GTI: African timber markets show growth in August

Workers managing products at the factory of Supremo Wood Processing Limited in Ghana. © Peter Zormelo

Timber markets improved in some African countries in August, despite sluggish performance in most countries, according to the latest Global Timber Index (GTI) report. The ITTO-supported GTI tracks the performance of the timber sector in pilot countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. 

The GTI for Ghana stood at 60.5%, marking the eighth consecutive month above the 50% threshold. The index for Gabon rose to 52.6%, back above the threshold after several months of contraction.  

However, the GTIs for Thailand (45.2%) and Brazil (30.5%) fell back into contraction territory after temporary expansion, and the readings for the Republic of the Congo (41.9%,), Mexico (35.4%), and Malaysia (26.1%) remained negative.  

As to China, its GTI was at 50.8%, with both production and export orders showing slight growth compared to the previous month. 

In August, the GTI-Woodbased Panel Index, a specialized index for wood-based panels, stood at 54.6% and remained above the 50% threshold for the fifth consecutive month, suggesting improvement in the subsector. However, the GTI-Producers Index, a specialized index for timber production, was at 37.7%, indicating weakness in that area. 

This month, challenges reported by sample enterprises centred on issues including tariff policies, weak market demand, and financial pressures. Due to US tariff policies, businesses in Latin American countries had become more reliant on domestic markets and some were taking a wait-and-see approach toward international trade. Meanwhile, insufficient orders and weak demand was a common challenge reported by enterprises in all Asian pilot countries. In Africa, main concerns included financial pressures, logistics, and energy costs. 

The GTI also reports on progress towards sustainable forest management in the pilot countries. Among recent developments, Ghana aims to begin exporting Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) licensed timber to the European market in October 2025, completing a 16-year journey to reform Ghana’s forest governance, improve timber legality systems, and promote sustainable trade. Meanwhile, in another example of countries leveraging technology in reforestation efforts, Mexico is using drones to disperse tree seeds to restore forests damaged by fire. 

The monthly GTI Report, GTI-Producers Report and GTI-WBP Report are available free at www.itto.int/gti. 

Download the latest GTI Report, GTI-Producers Report, and GTI-Woodbased Panel Report.