Design Awards
October 15, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

MELBOURNE, Australia — The 2025 Annual Australian Timber Design Award winners were recently announced at Rydges Melbourne CBD. Actress and sustainability campaigner Rebecca Gilling announced Archer Office as the winner of the Grand Prix for their outstanding Boot Factory in Bondi Junction, NSW. The Boot Factory is a striking example of how timber can breathe new life into a heritage structure. Originally built in 1892 and condemned before works began, the building has been transformed into a civic innovation hub using an adaptive reuse methodology. The designers have retained the original brick perimeter walls, and completely reconstructed the interior and roof with a new glue-laminated Australian hardwood structure. …Timber Development Association CEO Andrew Dunn said the awards “continue to affirm timber’s place at the forefront of contemporary architecture. this year’s entries not only display extraordinary design quality but also highlight timber’s evolving role as a driver of sustainable, resilient, and human-centred spaces.”

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Alternative building materials are on the rise, but some people are not happy

By Bevin Liu
The Fifth Estate Australia
October 15, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Several parliamentarians, key industry players and alternative materials start-ups in hemp, engineered bamboo and engineered timber attended an event designed to focus a spotlight on the new world of possibilities in building materials. The WWF and Forest Alliance NSW event was intended to showcase sustainable alternatives to timber products …with the protection of the proposed Great Koala National Park at the centre of conversations. The event was further by the Parliamentary Friends of Forests. Attending as exhibitors were House of Bamboo, Hemp Inside, Bamboo Society Australia, Australian Hemp Council, iHempNSW, BVN Architecture and betti & knutt. While XLAM … was originally on the list of presenters, an industry source says the pressure from forestry sources had forced the company to pull out. …Susie Russell was particularly inspired by House of Bamboo, realizing that similar products to timber can be made from bamboo, which only takes five years to grow.

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Osaka Expo’s Grand Ring timber to be reused for housing in Ishikawa

The Japan Times
October 2, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

OSAKA – Timber used in the Grand Ring, a symbol of the World Exposition in Osaka, will be reused for public housing to aid recovery from last year’s strong earthquake and heavy rain in Ishikawa Prefecture, people familiar with the matter said Thursday. Suzu, an Ishikawa city heavily damaged in the disasters, will receive the dismantled timber from the world’s largest wooden architectural structure free of charge after the expo closes on Oct. 13. “We want to carry on the expo’s legacy and make it a symbol of our recovery,” a Suzu city official said. The ring structure was built with wood including Japanese cedar and cypress. A portion of the roughly 2-kilometer loop measuring about 200 meters will remain on the expo ground as part of the site’s preservation plan.

From the EXPO 2025 Blog: The Grand Ring was recognised by Guinness World Records on March 4, 2025 as “The largest wooden architectural structure”.

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U.S. stamp of approval paves way for Japan cedar exports

By Japan Wood Products Export Association
The Japan Times
September 30, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

In April, the American Lumber Standard Committee’s Board of Review approved the design values of two-by-four dimension lumber for sugi (Cryptomeria japonica, or Japanese cedar). This follows approval granted in April 2024 for hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa, or Japanese cypress). This latest approval allows Japanese cedar to be used for building in the United States… Until now, exports of domestic timber have been on the rise, but roughly 50% of it had been exported as logs to countries such as China. Given that two-by-four construction is the standard method for homebuilding in the U.S., this new approval is expected to lead to an expansion of exports. …Sugi and hinoki are widely used as building material in Japan. However, gaining broader acceptance in other countries requires building trust. The U.S. recognition of its design strength is a significant step because it provides numerical evidence that Japanese cedar is suitable for architectural use.

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Wood pulp-based foams can be used to create smart packaging, research finds

Packaging Insights
September 29, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

FINLAND — Scientists are investigating the use of nanocellulose-based porous foam materials in stimuli-responsive smart packaging, water purification, and wireless communications. The doctoral dissertation of Mohammad Karzarjeddi at the University of Oulu, Finland, highlights how cellulose applications can help reduce reliance on fossil-based materials. Stimulus-responsive materials react to external cues, which allows for intelligent and active packaging that adapts to humidity, temperature, light, and pH. Karzarjeddi’s work focuses on a kind of lightweight foams known as aerogels. …“Cellulose is converted into hydrogels consisting of thin and strong cellulose nanofibers, which are then dried and reassembled into aerogels: ultra-light, highly porous solids made mostly of air,” explains Karzarjeddi. “Aerogels can be engineered for multiple high-end applications, such as removing pollutants from water, creating smart packaging that reacts to moisture or temperature, and serving as lightweight materials in wireless and radio-frequency telecommunication technologies.”

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Forestry

Drax maps carbon stocks of North American forests used for UK biomass power

Drax Group Inc.
October 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, International

Drax has launched a partnership with NGIS, a geospatial technology company, to model and monitor carbon stocks in US and Canadian forests that supply biomass pellets to the UK’s largest renewable power station, which generated over 5% of the country’s electricity using North American biomass in 2024, according to Drax. The collaboration supports Drax’s target to provide verified carbon stock data for all major sourcing regions by the end of 2026. Through NGIS’s satellite-based geospatial tools, the project will track forest regrowth, tree cover, and other indicators of forest health using Earth Observation data enhanced by Google AI and machine-learning tools. A digital platform will present Drax with historical and current imagery of sourcing sites, enabling visual verification of harvesting and reforestation cycles. …The monitoring initiative aligns with Drax’s broader Sustainability Framework, which includes commitments to prevent deforestation, degradation, and conversion in biomass sourcing. 

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US groups urge Brussels not to bow to Washington on deforestation law

By Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro
EURACTIV
October 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, International

US civil society groups are urging the European Commission to resist Washington’s pressure to delay the EU’s deforestation regulation (EUDR) or tweak the rules to grant the country preferential treatment, according to a letter seen by Euractiv. The missive, sent this morning to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the Commissioners responsible for green rules, the economy and trade, warns against any backtracking. “We are particularly concerned by the Commission’s apparent willingness to offer the U.S. special treatment under the EUDR as part of ongoing EU-U.S. trade negotiations,” the letter reads. The organisations refer to the joint statement issued by Brussels and Washington in September, which labels the US as posing “negligible risk to global deforestation.” Rick Jacobsen, senior manager for commodities policy at the US NGO Environmental Investigation Agency, told Euractiv that US interests have “ramped up the pressure campaign” to weaken the law before it even comes into force.

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World falling far behind deforestation goals with farms and fires driving loss, report says

By Alexander Villegas
Reuters
October 13, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

SANTIAGO, Chile – The world is falling far behind a global goal to reverse deforestation by 2030, with losses being largely driven by agricultural expansion and forest fires, according to the 2025 Forest Declaration Assessment. The report said the world permanently lost 8.1 million hectares (20 million acres) of forest, an area about the size of England, in 2024 alone, putting the planet 63% behind the goal set by over 140 countries in the 2021 Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use. …Fires were the leading cause of forest loss, accounting for 6.73 million of those hectares around the world, with the Amazon rainforest hit particularly hard, releasing nearly 800 million metric tons of CO2 from fires in 2024. “Major fire years used to be outliers, but now they’re the norm. And these fires are largely human-made,” said Erin Matson, lead author of the Forest Declaration Assessment. “They’re linked to land clearing, to climate change-induced drought, and to limited law enforcement.”

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European sawn timber industry faces rising costs, uncertainty as EUDR delay looms

By Sanjoy Narayan
RISI Fastmarkets
October 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Europe’s sawn timber industry is grappling with growing strategic uncertainty and rising compliance costs while the EU prepares to delay implementation of its landmark anti-deforestation law for a second time. While the postponement of the regulation to December 2026 may offer temporary relief, it also threatens to erode market incentives for early adopters and undermine confidence in the bloc’s regulatory direction. Producers across the continent have already invested billions of euros to meet the regulation’s demanding traceability requirements—developing digital platforms, upgrading Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, and restructuring supply chains to prove that every cubic meter of wood originates from deforestation-free sources. …In a strongly worded letter to the EC’s Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall, a coalition of civil society organizations, urged the European Commission to uphold the original EUDR timeline and resist calls for further delay. …The proposed deferral still requires formal approval, but few expect resistance in Brussels. 

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Istanbul Forest Innovation Week to bring together foresters from around the world

By Mehmet Can Toptas & Mucahithan Avcioglu
Anadolu Ajansı
October 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Istanbul Forest Innovation Week (IFIW) 2025, which will be held from Oct. 20-25, will bring together forestry experts from around the world, offering a unique opportunity to influence the future of global forestry. The event will be organized by the Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Ministry’s General Directorate of Forestry at the Pullman Istanbul Hotel & Convention Center. It will host panels, side events, exhibitions and field trips aimed at shaping the future of the forestry sector with innovation. Anadolu will serve as the global communication partner of Istanbul Forest Innovation Week 2025. General Director of Forestry Bekir Karacabey said Monday that they have sent invitations to 193 countries for the event so far and that 75 of the countries will participate. “We have also received responses from 30 international organizations. It has been reported that a total of 336 expert scientists, practitioners, firefighting experts and government and ministry officials will participate.

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Nestle, others warn EU law delays are endangering forests worldwide

By Virginia Furness
Reuters in Trading View
October 3, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Major agri-food companies including Nestle, Ferrero and Olam Agri have warned that European Union delays to its anti-deforestation law are endangering forests worldwide. The EU last month proposed delaying the launch of its anti-deforestation law for a second time, citing concerns about the readiness of information-technology systems needed to support the law. The delay could postpone the ban on imports of commodities such as palm oil linked to forest destruction for another year. The law faces major opposition from industry and EU trade partners such as the United States and Brazil. EU Commissioner Jessika Roswall said last week the delay was not linked to U.S. concerns about the policy. …Contrary to the EU’s aim of simplifying rules for business, any changes at this stage would introduce uncertainty, annoy shareholders and risk the rules being watered down further, the companies said. The EU deforestation law was due to take effect on December 30.

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FSC Suspends Memorandum of Understanding with APRIL Following Reports of Alleged Violence

FSC.org
September 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has suspended its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Ltd. (APRIL) and its corporate group, effective immediately.  FSC was recently informed of serious allegations of violence involving Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL), a member of APRIL’s corporate group, and an Indigenous community in North Sumatra, Indonesia. These allegations, which include reports of attacks on community members, if confirmed, would be contrary to the intent and commitments of the MoU.  FSC will consider lifting the suspension if an independent investigation is conducted which identifies the root causes of the conflict, and results in the transparent implementation of corrective measures in line with the Remedy Framework. Failure to demonstrate meaningful progress may lead to the termination of the MoU. 

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Major breakthrough made in grey squirrel fertility control ambition

The Forestry Journal
October 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

A breakthrough in the creation of an oral contraceptive for wildlife has been made by British researchers – in a significant step towards ethical grey squirrel management. Scientists at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) have achieved infertility in rats through free feeding of an oral immunocontraceptive, and say initial studies show the formula has also succeeded in attaining a reaction in grey squirrels. Funded by the UK Squirrel Accord (UKSA), the research will develop a vaccine-based contraceptive and species-specific feeder to reduce grey squirrel numbers for the protection of UK red squirrels, trees and woodland ecosystems. …Fertility control is used as a safe and non-lethal option to tackle wildlife problems. …This contraceptive affects an animal’s immune system to prevent it creating the sex hormones and causes infertility in both males and females. Developing a formula that can survive the body’s digestive processes and make it into the bloodstream is a real challenge.

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7th national conference on forests slated for November in Iran

Tehran Times
September 30, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

TEHRAN – The 7th national conference on the country’s forests is scheduled to be held from November 5-6. Titled ‘Maintaining sole ownership and integrated management of natural resources with an emphasis on social forestry in Zagros’, the event will be held in the southwestern Lorestan province, IRIB reported. The Iranian Forestry Association, in cooperation with the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization, has organized the event. The conference is centered around forestry and forest ecology, law and politics; forestry and forest management, technical and engineering subjects; forest genetics and breeding, economic and social issues of forests; climate change in forests, and the application of new technologies in forest management. Zagros forests, mostly located in Lorestan, are among the most important natural resources of Iran, as they constitute 40 percent of the country’s forests, and play an important role in the production of a large part of the country’s freshwater.

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Wildfire-filled summer prompts Spain to think about better forest management

BNN News
September 29, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

SPAIN — This summer has been marked by particularly severe forest fires in the northwestern region of Galicia, and locals have called for the revival of a once-common practice of burning undergrowth in the winter, Reuters reports. Hotter, drier summers mean more widespread and destructive forest fires, and locals and experts have called for controlled burning and other forest management methods to prevent such large-scale fires. In southern Galicia, the summer of 2025 brought the worst forest fires in 30 years. …Just a few weeks ago, the flames destroyed 190 square kilometers around the village where Perez lives. …Forestry experts and political leaders have said that a lack of investment in forest management and fire prevention over the past two decades has made the situation so dire. Victor Resco, at Leiden University, said that a new approach was needed across Europe at a time when fires are increasingly occurring closer to populated areas.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Australian wet rainforests may be switching from absorbing carbon to emitting it

By Peter de Kruijff
ABC News Australia
October 15, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

Woody trunks and branches of trees in the wet tropical rainforests of Queensland are losing their ability to absorb excess carbon dioxide. That’s according to an analysis of 49 years’ worth of data, published in Nature today, which shows this “woody biomass” has switched from being a net carbon absorber to an emitter. And this shift occurred about 25 years ago. Ecophysiologist and study lead Hannah Carle, from Western Sydney University, said the historical assumption has been wet tropical rainforests around the world and Australia were “carbon sinks”. …But the new study showed woody biomass [was becoming] a carbon source because carbon lost to trees dying and decaying outstripped the carbon gained by trees growing to replace them. …This may be a sign that these Australian wet rainforests as a whole ecosystem were in decline, and could switch from being net carbon sinks to carbon sources in the future, according to the study.

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UN agency says CO2 levels hit record high last year, causing more extreme weather

By Jamey Keaten and Seth Borenstein
Associated Press
October 15, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

GENEVA — Heat-trapping carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere jumped by the highest amount on record last year, soaring to a level not seen in human civilization and “turbo-charging” the Earth’s climate and causing more extreme weather, the United Nations weather agency said Wednesday. The World Meteorological Organization said in its latest bulletin on greenhouse gases, an annual study released ahead of the U.N.’s annual climate conference, that CO2 growth rates have now tripled since the 1960s, and reached levels that existed more than 800,000 years ago. Emissions from burning coal, oil and gas, alongside more wildfires, have helped fan a “vicious climate cycle,” and people and industries continue to spew heat-trapping gases while the planet’s oceans and forests lose their ability to absorb them, the WMO report said.

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New Factsheet Heralds West Fraser UK’s Carbon Negative Landmark

Xtrabuild.co.uk
October 7, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

UK — West Fraser has published a new factsheet, announcing the achievement that its UK operations are now officially counted as carbon negative, showing the industry that this is the way forward as a responsible producer of timber panel products. …All of its UK products have been certified as being net carbon negative – meaning that they lock up more CO2e than is emitted in making them. …This assertion is backed up by the fact that West Fraser sequesters 1.1 million tonnes of CO2e in its European operations each year, while its OSB products have earned an A+ rating in the BRE Green Guide. Other aspects of its progress include how three-quarters of the group’s use of renewable energy globally is based on biomass. …In terms of actual forestry management, 72.4 million seedlings are planted in Canada, plus over 2 million in the US. …Other important facts can be found in their 2024 Sustainability Report.

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Amazon Rainforest hits record carbon emissions from 2024 forest fires

By Shanna Hanbury
Mongabay
October 8, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

In 2024, the Amazon Rainforest underwent its most devastating forest fire season in more than two decades. According to a new study by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, the fire-driven forest degradation released an estimated 791 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2024, a sevenfold increase compared with the previous two years. The carbon emissions from fires in 2024 surpassed those from deforestation for the first time on record. Brazil was the largest contributor, accounting for 61% of these emissions, followed by Bolivia with 32%, the study found. “The escalating fire occurrence, driven by climate change and unsustainable land use, threatens to push the Amazon towards a catastrophic tipping point,” the authors write. …The researchers estimated that the total emissions from deforestation and fire-driven degradation in the Amazon in 2024 was 1,416 million metric tons of CO2. This is higher than Japan’s CO2 emissions in 2022, which ranked fifth after China, the U.S., India and Russia.

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Carbon offsets fail to cut global heating due to ‘intractable’ systemic problems, study says

By Ajit Niranjan
The Guardian
October 6, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

The failure of carbon offsets to cut planet-heating pollution is “not due to a few bad apples”, a review paper has found, but down to deep-seated systemic problems that incremental change will not solve. Research over two decades has found “intractable” problems that have made carbon credits in most big programmes poor quality. While the industry and diplomats have made efforts to improve the system, it found much-awaited rules agreed at a UN climate summit last year “did not substantially address the quality problem”. “We must stop expecting carbon offsetting to work at scale,” said Stephen Lezak, at the University of Oxford’s Smith School. …In theory, the practice could lead to lower levels of global heating by funnelling money to the places where it will do the most good as soon as possible. But voluntary carbon markets have long been plagued by “junk offsets” that overstate their impact.

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There’s far less land available for reforestation than we think, study finds

By Jim Catanoso
Mongabay
October 2, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

Josep “Pep” Canadell, executive director of the Global Carbon Project, says he believes countries large and small need to think twice before pledging to collectively plant billions of trees as a primary emissions-reduction strategy to meet climate action goals. “We have somehow sold reforestation as an easier path [to fighting climate change], and it’s not easy at all,” Canadell said. “In my view, it’s not even easier than carbon capture and storage, a technology we’re still developing. That’s because when you bring humans into landscapes and try managing these landscapes, this stuff becomes very complex.” Canadell is the co-author of a new study in Science that found, among other things, that the amount of land deemed suitable for newly planted and restored forests — an area roughly the size of India — quickly shrinks by as much as two-thirds when taking into account adverse impacts on biodiversity, food security and water resources.

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Australian Forest Products Association welcomes National Bioenergy Feedstock Strategy discussion paper

Australian Forest Products Association
October 2, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

AUSTRALIA — The Federal Government’s National Bioenergy Feedstock Strategy discussion paper released by the Hon Julie Collins MP, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, is being welcomed by the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) for the new economic and environmental opportunities it presents for our sector and the country, Chief Executive Officer of AFPA, Diana Hallam said. The discussion paper covers the opportunities for bioenergy to contribute to Australia’s net zero goals, the production of potential feedstocks, required infrastructure and supply chain readiness and maturity, addressing social licence and sustainability, as well as biosecurity and traceability issues. …Diana Hallam said, “While many in the forest products industry are aware of the bioenergy opportunities for the sector, having a national strategy will seriously maximise the potential for forest industries to enhance their contribution, grow public awareness of the importance of wood fibre in this area and help Australia achieve net zero.

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Big trees in Amazon more climate-resistant than previously believed

By Jonathan Watts
The Guardian
September 25, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

The biggest trees in the Amazon are growing larger and more numerous, according to a new study that shows how an intact rainforest can help draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and sequester it in bark, trunk, branch and root. Scientists said the paper, was confirmation that big trees are proving more climate resilient than previously believed, and undisturbed tropical vegetation continues to act as an effective carbon sink despite rising temperatures and strong droughts. However, the authors warned this vital role was increasingly at risk from fires, fragmentation and land clearance… “It is qualified good news,” said Prof Oliver Phillips from the University of Leeds. “Our results apply only to intact, mature forests, which is where we are watching closely. They suggest the Amazon forest is remarkably resilient to climate change. My fear is that may count for little, unless we can stop the deforestation itself.”

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Forest History & Archives

The Oak and the Larch: A Forest History of Russia and Its Empires

Publishers Weekly
October 9, 2025
Category: Forest History & Archives
Region: International

In this epic but sprightly history, journalist and critic Pinkham explores the central role forests have played in the Russian cultural imagination. Noting that “long after western Europe had felled a large portion of its trees, the Russian Empire still had more forests than it could map,” and that today the country contains “one-fifth of the world’s forest cover.” …She traces this “contradictory attitude” toward the forest over time, pegging it as a manifestation of the ambivalence of a “place that has long been torn between east and west, city and country… past and future.” She identifies is the forest’s longstanding dual role as both a defensive bulwark against outsiders (a role it served from the 13th-century Mongol invasion to the 20th-century Nazi one) and a modernizing resource that helps integrate Russia with the rest of the world (timber-harvesting was essential for both Peter the Great’s empire-expanding naval fleet and the Soviets’ rapid industrialization). 

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