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Continuous assessment, evaluation, and suitable preparation of wood market statistics for questions from the BMEL
Project
Project code: TI-WF-08-PID476
Contract period: 01.01.2001
- 31.12.2016
Purpose of research: Inventory & Assessment
German forest and timber enterprises are integrated into global forest products markets. This has advantages and disadvantages: On the one hand it enables companies to export their products to other countries. On the other hand competition also increases in domestic markets. The forest and timber policy requires information about the developments on international timber markets and their influence on domestic enterprises.
Despite of global forest losses and policies towards sustainable and legal forestry there is a particular interest in the survey of timber imports from tropical countries. The analysis of global trade and the structure of domestic imports of tropical timber are essential for policy makers. For this reason we are constantly collecting and assessing statistical key data on timber markets.
The bases for our analyses are statistical data on production and trade with wood based products. Depending on the specific question we use appropriate methods and tools.
The foreign trade of the Federal Republic of Germany with wood and wood based products increased continuously since the beginning of the time series in 1950. In the year 2007 imports culminated in 131.6 cubic meters (raw wood equivalent) and the export reached a peak of 147.9 cubic meters raw wood equivalent (m³(r)). These figures are equal to an economical value of 26.9 billion Euros and 38.3 billion Euros respectively. Due to the global recession the values again decreased in 2008 and 2009. It becomes apparent from long term analysis that the trade surplus of imports in the 1970?s has been reduced continuously. In the year 2002 the balance of trade with wood and wood based products for the first time turned positive in monetary terms and in 2004 in terms of the traded quantities. Since then considerably trade surpluses in export have been achieved. This points out the high international competiveness of the wood based sector in Germany but also its dependence on the world market. In particular the German foreign trade with wood and wood based products largely relies on semi-finished and finished products; especially the share of pulp and paper and paperboard is high. In contrast to this roundwood has only a small share on the total foreign trade. The German imports of wood and wood based products from tropical countries and of tropical timber in particular can be divided into three phases since the year 1960. The first phase is dominated by German imports of roundwood. Since the middle of the 1970?s imports of semi-finished products, like sawn wood emerged rapidly and substituted the declining imports of roundwood. After peaks in the middle of the 1980?s the imports of semi-finished products are declining. Since 1990 finished products have the biggest share on imports of wood and wood based products from tropical countries. This trend can also be interpreted as an indicator for the economic development of numerous tropical countries.
Section overview
Subjects
- Forestry
- Market Analysis/Marketing Strategy
Framework programme
Funding programme
Excutive institution
Institute of International Forestry and Forest Economics (TI-IW)
