world news - 02.06.2008
Global trade of woodchips reaching new records
Pulpmills in both Europe and the Pacific
Rim are increasingly sourcing their mills withwood from fast-growing
plantations. This has resulted in a major expansion of worldwide trade
of both wood chips and pulplogs the past few years, according to the
Wood Resource Quarterly.
Global trade of wood chips has more than doubled in 20 years, reaching
31 million tons in 2007. Just since 2003, total trade has increased by
almost 30%. This development is the result of a tighter wood supply in
close proximity to many pulpmills in the Northern Hemisphere, higher
costs for locally sourced wood fiber and relatively lower-cost
alternatives in new supply regions.
The biggest increases in imports have been to Finland, Austria, Germany, Turkey,
Canada and China. Trade of wood chips is still the highest in the Pacific Rim, where
imports to Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and China account for about 55% of the total
global trade and over 95% of water-born trade.
The major supplying regions to Asia in 2007 were Australia, South Africa, Chile and
Vietnam, which together exported just over 12 million tons, the majority of which was
Eucalyptus wood chip destined for Japanese pulpmills. Vietnam has increased shipments
dramatically and is now the fourth largest supplier of wood chips to Japan, exporting 1.73
million tons in 2007, up from only 390,000 tons six years ago.
Uruguay has also expanded shipments of both Eucalyptus wood chip and pulpwood the
past few years. In 2007, total wood chip exports were almost one million tons compared
to virtually no chip exports at all five years ago. Practically all wood chips have been sent
to pulpmills in Japan, Spain, Sweden and Finland. In addition to wood chips, Uruguay
has also expanded exports of pulplogs from its plantations. In 2007, these shipments
reached 1.7 million m3, of which a majority has been destined for the Nordic countries
and Southwest Europe (Portugal, France and Spain).
Over the long-term, it can be expected that trade of wood chips will decline as more pulp
capacity will be added in regions with fast-growing plantations and pulpwood will be
consumed locally.
See also:
- — Congo Basin Forest Is Biggest For Approved Logging
- — Green alarm for Russia’s economic boom
- — Finnish forest owners plant 160 million saplings
- — Scientists generated bacteria producing cellulose
- — Roundwood sales from small-scale private forests