Timber is a vital resource that is all around us. It is the house that shelters us, the furniture we relax in, the books we read, the paper we print, the disposable diapers for our babies, and the boxes that contain our cereal, detergent, and new appliances. The way we produce and consume timber, however, is changing. With international timber companies and big box discount retailers increasingly controlling through global commodity chains where and how much timber is traded, the world's remaining old-growth forests, particularly in the developing world, are under threat of disappearing - all for the price of a consumer bargain. This trailblazing book is the first to expose what's happening inside corporate commodity chains with conclusions that fundamentally challenge our understanding of how and why deforestation persists. Authors Peter Dauvergne and Jane Lister reveal how timber now moves through long and complex supply chains from the forests of the global South through the factories of emerging economies like China to the big box retail shelves of Europe and North America. Well-off consumers are getting unprecedented deals. But the social and environmental costs are extraordinarily high as corporations mine the world's poorest regions and most vulnerable ecosystems. The growing power of big retail within these commodity chains is further increasing South-North inequities and unsustainable global consumption. Yet, as this book's highly original analysis uncovers, it is also creating some intriguing opportunities to promote more responsible business practices and better global forest governance.

Gale explains why international negotiations have not produced a sustainable solution to tropical rainforest degradation. Using an innovative, critical approach to international regimes, the author analyzes the structure and operation of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). He shows how the timber industry and producing- and consuming-country governments created a blocking alliance that favoured developmentalist interests and ideas. The ITTO bolstered this alliance by permitting environmentalists merely to voice, but not to negotiate, their concerns.

The part played by the Brazilian tropical timber industry in deforesting the Amazon region has not been studied very much. This book describes the expansion of the timber industry in the Brazilian federal state of Para since the 1960s, when Amazon development became an important item on the government's agenda.

Wood and wood products are essential to large areas of the world economy and yet there has until now been no single definitive reference source to which those new to or requiring a strategic overview of the industry could turn for a comprehensive picture of the market chain from forest to consumer. The international timber trade provides a detailed overview of the entire timber and timber products business. It is arranged in three sections: - Chapters 1 to 3 provide a background starting with an historical perspective, an overview of the worldwide forest resource and going to examine the properties of wood, types of products, trends in production and consumption and uses. - Chapters 4,5 and 6 examine the role of wood industries and wood products in the global economy and provide an overview of world trade both by commodity groups and by country, as well as a detailed analysis of the main trading patterns and the trends, both at the inter-continental and inter-regional levels. - The third section, chapters 7 to 10, looks at the structure of trade, market and market-related features, environmental factors such as forestry management, sustainability and certification, waste and recycling and energy and climate change, as well as offering an outlook for the industry in the 21st century.Written by one of the leading international authorities on the timber trade, The international timber trade is essential reading for a wide range of interested groups including managers in the timber industry and trade, the financial community with interests in the sector, academics and students in forestry management and related studies, government agencies and their advisers in helping to develop policies for the sector and international trade, and finally those working in international development organisations and in national and international non-governmental bodies.

This book highlights the importance of non-wood forest products (NWFPs) and their crucial role in sustaining the livelihood of rural and indigenous communities in Asia. The authors depict how the preservation of forests and the associated major non-wood resources may provide an important avenue to reduce poverty. The local practices and knowledge on harvesting NWFPs are often rooted in tradition, and vary from one region to the other. This made it difficult to develop and establish research focus on a greater scale in the past. Readers of this volume will gain an often-missed, broader perspective from these new studies. The authors put a special emphasis on the nexus between conservation and livelihood from an Asian point of view. This addresses a knowledge gap in the current literature and offers important clues on conducting similar research around the world. The volume provides a useful reference guide for the relevant researchers, practitioners and policy makers.

The global threats to climate, biodiversity and a healthy environment are mainly caused by the excessive use of non-renewable materials. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and Unique Consultancy, elaborated a Global Forest Sector Outlook 2050 to assess the capacity of wood supply to support a sustainable bioeconomy. The report presents a business-as-usual scenario, based on the Global Forest Products Model (GFPM), and a bioeconomy scenario based on the impact of increased consumption of two wood products consolidated in the market: mass timber and manmade cellulose fiber. The publication assesses the market outlook for demand for primary processed wood products, demand and supply of industrial roundwood, wood energy, and forest employment and investments. From a deman-driven perspective, it discusses the actual forest resource base and production needs to supply future demand by factoring in the use of wood residues and enhanced productivity in the forest sector, as well as the influence of megatrends and policy objectives.

This atlas presents technical information for professionals who process and use temperate or tropical timber. It combines the main technical characteristics of 283 tropical species and 17 species from temperate regions most commonly used in Europe with their primary uses.