First Parliamentarians Conference on SFM in
Central Africa
A Summary Report of the First International Conference of Parliamentarians
on the Sustainable Management of Central African Forest Ecosystems [24-27
October 2006].
IMPORTANT - REGULATION CHANGE FOR ALL WOOD PACKAGING
MATERIALS! Wood Packaging - ISPM 15 Regulations - Imports to UK/ EU effective
01/03/05
* From March 1st 2005 all wood packaging material ie pallets, cases
, cartons, chocking etc being imported into the UK/EU must carry
an ISPM 15 stamp, irrespective of the country of origin.
* This will be implemented into EU law from 01/03/05
* The ISPM regulations will apply to all cargo being imported whether
it is loose cargo or loaded into containers. It also applies to
the small sticks of wood used as spacers for timber cargo.
* There will be spot checks on imported cargo from 1/3/05 at all
EU Ports, these will be carried out by the Forestry Commission
Inspectors who have the authority to hold cargo whilst unauthorised
wood packaging is destroyed. They also have the authority to break
the container seal at a spot check.
* It will be up to the Inspectors discretion how they handle each
individual case but in extreme cases they have the authorisation
to refuse the cargo entry into the Country that it is intended
for.
* All costs incurred for refusals or de vanning and re vanning
would be for the account of the Importer.
For further information regarding ISPM Regulations we suggest that
you contact: The Forestry Commission, Plant Health Division on
tel: 0044 [0]131 334 0303 or <http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-5bhl55>
URGENT OTAL NOTICE - Wood Packaging - IPPC Regulations - Imports to USA
Effective from September 16, 2005, wooden packaging materials,
such as, pallets, crates, boxes, and dunnage, imported into the
United States must be heat-treated or fumigated with methyl bromide
and marked with the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)
logo and appropriate country code designating the location of treatment.Additional
paper certifications will not be required.
Implementation of the new requirements has been delayed one year
from their date of publication to give affected parties time to
comply with the new requirements.
Further Subject Material
The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) has always
played an important role in international trade. IPPC has encouraged
countries to ensure through phytosanitary certification that their
exports are not the means for introducing new pests to their trading
partners.
The government agency responsible for implementing the international
standard, ISPM 15, is the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service <http://www.aphis.usda.gov/> (APHIS)
in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They have designated the
National Wooden Pallet & Container Association <http://www.nwpca.com/> (NWPCA)
as the manager of the fumigation program while the American Lumber
Standard Committee <http://www.alsc.org/> manages the heat
treatment program.
NWPCA accredits and monitors wood inspection agencies in the duties
and responsibilities of their function. Upon completion of the
fumigation inspector training program, the inspection agencies
are authorized to use, and designate the use by pallet companies,
of the international mark.
The new mark (shown below) is applied by paint, stencil or branding,
and includes the logo for the wood inspection agency (a), the producer
code (a code assigned to your company - b), the treatment method
(methyl bromide - c) and the country of origin (d). This mark must
be applied to at least two sides of the pallet or container. Also
required on one side is the date of application and the lot number.
The stamp can only appear on pallets treated by a certified fumigator
registered with an inspection agency in the NWPCA fumigation program.
Any fumigator licensed by his or her state in the use of methyl
bromide is eligible for participation in the fumigation program.
Please contact your local agency office for further advice.
The following is based on commentary by ATIBT-
11/11/04
Cameroon - Log exports continue to decline
2003 hardwood exports from Cameroon were characterised by a reduction
in log shipments and an increase in exports of sawn lumber, as
compared to the previous year. As little as 10% of total forest
production was exported in log form last year and only three species
(ayous, fraké and tali) accounted for around 92% of the
total. In terms of log exports, ayous continues to hold the number
one position at 86,000 m3 in 2003, closely followed by fraké at
71,000 m3. In addition, 282,000 m3 of sawn ayous was also produced
domestically last year. Other species, such as azobe which used
to be exported in log form are now almost entirely converted in
Cameroon.
Cameroon - Sawn lumber exports grow 12%
Overall, Europe is Cameroon's largest customer for both logs and
sawn lumber and exports of sawn lumber to Europe accounted for
84% of the total. However, while sawn lumber exports increased
by 12% between 2002 and 2003, exports to Europe remained unchanged.
This can be principally accounted for by significant decreases
in demand from both Italy and the Netherlands, the two largest
customers in 2002. The greatest increases in Cameroonian sawn lumber
exports last year were seen to China (283%), Ireland (132%) and
Spain (83%). While China also took the bulk of Cameroonian log
exports in 2003, Spain has become the number one customer for sawn
lumber and imported some 26% of all sawn lumber exports last year.
The bulk of this was accounted for by ayous, but large volumes
of both tali and sapele were also imported. Spanish traders also
report that the trend for sawn sapele lumber has continued to grow
through the first half of 2004, in many cases as a substitute for
American white oak, which has been of limited availability.
Despite a decline of 22% in imports, Italy remained Cameroon's
number two export market for sawn lumber last year and its most
important customer for ayous, taking around 45% of the total. At
the same time, France, Cameroon's fifth largest export market was
the largest importer of moabi (75% of the total) and movingui (52%
of the total), which is used for interior joinery.
Cameroon - Afrormosia exports rise
Cameroon was one of the first countries in the Congo Basin to be
authorised by CITES to start exporting assamela/ afrormosia once
again. In 2003, exports of sawn assamela grew by 150% as compared
to the previous year, to reach a volume of 13,000 m3. This production
provides a valuable and potentially sustainable contribution to
the Cameroonian economy. At the same time, ayous and sapele accounted
for around one third of sawn lumber exports last year and almost
half of Cameroon's sawn lumber production capacity is focused on
these two species. International demand for these two important
species provides much needed revenue for the country's wood products
sector.
Cameroon - An uncertain future?
With 890,000 m3 of sawn lumber exported in 2003, Cameroon has the
greatest industrial capacity in forested Africa. However, harvesting
levels have been falling in recent years and many mills are now
struggling to obtain adequate log supplies. The area available
for harvesting fell from around 1 million hectares in the 1995-96
financial year to around 350,000 hectares in 2001-02. This downward
trend is likely to continue.
CAR - 32% reduction in log exports
2003 saw a 32% drop in the volume of log exports from CAR, down
from 342,732m3 in 2002 to 231,758m3. This is almost entirely due
to the difficult political situation, starting with civil unrest
in February 2003. At the same time, the entire forestry sector
of CAR was taken over by the forestry department, resulting in
a period of confused administration, where irregular logging permits
were issued and temporary restrictions on felling and exports were
put in place. Urgent measures taken by the new forestry minister
in April 2003 led to a large reduction in output, while the sector
was tidied up and returned to state administration.
In addition to the political changes felt by CAR's forestry sector
in 2003, the production and export of forest products was also
affected by economic and climatic factors. A wetter than usual
rainy season hindered logging operations on a greater scale than
in 2002, while the fall of the US dollar in the last quarter of
2003 led to reduced competitiveness of Central African wood in
the franc zone.
While log exports were severely weakened during 2003, sawn lumber
exports from CAR held up surprisingly well until the last quarter
of the year. Over the whole year, exports of sawn lumber fell 10%
from 55,599m3 to 49,917m3. The main reason for this was that the
domestic wood transformation sector did not come under the same
level of scrutiny by the newly appointed forest minister as the
logging sector. The legality of their licences was not questioned
as the sawmills belong mainly to respected industrial groups. In
addition to this, prices of sawn sapele, iroko and bosse observed
at Douala port all firmed during the year, driven by improving
demand in Europe and Asia. This, however, did not last the year
out, as the last quarter witnessed a major drop in exports of sawn
lumber, directly linked to the weakness of the US dollar.
CAR - Comeback forecast for 2004
This year, with the requisition of the forestry sector by the government
and the necessary scrutiny of logging enterprises almost complete,
two new and important permits have been issued to new concessionaries.
Counting on the return of the US dollar to a more reasonable level,
the forestry department forecasts that CAR's national production
of logs should recover in 2004 to more or less the same levels
seen in 2002.
Congo Brazzaville: Finance law disrupts industry
In early 2003, the Republic of Congo introduced a new finance law
which included new higher tax rates. This hit the industry hard
and now several companies are on the verge of collapse. Transport
conditions in the country also remain poor. There is no road linking
the eight large forestry companies in the north of the country
with the main port at Pointe Noire. These companies remain heavily
reliant on the expensive overland route to Douala in Cameroon and
on river transportation which is only possible during eight months
of the year.
The 11% rise in log exports last year is due to the expansion of
operations by the Malaysian company Taman in the south of the country.
Taman has also invested in a road over the Mayombe mountain facilitating
exports from the south. Due to the difficult terrain, the road
is dangerous and only navigable by logging lorries. It is so rough
that it can only be used for carriage of logs and not for veneers
or containerised sawn wood.
Although the government has imposed requirements for increased
domestic transformation of logs prior to export, current infra-structure
is inadequate. Therefore exports of sawn lumber are increasing
only slowly.
Congo Kinshasa - Efforts to promote forestry
In 2003, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) exported 37,000m3
of logs and 16,000m3 of sawn lumber. Volumes remain small, but
new legislation may lead to a big increase in production in coming
years.
The DRC government, along with the World Bank and United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), is working towards increasing
industrial logging to promote economic development. The World Bank
and FAO have been closely involved with the development and adoption
of new forestry laws (Law No. 011-2002 on the Forestry Code). Both
agencies are also involved in preparing a national forest zoning
plan, which will serve to define areas for logging, conservation
and community use.
These efforts have not not been universally welcomed. The Rainforest
Foundation, an international NGO, has criticised World Bank efforts
to "create a favourable climate for industrial logging" in
the Congo. They suggest that the new plan could lead to a 60-fold
increase in the country's timber production, affecting up to 60
million hectares of the DRC's rainforest.
Congo Kinshasa - Threat of return to war
Apart from the concerns of NGOs, the success of the new measures
to promote sustainable timber extraction in the country will be
heavily dependent on the political environment. The signs have
not been good in recent weeks. A massacre of 160 Congolese Tutsi
refugees in Burundi at the end of August prompted Rwanda and Brundi
to threaten to send troops into Congo to crush genocidal Hutu militias
there. Soom after, one of Congo's vice presidents, a Tutsi , pulled
out of Congo's power-sharing government. These events have raised
fears that the country may be about to slide back into civil war
and led to widespread calls for an increase in the size of the
UN peace keeping force in the country.
Gabon - Log exports continue to slide
Log exports from Gabon continue to fall by around 10-15% per year
and in 2003, exports fell by 11% as compared to the previous year.
One of the main reasons for this on-going decline is positive:
the development of the domestic wood-processing industry, which
is consuming ever-increasing volumes of logs. It is difficult to
quantify the exact volume of logs entering Gabonese mills and therefore,
annual timber transformation. However, ATIBT estimates production
of sawn and/or peeled timber to be in the region of 500,000m3,
which is roughly equal to one quarter of total production.
The other reasons for the decline in log exports are a generally
weak (although improving) international market for tropical logs
and the strength of the euro against the dollar. As the CFA franc
is aligned to the euro, this has undermined the competitive position
of Gabon forest products.
The drop in export volume last year was particularly evident for
okoume, of which exports fell by 11%. Okoume logs accounted for
64% of exports in 2003, and 66% of all okoume logs were sent to
China. However, Chinese consumption of okoume has been in decline
in recent months and this has had a significant impact on Gabon's
forest products sector. Gabon's dependency upon China as an export
market is very significant and for a country in which the forest
products sector is the second largest employer after the state,
reliable export markets are all important. This, however, is a
delicate situation, as Chinese manufacturers are able to profit
from competitive labour rates, as well as favourable exchange rates
and export aid in order to undermine Gabon's traditional European
and American markets, as well as African sawmills. In 2003, China
imported some 100,000m3 of okoume each month, resulting in an annual
import total of around 1.5 million m3. For this reason, China is
an attractive customer for Gabon, but such dependence on a market
which has no intention of importing sawn lumber from Gabon's mills
may well prove to be a hindrance to the future development of Gabon's
wood products sector.
Ghana - Veneer
Ghana experienced increases in veneer production of 2% (to 264,000
m3) and 14% (to 300,000 m3) in 2002 and 2003 respectively. Ivory
Coast's production followed an opposite trend, slumping 26% between
2001 and 2003 due to political problems during the period. After
a slight decline of 6% in 2002, production in the Philippines jumped
sharply by 43% to 294,000 m3 in 2003.
The United Nations Security Council has decided to maintain diamond
and timber sanctions on Liberia, because of the "fragility" of
the peace process.
They were imposed in 2001 during the rule of former President Charles
Taylor, accused of fomenting violence across West Africa. They
aimed to stop Liberia supporting the rebel Revolutionary United
Front (RUF) in neighbouring Sierra Leone.
Liberia's interim leader Gyude Bryant had called for the lifting
of the embargo to revive the economy.
Council members said that although the situation in Liberia was
improving, conditions for lifting the sanctions had not been met
fully.
The sanctions were not meant to punish the people of Liberia, "but
to ensure that the peace process was irreversible," said Philippines
Ambassador Lauro Baja, the council's president for June.
They were extended last May to include timber, which had become
one of Liberia's major exports.
Last October, a national reconciliation government took over following
a peace deal and Mr Taylor's departure into exile in Nigeria.
The market for West African timber exporters
is summed up as "dull",
with low demand and even lower margins - December 2003
Summary:
China is the only serious market for West African logs at the
moment.
The Asian market for peeler species is quiet.
West African export lumber prices were stable through the third
quarter.
Stocks in Europe are low but are thought to be sufficient
West African exporters say that markets for logs and lumber are
dull. There have been no significant price changes over the past
month. Volumes traded are only moderate and buyers are exerting
downwards price pressure - which is being strenuously resisted
by producers.
For logs, only China is seriously in the market right now. Buyers
for the Chinese market have been pressurising, without success,
for a reduction of 15-20% in the prices of okoume logs from Gabon
and have been buying some okoume from Equatorial Guinea and Congo
Brazzaville at lower prices. In July the state log buyer, SNBG,
asked producers to slow down harvest volumes to steady the market
and this policy seems to have helped keep the prices stable.
Gabon is expecting rains very soon which may take out some volume
from the market and assist once more in holding prices unchanged
through the fourth quarter. Other factors affecting production
levels include the estimation from some observers that the commercially
operable forest reserves in Equatorial Guinea will be exhausted
within two to three years and, less permanent, Congo Brazzaville
producers remain at loggerheads with their government over the
massive increase in surface tax. Some even stopped production temporarily
in protest while arguing for a reduction. Surface tax is a land
tax levied on the area of concessions and rises in the francophone
West African region are increasing from Cfa5 per ha to Cfa600 per
ha.
Financial advice
The World bank and International Monetary Fund have been advising
governments to increase tax revenues from forest and timber based
industries and companies already affected by higher taxes in Gabon
and Cameroon complain that, with no prospects for selling price
increases, their margins are very slim indeed.
The only species in real demand is azobe and prices are forecast
to rise by around 10% during the next two or three weeks.
The internal difficulties in Côte d'Ivoire and the
halt in exports from Liberia have taken a fair slice of logs and
lumber out of
the market but, perhaps surprisingly, even this reduction in availability
did not affect buyer sentiment and exporters were unable to push
prices higher.
Traders report that Liberian Niangon is being replaced by small
volumes sourced from Gabon but, in the main, buy moabi and sapele
as alternatives. Another alternative which is achieving good market
penetration is ayous being replaced by okoume in the Italian market.
This business is now well established.
Importers and traders in tropical timbers in France, Germany,
Belgium and Italy all seem to agree that market conditions will
remain dull and they forecast no changes for the coming months.
The Netherlands market remains depressed, with building activity
still in the doldrums, and the usual September upsurge in timber
purchases did not happen this year.
Stable lumber prices
West African export lumber prices were stable through the third
quarter, with no significant changes up or down. Mills remain moderately
busy and certainly the problems in Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire have
diverted some business to Gabon and Cameroon. Azobe millers are
finding business is brisk, but all complain that, at the current
price levels, they are not doing more than breaking even currently.
Although we have reported the long-term stability
in lumber prices it is interesting to compare current fob prices
for francophone
West African sawn lumber with those of this time last year. There
have been a few demand and price spikes through the year but overall
in the major traded species there have been rather more losses
than gains. Of 23 species monitored regularly, nine are now lower,
four higher with the rest unchanged. Sipo and iroko GMS and izombe
fixed sizes have been the biggest losers, currently around 20%
lower in price. As distinct from the GMS, iroko strips are €30
higher than in August 2002. Ayous is €12 higher and moabi
and tali are two others which have gained ground. However, most
other species, including sapele, framire, padouk and okoume, are
at the same levels as one year ago. Surprisingly, khaya is some €30
lower and abura GMS €15 down.
No change
Neither exporters nor importers are expecting any significant
changes in demand or prices levels for the West African trade through
the fourth quarter. China continues as the dominant player in the
log market, with okoume much the largest volume. With the increasingly
tight log supply situation in Malaysia, it is likely that the West
African share of China's tropical hardwood log imports will increase
over the next few years.
For sawn lumber, the very firm prices and high freights for Far
East meranti, coupled with the general tightening in supply, will
contribute to the stability for the sawn hardwood market.
Cameroon and Gabon sawmills are managing to keep busy, but lumber
prices and demand are not expected to improve. Stocks in Europe
are reported on the low side, but adequate for the less than buoyant
demand.
Lots of belts have had to be tightened in the past year in both
producer and consumer countries and no-one in the trade is optimistic
of any dramatic improvement in margins
Ghana's export data for the year 2002 indicates the continuing success of
the country's efforts to shift to value added processing. The overall value
of Ghana's wood products declined by only 3.1% from 189.3 million euro in 2001
to 183.4 million euro in 2002. A big fall off in efforts of sawn lumber and
boules was compensated by a significant rise in exports of rotary veneer, plywood
, mouldings and parquet flooring.
Resource constraints coupled with sluggish consumption in several key markets-
including Germany, Italy and France - placed limits on Ghana's exports of sawn
lumber during 2002. Exports of kiln dried wawa lumber, the leading species,
fell off dramatically.
However exports of Ghanaian Khaya lumber to the United States were boosted
due to restricted availability of South American mahogany last year.
Only two species - teak and ofram - are now exported in any volume in air
dried form, with most of the volume destined for India., Senegal and Saudi
Arabia. The USA was a bouyant market for Ghanaian plywood and rotary veneer
during 2002.
African logs - Slow European demand
European demand for African Hardwood logs was slow thoroughout the first three
months of 2003, continuing the trend towards declining imports apparent in
2002. All the major European log markets , including France, Italy, Portugal,
Spain and Germany have been affected. Demand for African logs in East Asia
has also been slow to pick up this year, although the market remains more bouyant
than in Europe.
Contacts just returning from Cameroon, suggest that there are reasonable stocks
of logs for shipment from Douala port in Cameroon, with all the valuable redwood
species derived from Central African Republic and northern Congo. This is to
be expected at this time of the year when the logging season north of the equator
is nearing it's end and market demand tends to be seasonally high.
Unrest in the Ivory Coast has resulted in shortages of iroko
and framire.
Largely stable market conditions persist for sapele.
The market for Far Eastern hardwoods is slowly re-emerging after the Chinese
new year.
UK demand for US hardwoods continues to be slack
By consensus,
many UK firms involved in the hardwood trade have grown accustomed to
unspectacular demand and tight margins. The early
weeks
of 2003 have
underlined this sense of a business which, as one trader put it, "is
doing OK, but not great". Sales volumes appear to have met what
were generally low expectations for January and the first half of
February. The widespread
trend among customers
is to order small but regular volumes, and to expect reasonably smart
delivery.
Recent efforts by France to broker a deal in the Ivory
Coast appear to have foundered on a proposal to offer more of a political
voice to the rebel faction.
Some sawmills have been closed down but, with fighting said to be "limited" as
TTJ went to press, a number of operators were said to be struggling on and
to be achieving almost normal production in some instances.
However, some lack of willingness to enter the forests has adversely affected
the supply of logs, while energy requirements are failing to be met in some
instances. Furthermore, some trading office staff have opted either to stay
away or to leave the country altogether.
Back in the UK, some traders spoke of their "frustration" at having "good
orders on the books" but being unable to service them in many instances. "There
is a lot of unfulfilled demand out there – we are getting enquiries on
a daily basis for major joinery sizes," said one trader. Several contacts
said they were unwilling to place forward orders because of the dearth of information
coming out of the Ivory Coast itself and, taking a more global perspective,
because of the uncertainty created by the possibility of a war against Iraq.
Traders are left with few alternatives. "Iroko is available from other
African countries," said one, "but it will be some time before we
see it and we don't know whether it will be comparable material." Partly
as a result of the situation in the Ivory Coast, some importers are said to
be prepared to pay higher prices for supplies of certain West African hardwoods,
although it was generally felt that prices offered to end users were unlikely
to feel any long-term effect.
In general, however, the role of Ghana as a supplier of
sawn timber was continuing to diminish, it was added. The most popular of
the West African hardwoods – namely
sapele – has emerged almost unscathed from the events affecting iroko
and framire. Supplies from the Cameroon are understood to be tight, but relatively
slack demand in the UK and most of Europe has produced largely stable market
conditions at virtually unchanged price levels. No major problems were reported
this week with regard to delivery schedules.
The market is emerging from a slow trading period for Far
East hardwoods, a situation dictated to an extent by the recently-ended Chinese
new year celebrations.
Supplies of dark red meranti have been affected by the rainy season while the
material's US dollar price is said to have dropped slightly over the last couple
of months. The UK market for meranti was described this week as "subdued",
with buyers said to be reasonably well stocked and importers unimpressed by
the margins.
The new year has seen a continuation of the slow UK demand
for North American hardwoods witnessed throughout most of last year. Calculating
that sales completed
by his own company had dropped by at least 15% in volume terms last year, one
trader attributed the decline to the effects of economic downturn on commercial
operations, including the postponement and even cancellation of certain refurbishment
and new build projects. "A large proportion of the North American hardwood
used in the UK is for refurbishment of hotels, restaurants, offices and public
buildings – very little is used in the domestic situation," he said.
The UK is continuing to see the results of efforts by North American producers
to cut output in order to bring supply and demand into greater balance. Supply
has also been restricted to some degree by the particularly harsh winter affecting
many parts of the US. Some sources suggested that quick delivery was not always
available on certain items, pointing in particular to white oak and cherry.
North American shippers have been keen to talk up these
supply issues, with some claiming that there will be "desperate" shortages of North American
hardwoods towards the spring. For the moment, however, the UK market appears
unruffled by these warning shots and is not reflecting any major supply worries.
White oak was described this week as "steady to slightly firming",
whereas most of the other major species were either "holding their own" or "slightly
softer".
According to a UK-based trader with Brazil, he had been
given the impression that the country's authorities might shortly allow mahogany
to be shipped overseas
for a limited period, although there was no talk of this possibility elsewhere.
The US has been taking significant volumes of mahogany from Peru although the
grades in question are generally thought to be unsuitable for the UK market.
Meanwhile, UK sales of Brazilian cedar have been quite steady – albeit
at a low level.
West African Timber Market - Little movement as European demand stays slow
- January 2003
Log supply is low in Gabon because of SNBG's failure to pay for log supplies.
Mergers and stock consolidation, especially in the Netherlands, means that
European demand is intermittent and often triggers a short-term price rise.
As European demand declines, China is taking up the slack.
The ITTO has approved a US$800,000 project for the African Timber Organisation
to train foresters in sustainable forestry.
There have been few changes in West African logs prices during
the past three months. In October iroko logs were slightly down in price, demand
for azobe
had virtually dried up and all other species had pretty well stagnated in both
demand and price over the previous six months. By the end of November, iroko
logs were in high demand and prices were rising; azobe also was by then in
good demand and prices were expected to rise by the end of December.
Padouk was another species that had languished for several
months then suddenly came into demand with rises of €16-18 for LM grade and €31
for B grade logs. European log demand continues to fall with the slack being
taken
up only by China.
Because of the various mergers and stock consolidation, chiefly
in the Netherlands, European demand for both logs and lumber tends to be very
intermittent and
nowadays almost always triggers a short-term price rise. This was especially
noticeable while the prices for meranti lumber were on the rise in the third
quarter of 2002. These rises have slackened off but supply is low and there
are indications of higher freight charges from Malaysia as early as January.
US
and UK timber representatives meet - January 2003
US government officials and timber trade representatives have signalled their
concern about EU moves to overhaul wood procurement regulations at a meeting
with their UK counterparts. The Americans expressed fears that deforestation
in countries such as Brazil, Indonesia and parts of Africa may lead to procurement
policies being developed which interfere with free trade.
The meeting, an information sharing exercise, was held at the US Embassy,
London, and attended by representatives from the American Forest and Paper
Association, the US state department and office of the environment and natural
resources.
UK representatives included Mark O'Brien, head of public
affairs at the Timber Trade Federation; John Hudson, senior forestry adviser
at the department for
international development; and timber industry consultant Michael Buckley.
Mr O'Brien described it as a "positive" meeting with much common
interest in both camps. The TTF's Code of Conduct and the UK government's timber
procurement policy were also discussed.
He said: "We do not want procurement policy to discriminate
against developing countries, or indeed any other country, which do not have
sustainably certified
resources."
UK companies present included Timbmet, Pacific Lumber Services and Canada
Pacific Ltd.
