Region Archives: International

Business & Politics

WPAC Expands International Reach with New Website and Japanese Market Awareness Campaign

By Gordon Murray
The Wood Pellet Association of Canada
March 19, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, International

Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC) has launched a multi-lingual website and a targeted Japanese market awareness campaign. Recognizing the importance of export markets—particularly in Asia, where Japan is Canada’s largest customer—WPAC’s website is now available in Japanese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean. This initiative ensures that key international stakeholders can easily access information about the sustainability, quality and reliability of Canadian wood pellets. Japan is the fastest-growing wood pellet import market in the world, driven by its aggressive push to phase out coal and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The country’s long-term feed-in tariff (FIT) for biomass energy supports this transition, creating significant opportunities for Canada’s pellet sector. Canadian wood pellets are a key part of Japan’s clean energy future, offering a low-carbon, renewable alternative to fossil fuels. To further engage with Japanese customers, policymakers and energy influencers, WPAC has launched a communications campaign in Japan.

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Unlocking Opportunities for Canadian Wood with Bruce St. John

By Alberta Forest Products Association
You Tube
February 27, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, International

Trade is top of mind for everyone right now, and market diversification is a key part of those conversations. In this episode of Forestry Talks, host Aspen Dudzic is joined by Bruce St. John, President of Canada Wood, to dive into the decades-long efforts to diversify Canada’s forest product exports. Bruce shares fascinating insights into how countries like Japan, China, and Vietnam are integrating Canadian wood into their industries—not just for construction, but for everything from seismic-resistant buildings to high-end furniture. We also explore how Alberta plays a crucial role in securing international demand and why emerging markets are looking to Canadian forest products as part of their sustainability solutions. Join us for an in-depth discussion about why international market diversification is more important than ever, the impact of evolving trade policies, and the exciting innovations shaping the future of Canada’s forestry exports.

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Trump’s Threat of ‘Secondary Tariffs’ Invents New Trade Tool

By Kevin Breuninger
Bloomberg in Yahoo! Finance
March 25, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

President Trump appeared to invent a new economic statecraft tactic by threatening what he dubbed “secondary tariffs” on countries that buy oil from Venezuela to choke off its oil trade with other nations. The threat… said countries could face 25% tariffs on trade with the US if they purchase oil and gas from Venezuela, which is already under heavy US sanctions. …The novel approach adds to a growing list of tools that Trump has been eager to deploy as leverage in achieving its foreign and domestic policy goals. …With the threat, Trump appeared to be inventing a combination of tariffs and what are known as secondary sanctions, the financial punishments that can be imposed on other countries or people for doing business with sanctioned entities. …“China is the main actor this is directed at because it’s essentially the black market for Venezuelan oil,” Monaldi said.

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Decorative Hardwoods Association comments on unfair trade practices

The Decorative Hardwoods Association
March 20, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative requested country-by-country comments from industry experts to assist the agency in reviewing and identifying any unfair trade practices by other countries. In response, DHA has filed comments on non-reciprocal trade relationships and tariffs. DHA highlighted that our members have been harmed by unfair trade practices engaged in by countries, particularly in Asia. …DHA members, particularly hardwood plywood manufacturers and engineered wood floor manufacturers, have in recent years successfully pursued antidumping and countervailing duty trade cases against Chinese manufacturers. While helpful, these cases are time-consuming and expensive and do not solve the problem. Too often, Chinese companies are quick to transship through other Asian countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, or Malaysia. …In addition to banning all wood products made from Russian wood, USTR should consider increasing the tariff on wood products made with birch that often comes in at no tariff.

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Cepi calls on EU Commission to continue US tariff negotiations

Packaging Europe
March 19, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

Following the US government’s imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium, Cepi has called on the European Commission to continue negotiations, citing the potential for future tariffs including pulp and paper and aiming to avoid supply chain disruptions. Cepi is currently taking part in a consultation launched by the European Commission. …The confederation asks the Commission to exclude from such EU retaliation list products that risk being in short supply in the EU. …According to Cepi, the EU imports around 900,000 tonnes of pulp per year from the US and close to 600,000 tonnes of paper and board, while the EU exports about 1600,000 tonnes of paper and board to the US and around 350,000 tonnes of pulp. It states that since a multilateral agreement of all major pulp and paper producers in January 2004, there have been no import tariffs on both sides of the Atlantic.

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With Trump’s zigzag actions on trade, March came in like a lion and won’t be going out like a lamb

By Calvin Woodward
The Associated Press
March 15, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

WASHINGTON — A gobsmacked planet is wondering what’s next from President Donald Trump on the tariff spree he’s set in zigzag motion. In recent weeks, Trump has announced punishing tariffs against allies and adversaries alike, selectively paused and imposed them, doubled and then halved some, and warned late in the week that he’ll tax European wine and spirits a stratospheric 200% if the European Union doesn’t drop a 50% tariff on U.S. whiskey. His ultimate stated goal is clear: to revive American manufacturing and win compromises along the way. But people and nations whose fortunes rise and fall on trade are trying to divine a method to his machinations. So far, he’s spurred fears about slower growth and higher inflation that are dragging down the stock market and consumer confidence. “His tariff policy is erratic,” Robert Halver, at Germany’s Baader Bank, said. “So, there is no planning certainty at all.”

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Who’s hit by tariff war crossfire? Wine, plastics and pulp & paper top list of sectors

By Peggy Corbin & Gerardo Fortuna
Euro News
March 14, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

European industry is scrutinising the list of products drawn up by the European Commission in response to US tariffs on steel and aluminium, and not everyone is pleased. EU tariffs on American products are adversely affecting EU manufacturers of wines, plastics and pulp among other sectors relying on imported products hit by tariffs or caught as collateral victims of the trade war between both sides of the Atlantic. …The European pulp and paper industry has also reacted after seeing imports of the products from the US on the EU list. The EU imported €962 millions’ worth of pulp and €650 millions worth of paper and board from the US in 2023. In exchange European exports of pulp and paper and board were worth €238 million and €2.4 billion respectively. The sector has no interest in a trade war with the Americans. Jori Ringman, Director General, said that “EU and US consumers who need basic hygiene products” were going to be impacted as well as “a whole range of sectors using paper packaging.”

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EU responds to Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs with 26 billion euros in tariffs on US products

By Simone de la Feld
EU News
March 12, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

Ursula von der Leyen

BRUSSELS – “Strong and proportionate,” and above all, immediate countermeasures. The European Union… returns the favor to its overseas ally. From April 1, Brussels will apply tariffs on US goods worth up to 26 billion euros. While striking with one hand, Ursula von der Leyen extends the other toward Donald Trump: “We will always remain open to negotiation,” the EU leader said. The European Commission “deeply regrets” Trump’s move. …The EU has planned a two-step response: from April 1, the old rebalancing measures to the 2018 and 2020 tariffs, which apply to a range of products from boats to motorcycles to liquor like bourbon, will be reinstated. …A new package of tariffs on US products will go into effect in mid-April. This second round of countermeasures will cover steel and aluminum, textiles, leather goods, home appliances, household utensils, plastics, wood products. …Products subject to these measures include lumber, plywood, veneer, flooring, chipboard, fiberboard, pulp, and paper products.

Related coverage in Euro News: Trump escalates with 200% tariff on EU alcohol imports

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Vietnam wood exporters wary about surging tariff pressures

Vietnam Investment Review
March 13, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

In 2025, Vietnam’s wood industry is targeting $18-18.5 billion in total export value, up 10%-15% on-year. Ngo Sy Hoai, vice chairman of the Vietnam Timber and Forest Products Association (Viforest), revealed that under normal conditions, the goal would be achievable. However, in the current context of global trade turbulence, it is hard to determine whether the target will be realised. US President Donald Trump recently instructed the Department of Commerce to investigate under Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act regarding wood and wood products. This could result in tariffs of up to 25% on sawn wood and forestry products, effective as of April 2. The US is accounts for over half of Vietnam’s wood exports, primarily furniture, interior and exterior wood products, carpentry, and refined products, with some plywood, laminated boards, and several other products also being exported. Hoai noted, “Vietnamese wood businesses are on tenterhooks.”

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Government opens consultation on free trade agreement with India

Radio New Zealand News
March 25, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

Todd McClay

Trade Minister Todd McClay has called for public submissions on New Zealand’s negotiations for a comprehensive free trade agreement with India. “Negotiations are getting underway, and public input will better inform us in the early stages of this important process,” McClay said. The government has called for submissions from all interested New Zealanders, including businesses, non-governmental organizations and members of the public. …The announcement follows Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s recent trip to India, where both countries agreed to restart free trade negotiations – a decade after earlier talks stalled. …In all, more than 30 agreements resulted from Luxon’s trip to India. …New Zealand’s key exports to India last year included forestry products valued at $126 million. Of this, $71 million came from log exports. …”Alongside trade negotiations, New Zealand will continue to deepen connections with India across political, defence, security, sporting, environmental and people-to-people relationships,” McClay said.

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European Commission issues warning of a high risk of sanctions circumvention in plywood imports

The European Commission
March 18, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

The European Commission issued an alert warning of a high risk of sanctions circumvention in birch plywood, a significant revenue source for Russia and Belarus. EU sanctions prohibit the purchase, import, or transfer—directly or indirectly—of plywood and other wood products originating in or exported from Russia or Belarus. Related services, including brokering, logistics support, and warehousing, are also banned. To bypass these restrictions, Russian and Belarusian producers use third-country companies to repackage and relabel their products, the Commission warned. These companies attempt to conceal the true origin of the goods by providing false or misleading documents. …Russian birch plywood has been subject to anti-dumping duties at import to the EU since 2021; following an investigation, these measures were extended to Kazakhstan and Türkiye in 2024.

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Malaysia’s timber industry faces threats on two fronts – US tariffs and CITES

By John Gilbert
The Sun
March 17, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The proposed classification of two timber species commonly found in Malaysia as unsustainable by the United States and the European Union (EU) under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will result in the cancellation of Malaysian timber exports to the US and the EU. The Timber Exporters’ Association of Malaysia (TEAM) treasurer Wong Kar Wai said that in addition to impending tariffs, the US and the EU are proposing to classify certain timber species common to Southeast Asia, including Malaysia – namely Shorea, locally known as Meranti, and Apitong, known as Keruing – under CITES despite being sustainably harvested and processed. “Keruing is a special type of timber primarily used for floorboards, with the US being its main market. A major buyer is the US military, which uses Keruing for the flooring of trucks and tanks due to its durability and strength.

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New Zealand & India strengthen forestry ties

Government of New Zealand
March 17, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

Todd McClay

Agriculture and Trade Minister Todd McClay signed a new Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) today during the Prime Minister’s Indian Trade Mission, reinforcing New Zealand’s commitment to enhancing collaboration with India in the forestry sector. “Our relationship with India is a key priority for New Zealand, and this agreement reflects our commitment to deepening this strategic partnership,” Mr McClay said. The MOC includes the development of bilateral forestry cooperation to continue mutual growth. New Zealand’s forestry exports to India have increased from $9.5 million in 2023 to an estimated $76.5 million in 2024. “Many of our forestry exporters have long-standing relationships in India and are keen to expand. This agreement will lay the groundwork for cooperation in sustainable forest management, agroforestry, research and innovation, education, and capacity building,” Mr McClay explained.

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EU Commission commences investigation into Brazilian softwood plywood imports

By Stephen Powney
The Timber Trades Journal
March 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

The EU Commission has started an anti-dumping investigation on Brazilian softwood plywood imports following a complaint by the Softwood Plywood Consortium (SPC). A complaint was made on January 20… alleging that Brazilian softwood ply imports are being dumped in the EU, thereby injuring the EU ply sector. The product subject to investigation is plywood consisting of lamellas not exceeding 6mm thickness, with both outer plies of coniferous wood. The SPC has provided evidence to the EU Commission that imports of the product in question have increased overall in absolute terms and in terms of market share. Evidence also pointed to the volume and prices of the imported product having a negative impact on the quantities sold and level of prices charged by the EU industry, resulting in substantial adverse impacts for the latter. 

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Finance & Economics

China’s property market edges toward an inflection point

By Evelyn Cheng
CNBC
March 20, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

BEIJING — UBS analysts became the latest to raise expectations that China’s struggling real estate market is close to stabilizing. “After four or five years of a downward cycle, we have begun to see some relatively positive signals,” John Lam at UBS Investment Bank. …“Of course these signals aren’t nationwide, and may be local,” Lam said. One indicator is improving sales in China’s largest cities. Existing home sales in five major Chinese cities have climbed by more than 30% from a year ago on a weekly basis as of Wednesday. The category is typically called “secondary home sales” in China, in contrast to the primary market, which has typically consisted of newly built apartment homes. UBS now predicts China’s home prices can stabilize in early 2026, earlier than the mid-2026 timeframe previously forecast. They expect secondary transactions could reach half of the total by 2026.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Report on mass timber use highlights benefits

Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining
March 24, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

UK — The Measuring Mass Timber project presents research led by architecture practice dRMM, conducted in collaboration with Edinburgh Napier University and the Quality of Life Foundation. The methodology was developed with a goal to assess the quality of life and whole-life carbon impacts of five case study projects across different sectors. These are UK buildings for education, infrastructure, worship, residential and commercial uses. According to the report, mass timber is a readily available option to help achieve embodied carbon targets, while the quality of life assessment of the case study buildings show benefits healthwise. Each building was subject to detailed lifecycle analysis, internal environment monitoring and user consultation over the two-year study. dRMM believes this could be seen as a first step in building an evidence-driven case for timber construction using whole-life carbon and wellbeing metrics.

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Canadian Wood Celebrates World Wood Day with a Seminar in Hyderabad

Interiors and Decor
March 22, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Canadian Wood, commemorated World Wood Day (March 21st) by hosting a highly engaging seminar on the theme “Wood is Forever – Sustainable & Renewable.” The event, held at Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills, brought together leading architects, developers, manufacturers, and industry professionals from across Hyderabad to explore the significance of wood as a sustainable and renewable resource in modern architecture and designs. The seminar opened with insightful presentations by Mr. Vivekabhilash Sharma from Artius Interior Products and Mr. Ashok Kuriakose from Kelveneers, who shared their experiences and passion for integrating wood into their projects. Their presentations set the stage for an engaging panel discussion, moderated by Ar. Kuldeep Singh, Founder & Director of ARKA Integrated Project Management Solution. The discussion focused on sustainability, benefits and practical applications of wood in contemporary and hybrid construction, highlighting its ecological advantages and long-term viability.

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Coffins made from invasive vine a sustainable alternative to wood

ABC News, Australia
March 17, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Ms Zimmi Forest, a basket weaver in northern New South Wales, has tapped into the desire to do death differently, and her workshops have been booked solid since they started 18 months ago… Ms Forest said the idea of weaving coffins came to her after she was invited to make baskets at a property where a Landcare group was working to remove invasive Cat’s Claw vine. The Brazilian vine is perfect for weaving; once it is stripped from the trees and pruned back, it forms long, flexible strands. “The great thing about a woven coffin is it’s permeable, all the microorganisms in the soil can get in and its breaks down so much quicker. “For cremation, why would you burn solid timber?” The process to make a woven coffin took about 150 hours, and Ms Forest said she had made about 15 coffins at the workshops and on her own as commissioned projects.

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Future Timber And Lumber Trade With India Takes A Positive Step Forward

Wood Processors & Manufacturers Association of New Zealand
Scoop Independent News
March 17, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

NEW ZEALAND — Signing of a ‘letter of intent’ on forestry co-operation between New Zealand and India as part of the Prime Minister’s delegation visit to India this week is welcomed by the Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association of Newzeald (WPMA). The ‘letter of intent’ is between the Ministry for Primary Industries and our nearest counterpart Indian agency, the Ministry of Environment Forestry and Climate Change. The key subject areas, reflecting MOEFCC’s and MPI’s respective mandates and scope, includes sustainable forest management; research and innovation; education and capacity building; and utlilisation and certification. …India is the most populous nation in the world yet for our forestry exports India currently ranks 11th (down from 5th in 2019). …With a recent ruling from the Indian government stipulating that federal housing schemes include ‘a greater mix’ of wood, there are new opportunities opening, for example, in the Indian residential market for our sustainable wood products.

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CHYBIK + KRISTOF’s ‘forestry in the forest’ to be czech republic’s largest timber structure

Designboom
March 14, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Amid growing interest in sustainable construction, CHYBIK + KRISTOF is advancing the position of timber architecture in Central Europe. Titled Forestry in the Forest, the project will serve as the new headquarters for the Czech National Forestry in Hradec Králové and become the Czech Republic‘s largest wooden structure in an effort to shift industry norms and position timber as a viable material for large-scale development. The complex is envisioned as a cluster of five elongated timber volumes … connected through a central hall. …Forestry in the Forest’s structure then makes use of a combination of timber construction methods … to demonstrate wood’s capacity to deliver efficient, durable, and engaging design solutions. …‘The walls are constructed in the two-by-four system; the ceilings, horizontal slabs, built-in subcenters and railings are made of CLT panels; and for the large-span structures wooden glued trusses are used,’ says CHYBIK + KRISTOF.

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Forestry

International Day of Forests: Celebrating our roots, growing our future

By Kathy Abusow
Sustainable Forestry Initiative
March 19, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, International

Kathy Abusow

This year’s International Day of Forests is the perfect moment to recognize that sustainable forestry isn’t just a North American priority—it’s a global one. Forests provide clean air and water, store carbon, support biodiversity, and sustain economies. At the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), we believe that sustainable forests are critical to our collective future. In a time of growing uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to come together—and this spirit of partnership is at the heart of what we do at SFI. 2025 is SFI’s 30th anniversary — an opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come and the progress that lies ahead. …We’ve grown into an organization that connects landowners, businesses, conservationists, educators, and Indigenous partners—all united by a shared commitment to forest-focused collaboration. Together, we are creating a world that values and benefits from sustainably managed forests, today and for generations to come.

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Seeing the forest through the trees in Mexico

By Bev Betkowski
University of Alberta
March 12, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West, International

In the mountains of Mexico, trees are harvested differently than in Alberta’s comparatively flat forests… Home to 138 million hectares of trees and a growing number of timber production industries, Mexico offered students a look at different types of forests and forest management, says associate forestry professor Brad Pinno. “The country has a huge variety of forest ecosystems; we saw five different forest zones going up one mountain. That’s not a level of diversity we can show students in Alberta.” The trip also included visits to the headquarters of Mexico’s National Forestry Commission, a family-run sawmill operation, a research station, a national park and university forestry labs. “By seeing different ways of practising forestry, students are able to think through and improve on the ways we are doing things,” Pinno says. “It makes you a better forester where you are.”

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UK Government to plant first National Forest in 30 years

By Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Government of the United Kingdom
March 21, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

A new national forest stretching from the Cotswolds to the Mendips is set to be created, the government has announced today. The Western Forest will see 20 million trees set to be planted across the West of England in the coming decades, creating at least 2,500 hectares of new woodland. …The forest will serve over 2.5 million residents, bringing trees and woodlands closer to where people live, including in urban centres such as Bristol, Gloucester and Swindon. The Western Forest will be spearheaded by the Forest of Avon, one of England’s Community Forests supported by up to £7.5 million of government funding over five years alongside accelerating tree-planting in local areas. The project will work to revitalise existing woodlands and other important habitats to create a forest network for people and wildlife at a truly landscape scale. The forest will help the drive to net zero …as part of the Government’s Plan for Change. 

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Forests, crucial ecosystems for food security — International Day of Forests

United Nations
March 21, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Forests, pillars of global food security and nutrition, are the livelihoods of millions of families. They provide essential foods such as fruits, seeds, roots and wild meat, fundamental resources for indigenous and rural communities. But its function goes far beyond. Forests are a vital source of energy, providing wood for cooking, playing a key role in agriculture by hosting pollinators and acting in soil enrichment, climate regulation and biodiversity conservation. In addition, forested watersheds supply freshwater to more than 85% of the world’s major cities. In crisis situations, forests become an economic and food lifeline, providing up to 20% of family income in rural areas, guaranteeing healthy diets. But these ecosystems are in danger. …Join the cause and defend the theme of International Day of Forests 2025: “Forests and Food”. The future of food begins in the forests!

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The U.N. Misses the Forest and the Trees

By Vahaken Mouradian
The National Review
March 19, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

To do its part to save the natural world and its wonders (such as the Amazon rainforest), the Brazilian state of Pará is laying a massive strip of asphalt across the Amazon rainforest. Laugh all you like. This four-lane highway might be the only concrete outcome of this year’s United Nations climate change conference. Fifty thousand sojourners’ worth of traffic is expected to gum up the city of Belém in November during COP30. …This will be the United Nations’ 30th annual Conference of the Parties, during which delegates of the parties will agree on the need for more agreements and more conferences. The COP series has succeeded in conserving itself if not the environment. …Can’t blame local officials for making the most of it. This, as far as anybody can tell, is its chief function: to allow the host country to expedite development projects and extend the season for the regional leisure and hospitality industry.

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Forest Stewardship Council Launches the FSC Brand Hub

Forest Stewardship Council
March 18, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is thrilled to announce the launch of the FSC Brand Hub, a user-centric platform designed to streamline trademark management, marketing resources, and brand assets for all FSC stakeholders. Developed with input from users around the world, the FSC Brand Hub is tailored to the needs of certificate holders, promotional licence holders, certification bodies, and other FSC partners. This new platform replaces the legacy system, offering an improved, modernized experience… Whether you’re managing trademark designs, building marketing campaigns, or creating custom assets, the FSC Brand Hub is a one-stop solution. …FSC will also host a webinar to introduce the Brand Hub, including how to navigate the platform, customize assets, and make the most of this exciting new resource.

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Drone tree-seeding trial could ‘revolutionise’ the expansion of rainforests say exponents

By Angela Garwood
Positive News
March 18, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

A pioneering drone seeding initiative in south-west England – one of the largest of its kind using native tree seeds to date – has the potential to transform rainforest restoration, say those involved. The project, by the Woodland Trust, has seen high-tech drones scatter 75,000 seeds across the Bodmin landscape in Cornwall. The drones, which weigh 110kg and can carry up to 58kg of seeds each, hover a few metres above the ground and can access areas where the planting of trees by hand isn’t feasible. Joining forces with the South West Rainforest Alliance, the Woodland Trust aims to use the technique to triple the land area of temperate rainforest across Cornwall and Devon from 8% to 24% by 2050… Scattering tree seeds that are native to these rainforests, including common oak, alder, wild cherry, downy birch and hazel, the drones seeded 11 hectares of land in eight hours.

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Irish government launches new NeighbourWood forestry scheme

By Maitiú Monaghan
AgriLand Ireland
March 13, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has launched the new NeighbourWood scheme within the Forestry Programme 2023-2027. The first element of the scheme, is to provide support for silvicultural works designed to enhance existing forests and to increase their attractiveness, biodiversity and suitability for recreation. Potential operations include the removal of invasive species, coupe planting to reinvigorate stagnant canopies, and the replacement of existing conifer stands with native woodland. …Element two provides funding for suitable facilities that enable the use and enjoyment of existing woodlands and forests by people. …This acknowledges the forest environmental and climate services provided by the forest owner’s adoption and management of alternative silvicultural and recreational systems, and the associated additional costs incurred in doing so.

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Want to preserve biodiversity? Go big

By Morgan Sherburne
University of Michigan News
March 12, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Large, undisturbed forests are better for harboring biodiversity than fragmented landscapes, according to University of Michigan research. Ecologists agree that habitat loss and the fragmentation of forests reduces biodiversity in the remaining fragments. But ecologists don’t agree whether it’s better to focus on preserving many smaller, fragmented tracts of land or larger, continuous landscapes. The study, published in Nature and led by U-M ecologist Thiago Gonçalves-Souza, comes to a conclusion on the decades-long debate… Previous research didn’t properly compare fragmented landscapes to large, continuous forests, Gonçalves-Souza said. For example, prior research may have looked at only one component of diversity, or may have compared a few continuous forests to dozens of fragmented patches… Additionally, the findings suggest that generalist species—species that are good at surviving in various environments—primarily live in the fragmented areas.

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Discovering the world’s oldest surviving trees

By Clare O’Halloran
ABC News, Australia
March 12, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

In wild Tasmania there are trees whose direct ancestors lived with dinosaurs. Many of those alive today are thousands of years old, and some have been growing for ten millennia or more. They are mostly hard to reach, hidden in forest valleys or on remote mountains, survivors of human greed and fire.

[This is a 15-minute radio interview from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation with guest Andrew Darby, author of The Ancients]

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Amazon rainforest cut down to build highway for COP climate summit

By Ione Wells
BBC News
March 12, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

A new four-lane highway cutting through tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest is being built for the COP30 climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belém. It aims to ease traffic to the city, which will host more than 50,000 people – including world leaders – at the conference in November. The state government touts the highway’s “sustainable” credentials, but some locals and conservationists are outraged at the environmental impact. The Amazon plays a vital role in absorbing carbon for the world and providing biodiversity, and many say this deforestation contradicts the very purpose of a climate summit. …The road leaves two disconnected areas of protected forest. Scientists are concerned it will fragment the ecosystem and disrupt the movement of wildlife.

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Forest management ambitions in Brazilian Amazon aim to make up for lost time

By Jenny Gonzales
Mongabay
March 12, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

In 2006, Brazilian President Lula da Silva’s government passed the Public Forest Management Law, implementing a forest concession scheme designed to regulate and legalize logging activities in Brazil’s forest — in particular, the Amazon. Forest management consists of removing a small number of trees whose species are valued in the market. After that, the area can only be explored again in 30 to 40 years, following its regeneration cycle. Behind on its concessions targets, the current government wants to almost quadruple the current area of federal concessions by 2026. Even though it is different from deforestation, timber management has never been seen as a way to conserve the forest by traditional peoples.

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Logging and prescribed burning do not make Australian forests more flammable

By Dr. Tony Bartlett
Forestry Australia
March 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The views of Australian academics Professor David Lindenmayer and Associate Professor Philip Zylstra, as reproduced in recent CFA Newsletters, that logging and prescribed burning are making Australian native forests more flammable are highly contested by many Australian forest scientists and fire management practitioners. These academic scientists advocate that timber harvesting in native forests should cease, prescribed burning should be confined to areas close to high value assets and that when fire is excluded for more than 40 years the native forests do not burn at high intensity, because the vertical connectivity of the forest structure is reduced through natural ecological processes… None of the claims made by Lindenmayer and Zylstra about the impact of prescribed burning on forest flammability are supported by evidence from long-term monitoring of replicated trials where prescribed burning has been conducted.

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The European union deforestation regulation may boost low-deforestation countries like Canada and the United States

By Craig Johnston, Jinggang Guo and Jeffrey Prestemon
Science Direct
March 10, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) aims to prevent deforestation-linked products from entering the EU market. This study assesses the potential impacts of the EUDR on global forest product markets using the FOrest Resource Outlook Model (FOROM). We simulate two scenarios: the baseline EUDR, focused on commodity-driven deforestation and urbanization, and an extended EUDR+ scenario, which includes shifting agriculture. The results indicate that high-deforestation countries, such as Brazil, Indonesia, and Malaysia, are expected to face significant reductions in roundwood production and exports, with downstream effects on sawnwood and panel prices. In contrast, low-deforestation countries like Canada and the United States may experience slight increases in production to meet EU demand, but their impact is limited by moderate deforestation rates. The study also highlights the potential for market leakage, where deforestation-linked products may shift to non-EU markets, potentially undermining global environmental goals. 

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

EU’s forest biomass policy risks accelerating deforestation, says new report

By Xhoi Zajmi
EURACTIV
March 21, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

The European Union is on track to miss its 2030 carbon sequestration targets for forests. A new report says forest-based carbon removal needs clearer policies and more funding. Ongoing deforestation, land degradation, and unsustainable land-use practices highlight the need for a policy shift. Data from the latest European Environment Agency (EEA) monitoring report, details 28 key indicators assessing targets across sectors, including climate change, biodiversity, pollution reduction, and sustainable resource use. Biodiversity and ecosystem conservation goals are closely tied to forest health. The EU is not on track to meet its targets for increasing forest connectivity or reversing the decline in common bird populations, which reflects broader ecosystem degradation. Despite existing legislation, pressures from agriculture, urban expansion, and resource extraction continue to impact forest ecosystems.

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Former Drax lobbyist claims “extremely dysfunctional” company tried to silence her

Bioenergy Insight Magazine
March 14, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

A report by The Times has outlined how Drax attempted to ‘silence’ an employee, after she raised concerns that it had misled British energy regulator Ofgem about its true sustainability credentials. In a London-held tribunal, Rowaa Ahmar, who was head of Drax’s public affairs and policy team, claimed she was unfairly dismissed, months after expressing concerns to executives about the claims of utilising sustainable wood. Rowaa Ahmar said the biomass giant tried to ‘deliberately conceal’ the truth about its operations. A 2022 BBC documentary alleged the company’s felling of old-growth forests in Canada. …In legal submissions, Ahmar said that, in the weeks after the BBC documentary’s broadcast, she received information that increasingly showed Drax had been ‘misleading the public, government and its regulator’. According to Ahmar, she began making whistlelowing complaints, including a letter to Drax chief executive Will Gardiner.

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Sweden risks missing carbon neutrality goals

Associated Free Press in Space Daily
March 12, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

Sweden might fail to meet its and the EU’s carbon neutrality targets after recent environmental policy shifts, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) warned in a report published Wednesday. Long considered a champion in environmental protection and the fight against climate change, the Scandinavian country has set a goal of net zero emissions by 2045, five years ahead of the European Union’s target. But Sweden might not be able meet either of those goals, according to a review conducted by the OECD, a 38-member group of mostly developed nations. “Over the last decade, the country has cut its greenhouse gas emissions faster than the EU average,” the report said. “However, recent policy shifts, particularly in the transport sector, have put into question Sweden’s ability to meet EU and domestic climate targets.” …In January, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) criticised Sweden for not adequately protecting primary and old-growth forests from logging.

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No smoke without fire: the impact of Denmark’s biomass energy on Estonian and Latvian forests

Birdlife International
March 13, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

Denmark has long been praised for its transition to renewable energy, with renewable energy use rising from 6% in 1990 to 42.8% in 2022. However, behind this achievement lies an overdependence on woody biomass, which now accounts for up to 68% of its total renewable energy use. This growth has been sustained through direct and indirect subsidies, often exceeding those allocated to wind and solar energy. Denmark’s dependence on woody biomass is largely fuelled by imports from Estonia and Latvia. The country ranks among the largest, if not the largest, importer of woody biomass from the Baltic region, with 52% of its wood chips and pellets coming from these two nations. …Intensive logging is also devastating Estonian and Latvian bird populations. 

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UK power group Drax not in breach of sustainability obligations, says Ofgem

By Susanna Twidale
Reuters
March 12, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

LONDON, March 12 – British energy regulator Ofgem said on Wednesday that it had not found evidence of a breach of sustainability obligations by power company Drax, in the watchdog’s review of reports prepared by auditor KPMG. Renewable power generators in Britain can receive renewable obligation (RO) certificates which can then be sold to energy suppliers who use them to sell renewable electricity products to customers. For biomass power plants to qualify for the certificates they must show at least 70% of their biomass fuel comes from sustainable sources. Green groups have long criticised the sustainability credentials of biomass power plants, which burn wood pellets to generate electricity. In 2023, regulator Ofgem opened an investigation into whether Drax was in breach of annual reporting requirements under the RO scheme. Ofgem said it reviewed over 3,000 documents and did not find evidence to support claims that sustainability obligations had been breached.

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Forest Fires

Four dead and thousands under evacuation as wildfires engulf southeastern Korea

By Kim Gyu-hyun
Hankyoreh Media Group
March 24, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

Forestry officials are struggling to put out large-scale wildfires that erupted throughout southeastern Korea over the weekend. The South Korean government declared states of disaster in South Gyeongsang and North Gyeongsang provinces and Ulsan in response. As of 8 pm on Sunday, the casualties from the wildfires stood at four deaths and six injuries. Over 2,000 residents were evacuated, with damage to 39 residences. A Level 3 wildfire response was in effect for the three regions of Sancheong County in South Gyeongsang, Uiseong County in North Gyeongsang, and Ulju County in Ulsan. …a total of 6,328 hectares of land had been burnt by the wildfires as of 4 pm on Sunday — the equivalent of 8,864 soccer pitches. …Three firefighters were trapped and lost their lives while attempting to extinguish the Sancheong fire, along with one guidance official. Another six were reportedly undergoing treatment for burns.

The Korea Times: Korea faces growing need to prepare for wildfires amid climate crisis

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