Boards harvested and milled in a community forest in Marraganti, Panama, are floated downriver to processing facilities. “Downstream” (or further) processing adds value to the forest, as long as the benefits accrue to the forest owners. Photo: Carlos Espinoza
Over the years, ITTO has funded many projects and activities aimed at supporting the development of sustainable, value-added timber-based industries in tropical countries. The establishment of local timber-processing (“downstream”) industries can benefit countries in many ways, such as by providing employment, contributing to government revenues and encouraging sustainable forest management and the development of timber plantations. In this edition of the Tropical Forest Update, we examine some of ITTO’s efforts to assist its member countries in going downstream.