Tropical Forest Update

Contents

• Editorial

• Japan strengthens law against illegal logging

   by Forestry Agency, Japan
  New measures in the reformed Clean Wood Act mean that more businesses—including importers, sawmills and retailers—must ensure the legality of timber and wood products.

• Building capacity for legal and sustainable supply chains

   by Kachaka Sudi Kaiko and Nkwinkwa
  An ITTO-supported training programme has been rolled out in five countries of the Congo Basin.

• Tapping biomass energy from Indonesia’s forests

   by Yanuariadi and Sidabutar
  An ITTO project explored the potential for—and the obstacles to—developing sustainable energy forest plantations in North Sumatra.

• Boosting the teak value chain

   by Thulasidas and Yanuariadi
  At a global forestry conference, teak experts discussed ways to boost the use of sustainable teak despite global economic challenges.

• Migrating mahogany to Peru’s arid zones

   by Malleux
  An ITTO project and private initiatives suggest the overexploited species can grow in plantations away from its native Amazon, brightening the prospects for restoration.

• Mainstreaming forensic timber identification in Indonesia

   by Solikhin
  Research by an ITTO Fellow shows how the country can strengthen its capacity to counter illegal logging.

• China’s economy dims outlook for tropical timber trade

   by Xiufeng and Adams
  Falling prices and a real-estate crisis in the world’s second-largest economy are weighing on imports of timber, especially hardwood logs.

• Tropical and topical

• Recent editions

• Meetings