What lies ahead for the tropical timber sector?

09/11/2021

A new ITTO report analyzes the supply of and demand for tropical timber to 2050 and its contributions to a sustainable economy

by Christian Held, Eva Meier-Landsberg and Verónica Alonso

This article summarizes selected results from the study, Tropical Timber 2050, which was published by ITTO in May 2021. Drawing on outputs of the Global Forest Product Model (GFPM)and publicly available data, the study projects the supply of and demand for tropical timber in 2050. In making its projections, the study assumes a “middle of the road” shared socioeconomic pathway (SSP). To ensure a full picture of future timber supply and demand, the study compares the situation in the tropical timber producer regions with other regions, especially China, Europe and North America. The full study, available on the ITTO website (see details at the end of the article), also examines challenges for future timber production systems and wood-processing industries and the potential for increasing the use of tropical timber in a sustainable economy.

Complete publication on itto.int