Tropical Forest Update

Moving beyond conflict on procurement

Public timber procurement policies have been a hot topic of debate among governments, tropical timber traders and environmental groups for a very long time. Environmental groups argue that tropical timber-importing countries can lead the way to sustainable forest management by buying only certified or at least legally verified tropical timber; timber-exporting countries say that such procurement policies give non-tropical timber an unfair market advantage; and traders worry about the cost of conforming to new standards. Public timber procurement policies, therefore, are a divisive issue in international forest policy. 

Contents

  • • The impact of timber procurement policies
     
    • Verifying timber in Africa
     
    • Ecuador’s new public forest information system
     
    • Guatemala’s timber traceability system
     
    • Procuring legal and sustainable tropical timber in China
     
    • Goho-wood: Japan’s system for combating illegal logging
     
    Timber procurement policies must evolve
     
    • Fellowship report
     
    Market trends
     
    • Topical and tropical

    • 
    Recent editions
     
    • Meetings.
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The ITTO Tropical Forest Update is published quarterly in English, French and Spanish.
The French and Spanish editions are usually posted about one month after the English.

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Content does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of ITTO. ITTO holds the copyright to all photos unless otherwise stated. Articles may be reprinted without charge providing the Tropical Forest Update and author are credited and the editor notified (tfu@itto.int).