Yokohama, Japan, 5 July 2023: A side-event convened jointly by ITTO and the International Teak Information Network (Teaknet) during the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Forest Products Conference in Cairns, Australia, on 4–8 June 2023, explored means for boosting the value of teakwood products.

27 June 2023, Yokohama, Japan: Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are essential forest actors in most tropical countries, providing the bulk of employment in the sector and supplying millions of people with forest products, but they need more support to maximize their potential for sustainable development, ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru said today.

Yokohama, Japan, 17 June 2023: Speaking on World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru said that women are often most affected by degraded landscapes but have least control over land management and/or ownership in some societies, yet  are  effective agents for restoration and forest management and must be empowered.

Yokohama, Japan, 16 June 2023: Tropical timber markets showed no sign of recovery in May and even slumped further in some countries, according to the latest Global Timber Index (GTI) Report. The GTI was below 50% in the seven pilot countries of Brazil, China, the Congo, Gabon, Indonesia, Malaysia and Mexico, indicating negative growth in the sector.

Yokohama, Japan, 9 June 2023: Software for smartphones developed by Guatemala’s National Forest Institute (INAB) under an ITTO project can be used to calculate log volumes requiring only photographs and a few simple measurements. The app also enables the scaling of logs for products such as sawnwood, rectangular boards, round billets, sawdust, chips, fuelwood, wood pieces and charcoal.

Yokohama, Japan, 5 June 2023: Timber, especially tropical timber, has considerable potential for reducing the environmental footprint of plastics by replacing them in everyday uses, stated ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru on World Environment Day.