Empowering Sustainable Timber Value Chains: Bridging Market Intelligence and High-Value Utilization
Side Event at UNFF21
Empowering Sustainable Timber Value Chains: Bridging Market Intelligence and High-Value Utilization
Date & venue: 14 May 2026 New York City, United States of America
Organized by:
The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), Korea Forest Service (KFS), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Background & Objectives
Sustainably managed forests and the derived wood products play an indispensable role in achieving global climate goals and carbon neutrality whilst conserving forest resources. To fully harness this potential, it is imperative to establish a robust and transparent global value chain that connects sustainable timber production with high value-added utilization.
This side event seeks to discuss a comprehensive, collaborative model that bridges the perspectives of both tropical timber producing countries and major consumers, and will contribute to improving public opinion surrounding timber harvesting.
Speakers will highlight the importance of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) at the forefront of policy discussions, emphasizing that legal and sustainable harvesting is not deforestation but a vital, naturally regenerative practice that maintains forest health, renews carbon sinks, and serves as an anchor for climate change adaptation and mitigation. The contributions of the Collaborative Partnership on Forest's activities to influence public opinion will be highlighted, including the Grow the Solution initiative under the auspices of the Sustainable Wood for a Sustainable World Joint Initiative.
The event aims to underline the critical contribution of the timber industry to the circular bioeconomy through the provision of sustainable materials that act as long-term carbon sinks. By promoting transparent trade frameworks through verification systems on timber legality, market intelligence (e.g., Global Timber Index), legal and sustainable supply chains (LSSC) and showcasing high value-added applications like modern timber architecture, the session will demonstrate how long-term wood utilization effectively stores carbon.
The forum is an important strategic platform to share policies, technological innovations, and a shared vision that will empower sustainable wood value chains from forest production to architectural applications.
Tentative programme (Total: 75 minutes)
Moderator: Ms Sheam SATKURU, ITTO Executive Director
| Duration |
Perspective/Topic
|
Speaker | Key Content |
| 7 minutes | Opening Remarks | Ms Sheam SATKURU Mr Songhee NAM Mr Benjamin ROSS |
|
| 7 minutes | Experience in Sustainable Timber Production & Policies |
Mr Mario René Salazar ARANA |
The speaker will discuss local SFM and legal harvesting experiences that achieve conservation, provide economic benefits, and help overcome market misconceptions. |
| 7 minutes | Tropical Timber Market Intelligence & Tracking | Dr M. Nurudeen Iddrisu (ITTO) | The speaker will introduce tools enhancing market transparency, including ITTO's Market Intelligence services, Global Timber Index, and LSSC programme. |
| 7 minutes | Engineered Wood Products with verified legal and sustainably produced timber |
Ms Emelia GUNGGU (Ministry of Plantation & Commodities, Malaysia) |
The speaker will highlight the transition towards high-value engineered wood products (EWP) from verified legal timber and how sustainably produced timber can advance modern timber construction. |
| 7 minutes | Application of Timber Architecture & Carbon Storage Vision |
Mr Björn MERKELL (Swedish Forestry Agency, Sweden) |
The speaker will present modern timber construction experiences and national policies for carbon storage. |
| 7 minutes | Sustainable Wood Utilization Pathways in Korea Following National Reforestation |
Mr Sungjin LEE (Korea Forest Service, Korea) |
The speaker will highlight Korea’s sustainable wood utilization system that strengthens carbon reduction and industrial competitiveness following national reforestation. He will introduce Korea’s policy direction, from high value‑added applications such as timber construction to cascading use approaches for wood resources. |
| 30 minutes |
Panel Discussion: Connecting Global Timber Value Chains (All speakers and a FAO representative) |
To fully empower sustainable timber value chains transparent market intelligence must be bridged with high-value utilization. Today, industry stakeholders face the dual challenge of dispelling negative misconceptions about timber harvesting and maximizing climate contributions through high value-added utilization. How can on-the-ground efforts best be synergized with transparency tools to reshape global market perceptions? What core policies and ‘transition models’ are propelling this industrial transformation in regions around the world? |
| 3 minutes | Closing Remarks | Ms Sheam SATKURU |