Region Archives: International

Business & Politics

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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Finance & Economics

West Fraser Timber reports Q3, 2025 net loss of US$240 million

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd.
October 22, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States, International

VANCOUVER, BC — West Fraser Timber reported the third quarter results of 2025. Third quarter sales were $1.307 billion, compared to $1.532 billion in the second quarter of 2025. Third quarter earnings were $(204) million, or $(2.63) per diluted share, compared to earnings of $(24) million, or $(0.38) per diluted share in the second quarter of 2025. Third quarter Adjusted EBITDA was $(144) million compared to $84 million in the second quarter of 2025. …”There’s no escaping that supply and demand imbalances persist for many of our wood-based building products in an environment where elevated mortgage rates continue to impact housing affordability. And this challenging backdrop has now been joined by increased duty rates and new Section 232 tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber,” said Sean McLaren, West Fraser’s CEO. …Several key trends that have served as positive drivers in recent years are expected to continue to support medium and longer-term demand for new home construction in North America.

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Ikea boosts US production as Trump hits furniture makers with hefty tariffs

By Richard Milne
The Financial Times
October 16, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, International

Ikea is increasing the amount of products it makes in the US as the world’s largest home furnishings retailer comes under pressure from US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on furniture and kitchen cabinets. The flat-pack retailer, which made revenues of $5.5bn in the US last year, currently produces only about 15% of products that it sells in the US domestically. That compares with 75% local production in Europe and 80% in Asia. “We want to continue to expand in the US and Canada — how do we optimise a good supply set-up where we secure the right access to materials, to components, to production? That’s very long-term work that we’re doing,” Jon Abrahamsson Ring, chief executive of Inter Ikea. Trump imposed tariffs of between 10% and 50% on imports of foreign furniture and wood products. Ikea, which is responsible for about 1% of total industrial production, is set to take a significant hit. 

In related news in Fox Business: Ikea raises prices as Trump’s furniture tariffs hit retailer

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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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My house cost $150,000 more to build even before new tariffs hit

By Danielle Kaye
BBC News
October 21, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

Anthony Cabrera, who started working with a contractor in March to construct the three-bedroom house, was eager to get ahead of a fresh round of tariffs on key building materials and home items that took effect earlier this week. Mr Cabrera had already seen his initial budget of roughly $300,000 balloon to $450,000 as prices for a range of products. …A recent report from Goldman Sachs found that US consumers will shoulder as much as 55% of the cost. It takes time to raise prices on consumers, the economists noted, and US firms will increasingly pass on costs in the coming months. The new tariffs “will create additional headwinds for an already challenged housing market” Buddy Hughes, chairman for the NAHB, said. Affordable housing construction could be hit particularly hard, said Elena Patel, of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. …Matthew Walsh, at Moody’s Analytics, said that cost uncertainty will be the most immediate effect.

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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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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Ireland must realise ‘massive opportunity’ to build more with wood

By Kathleen O’Sullivan
AgriLand Ireland
October 22, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Ireland must realise the “massive opportunity” that exists as timber construction is set to triple market value and deliver climate action, Forest Industries Ireland (FII) said. The director of FII, Mark McAuley has welcomed a recent report from the Timber in Construction Steering Group which outlines a roadmap for the timber sector to become a central pillar in meeting Ireland’s urgent housing needs and Climate Action Plan targets. The report, Market Opportunities for Timber Construction in Ireland, projects significant growth in timber usage and details strategic steps necessary to transform the construction industry. Mark McAuley welcomed the report as a “signal to farmers of the potential value of planting trees on their land, with such high future demand for timber”. McAuley said: “We have a massive opportunity to build more with wood in Ireland.

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Ahlstrom launches flame-retardant paper to enhance fire protection in spray painting booths

Ahlstrom
October 20, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Ahlstrom, a global leader in fiber-based specialty materials, introduces a new flame-retardant paper enhanced with Flame-Gard™ technology —engineered to meet the demanding fire safety and durability needs of spray painting booths and industrial workshops. Certain versions of this specialty paper can serve as protective coverings for walls, ceilings, and floors in workshop environments while others can be converted into filter components for spray painting booths—each tailored to meet the specific demands of their application. When exposed to fire, the paper chars without combusting and self-extinguishes once the flame source is removed, offering a critical layer of safety in high-risk areas.  Beyond its flame-retardant properties, the paper delivers excellent mechanical strength and dimensional stability, helping maintain surface integrity during installation and use. It also achieves a rare balance between high flame resistance and low water absorption—making it ideal for environments where moisture and overspray are common. 

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Fiber giants are advancing forest-friendly materials, Canopy report finds

By Elsa Wenzel
Trellis (formerly GreenBiz)
October 21, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

More companies that provide rayon, lyocell and modal to fashion brands are sourcing less from ancient and endangered forests, according to the nonprofit Canopy. Although the vast majority of cellulosic fibers are still spun from virgin materials, some of the biggest producers have been quickly adopting forest-friendly and circular materials. 70% of companies making semi-synthetic, cellulose-based fibers now exhibit green practices that reduce pressures on forests. 54% of fiber producers that the group tracked have reached the nonprofit’s favorable green rating. …Canopy uses this annual report in part to help brands make informed sourcing decisions. The use of recycled materials for such fibers is still rare, although it grew to 1.1% in 2024. Such textiles represent only 6% of the global fiber market, according to Textile Exchange. It found that fibers approved by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or other certification made up as much as 70 percent of cellulosic fiber market share.

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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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Forestry

Remsoft Acquires Australian Forestry Tech Firm LOGR, Expanding Global Forest Intelligence Platform

Remsoft Inc.
Cision Newswire
October 20, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, International

FREDERICTON, NB – Remsoft, a global leader in Forest Intelligence solutions, has acquired LOGR, an Australian forestry technology company known for its innovative real-time data capture and operational multi-party analytics platform. The acquisition advances Remsoft’s strategy to build a unified, cloud-based ecosystem that connects every stage of the forest value chain. LOGR’s software improves safety and efficiency at busy delivery sites by tracking each transaction in real time and automatically recording product details, optimizing transportation and logistics. By introducing custody tracking earlier in the process, the platform enhances visibility and control across the chain of custody. …Together, Remsoft and LOGR will deliver a single source of truth for forestry operations, from harvest planning to mill delivery. The combined capabilities will help companies reduce reporting time, minimize manual data entry, and make faster, data-driven decisions that improve profitability, transparency, and sustainability.

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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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EU lawmakers cut down proposed forest health data collection law

By Marta Pacheco
Euronews
October 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

European lawmakers rejected on Tuesday a draft law to monitor and report on “forest health”, which would mandate EU countries to collect data on forestry conditions and enable preparedness against forest fires across the bloc. The ballot revealed that the far-right and centrist MEPs predominantly voted no in the European Parliament, with 370 votes against and 261 in favour of draft legislation to harmonise data collection on forests and close knowledge gaps about the state of woodlands across the EU. …The Commission’s proposal built on the existing EU forest information entry point, satellite and remote sensing and national inventories, and sought to fill gaps in comparability and completeness of forest information. …Austrian lawmaker Alexander Bernhuber (EPP), who served as lead negotiator on the forest monitoring law in the Parliament’s committee for environment, said the group rejected “ideology” and advocated instead for an “effective and efficient” environmental policy.

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EU proposes soft delay of anti-deforestation law & more exemptions for rich nations

By Shanna Hanbury
Mongabay
October 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The European Union has dropped plans for another one-year delay to its anti-deforestation law, instead proposing a six-month grace period before enforcement begins. The proposal also introduces simplification measures and exemptions that favor EU nation states, the U.S., Canada, Australia and China. …EU authorities will only begin checks and enforcement of the law on June 30, 2026, giving companies an additional six months to adapt. …For countries currently classified as “low risk” under the EUDR — all EU nations, the U.S., China, Australia and Canada — micro and small producers who sell directly to the EU would be exempt from the EUDR’s regulations under the proposal….“The IT issue has never been satisfactorily explained,” Nicole Polsterer, policy specialist at the environmental NGO FERN, said. “In this vacuum, or under this disguise, German foresters and U.S. lobbying have successfully carved out an exemption from geolocation for themselves.”

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Innovation tops agenda as experts on Europe’s forests and forest industry meet

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
October 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The European Forestry Commission (EFC) will meet in Istanbul, Türkiye, from 22 to 25 October to review and coordinate regional strategies on forests and the forest industry, with a specific focus on innovation. The session, coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), will bring together government officials and representatives of international organizations, civil society and the private sector to discuss a wide range of issues. The session will take place alongside FAO European Forest Week 2025 and Istanbul Forest Innovation Week, with innovation as their overarching theme. …The EFC session will cover global and regional forestry processes and initiatives, international developments and cooperation, and updates on ongoing work in the region. Discussions also will focus on innovation in forestry, the progress of the Committee on Mediterranean Forestry Questions – Silva Mediterranea, and the European Forestry Commission Working Party on the Management of Mountain Watersheds.

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Metsä Group introduces a new wood trade operating model: the bearing capacity of soil to be used as a pricing factor

Cision Newswire
October 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Showing the way forward, Metsä Group will introduce a data-analytics-based operating model for wood trade, in which the bearing capacity of soil and the prevailing weather conditions determine the harvesting time for felling sites. From 1 November 2025, the bearing capacity of soil will also be used as a wood trade pricing factor in all stumpage sales concluded with Metsä Group. As a pricing factor, bearing capacity will replace the traditionally used harvestability, which is linked to seasons – harvestable in summer, winter or at all times. …In the new operating model, Metsä Group uses data about the soil type, site type, moisture and trees provided by operators such as the National Land Survey of Finland, the Geological Survey of Finland and Natural Resources Institute Finland to allocate felling sites and their routes to three different categories of bearing capacity (good, normal or limited bearing capacity).

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Europe Shortens Deforestation Enforcement Delay to Six Months

By John Ainger
Bloomberg Green
October 21, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The European Union proposed granting companies six months of leeway to comply with its landmark law to curb deforestation across the world, rejecting a longer delay despite industry complaints. The EU’s Deforestation Regulation aims to tackle the felling of trees associated with imports. Yet it has faced criticism at home and abroad for being too bureaucratic. The European Commission proposed Tuesday giving large companies six months of relief from sanctions after the law goes into effect at the end of the year. Bloomberg previously reported plans to delay implementing the rules by a year. …Both parliament and member states will need to sign off on the changes before the end of the year, and have the right to propose amendments. …A six-month adjustment period will be welcomed by environmental activists, alarmed by high rates of deforestation, said Luciana Chávez. [to access the full story a Bloomberg subscription is required]

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Ingka Investments (IKEA) makes its largest ever forestland acquisition

Ingka Investments
October 20, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

SWEDEN — Ingka Investments, the investment arm of Ingka Group (the largest IKEA retailer), has agreed to acquire approximately 153,000 hectares of land in Latvia and Estonia, of which 89% are forestland, from Södra, Sweden’s largest forest owners’ association. Completion is subject to approval by the relevant regulatory authorities. “Our unique ownership structure allows us to invest with a long-term perspective rather than short-term quarterly thinking.” …As the world’s largest IKEA retailer, Ingka Group operates in 31 markets and represents 87% of global IKEA sales. …Niks Sauva, Country Manager, Ingka Investments Latvia, continued: “We’re committed to creating more value locally in the Baltics. Our goal is to increase the share of wood processed regionally to strengthen the Baltic forestry value chain.” …Completion is subject to approval by the relevant authorities in Latvia and Estonia.

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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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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Industry Leaders Gather to Tackle Self-Heating Risks in Wood Pellet Storage

By Fahimeh Yazdan Panah
Wood Pellet Association of Canada
October 21, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, International

Preventing, detecting and managing self-heating events in wood pellet storage is one of the major challenges of the biomass industry. In September, the Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC), FutureMetrics and Ørsted collaborated to host a Safe Wood Pellet Storage Workshop in Copenhagen, Denmark, to address these challenges. The two-day event kicked off with a half-day tour of Ørsted’s Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) installation at the Asnæs combined heat and power (CHP) plant. Attendees received a firsthand look at CHP technology and Ørsted’s approach to carbon capture, setting the stage for the technical discussions that followed. The second day’s workshop included expert-led sessions focusing on real-world case studies, technical insights, and collaborative solutions. …The workshop is the first in a series of activities to ensure continuity and build an international community committed to reducing risk and enhancing operational resilience. Workshop presentations are available on pellet.org.

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Record-breaking CO₂ rise shows the Amazon is faltering — yet the satellite that spotted this may soon be shut down

By Paul Palmer and Liang Feng, University of Edinburgh
The Conversation UK
October 21, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) rose faster in 2024 than in any year since records began. …Our new satellite analysis shows that the Amazon rainforest is struggling to keep up. And worryingly, the satellite that made this discovery could soon be switched off [due to proposed NASA budget cuts.]. Systematic measurements of CO₂ in the atmosphere began in the late 1950s. …Across six decades of measurements, CO₂ has gradually increased.  …The largest change was over the Amazon, where much less CO₂ is being absorbed. Similar slowdowns also appeared over southern Africa and southeast Asia, parts of Australia, the eastern US, Alaska and western Russia. Conversely, we detected more carbon being absorbed over western Europe, the US and central Canada. …It’s not yet clear whether 2023-24 is a short-term blip or an early sign of a long-term shift. But evidence points to an increasingly fragile situation, as tropical forests are stressed by hot and dry conditions.

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Google expands climate strategy to target methane and other superpollutants

ESG Post
October 21, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

Google has announced plans to address greenhouse gases beyond carbon dioxide by purchasing credits to support the emerging market for removing short-lived but highly potent “superpollutants.” The company will buy up to 25,000 tonnes of superpollutant-destruction credits by 2030 from two organisations, Recoolit and Cool Effect—equivalent to about one million tonnes of CO₂ removal over the long term. While carbon dioxide remains a key focus, Google said gases such as methane, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and nitrous oxide have a much greater near-term warming impact. “It’s the right thing to do for the planet,” said Randy Spock, Google’s carbon credits and removals lead. “CO₂ is obviously very important… but if we think only about CO₂, then we’re just looking at one piece of the puzzle.” …Sam Abernethy, a climate scientist at Spark Climate Solutions, said: “Superpollutants only get a few percent of climate finance… that’s a misallocation given their importance.”

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New tree species list aims to future-proof Scotland’s forests

By Steve Williams
Scottish Forestry, Government of Scotland
September 26, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

A new list of 28 tree species for foresters to grow in the future marks a major step forward in helping our woodlands and forests adapt to the growing threats of climate change. The list has been developed through extensive collaboration between Scottish Forestry, Forest Research, and a wide range of partners from across the forestry, conservation, and rural sectors. The trees chosen highlights a diverse mix of species that have been carefully assessed against strict scientific criteria to ensure they can withstand changing conditions while continuing to deliver economic, environmental, and community benefits. …Scottish Forestry commissioned experts from Forest Research to gather the scientific evidence to support the selection of trees. In total, over 100 datasets were compiled and analysed in thorough detail and more than 100 experts and industry leaders were involved in pulling together the work.

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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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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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