Forests

Forest Products and Values

Forests are important to humanity for the collection and use of wood and non-wood products, for transformation of forest into agricultural land, or for land for the production of biofuels, all of which are degrading or destructive economic activities. Less degrading uses include forest for recreational purposes, as global carbon sinks, as ecological services (water and soil retention), or the existence value to humans as forests are offering habitats to animal and plants (biodiversity).

Sawn wood production increased globally from 1965 to 1990 but declined slightly in 2005. Paper production has increased continuously since 1965. Trade in wood products is estimated at 4% of global trade and 1% of global gross domestic product. Due to economic growth in Asia, the demand for wood products is expected to increase substantially by the year 2030. China's decision to cut the annual production of sawn wood by 20 million cubic meters (m3), drawing on exploitation from natural forests, is the most dramatic change in forestry history. The reduction from natural forest production was supposed to be balanced from an increase in afforestation of marginal agricultural land, but this has not materialized. Ground studies have not been able to confirm the official [Page 584]figure of a replanting of 4 million hectares annually in China. To make up for the deficit, China is now increasingly becoming a major global importer of wood products from other Asian countries. Because of the ban on harvesting natural forests, allegations have been raised that the most economically successful countries, at least in Asia, are becoming dependent on illegal logging from Cambodia, Laos, and Russia. Another problem is the conversion, illegally also, of natural forest to plantations, as for example in Vietnam, because of lower cutting cycles (plantations regenerate faster than natural forests).

The estimated total value of world trade in nonwood forest products is about US$11 billion, although the figure is probably underestimated and has not been revaluated since the first time a report such as this was prepared that referred to a global value of trade. China is the dominant world trader. Among the most important non-wood forest products are plants for pharmaceutical industries and nuts. No global study exists, but an analysis of 61 case studies from developing countries showed a relative high proportion of income from non-wood forest products in households dependent on forest products (from 10% to 65%).

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