Marketing and procurement monitoring in focus at ATIBT Think Tank

Photo: JB Dodane

The fourth Think Tank of the International Tropical Timber Technical Association (ATIBT) gave a wide ranging perspective of the state of the tropical forest sector, covering key environmental and market issues and developments. ATIBT’s Fair&Precious brand campaign and wider marketing of verified sustainable tropical timber were a major focus at the event, which was moderated Claude Garcia, from ETH Zurich. Marketing consultant Bernard Faucon addressed further improving promotion of certified tropical timber in Europe and Hugues Soundat-Boutamba of the Gabonese Embassy in France looked at strengthening communications at institutional level.

There was an update on the work undertaken at Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech at the Université de Liège to validate the 10 commitments Fair&Precious partners make to operate sustainably, ethically and legally. The study draws on latest scientific research to demonstrate the commitments’ core linkages to sustainable forest management.

Initial findings from the Thémis project to monitor levels of verified responsible sourcing by European timber businesses were also presented. The initiative launched this year and the results of the first round of monitoring of their members’ levels of verified responsible procurement using the Thémis data collection tool has just been completed by trade association partners in the project; Le Commerce du Bois of France, Fedustria of Belgium and ATIBT (focused on its trading members). Also see the accompanying report in this newsletter.

The latest news on the Dryades project to undertake life cycle assessment on tropical wood products and develop environmental product declarations for them, particularly to underpin their use in construction, was reported by Alessandra Negri and Eric de Munck of Netherlands market development body Centrum Hout.

Another core topic discussed was securing payment for ecosystem services (PES) in the tropical sector, with a particular focus on exploring opportunities in the carbon market. There were presentations from experts at Terea and Eticwood and a look at the Moringa investment fund, which targets agroforestry projects in Latin America and Africa.

Certification in the Congo Basin was discussed from various angles. Coordinator Germain Yéné gave an update on the Congo regional PAFC certification project and Caroline Duhesme of the ATIBT looked at the FSC Focus Forests project on certification in areas of special social and environmental value.

French timber development council the CNDB tackled use of tropical wood in construction, while another conference topic was market development of lesser known tropical species.

NGO FERN gave its view on the prospective impacts of the proposed new EU regulation to ensure deforestation-free supply chains for forest and eco-system risk commodities (FERCs), including wood. This involves for operators to apply mandatory Due diligence. And, unlike the EUTR, the new regulation will include deforestation criteria in addition to legality criteria. The Commission has also foreseen a Benchmarking System to evaluate countries and their level of risk.

There was also a discussion of the outcomes for the forest and timber sector of COP26, where decision makers endorsed the Declaration on Forests and Land Use, which is backed with €14 billion of funding, with the objective of halting deforestation by 2030.

Think Tank delegates additionally heard about plans for the ATIBT 2022 Forum, to be held in Nantes, from Bertrand Faucon and ATIBT General Manager Benoît Jobbé-Duval.

Click the following links to view recordings of the Think Tank; session 1, session 2, session 3.

COP26 – pluses and minuses

Photo: World Meteorological Organisation

Positives and deficiencies are seen in COP26 outcomes by the lead certification schemes and other bodies focused on sustainable development of forest and timber sectors as a core element in tackling the climate crisis. Heralded as a game changer at the Glasgow UN Conference was the Declaration on Forests and Land Use (DFLU), which is backed with €14 billion in funding and pledges signatories to end deforestation by 2030.

FSC Director General Kim Carstensen saw it as a major move in the right direction that countries clearly recognised the central role of forests to keep global warming below 2°C – ‘let alone 1.5°C’. “As expected it did not solve all the climate change problems,” he said. “Nevertheless I’m confident the world is a better place after COP26. We got the basic rules of the Paris Agreement approved and saw most countries gather behind explicit ambition for better protection and management of forests.”

While sustainable management was recognised in the conference’s focus on forests, however, Mr Carstensen said it still seemed to be ‘a bit of an add-on in thinking’. “We need to push for a higher level of understanding of the positive role responsible forest management can play in solving the world’s big crises, including climate change and biodiversity loss.”. But ‘very encouraging’ he added was the strong recognition by governments of the role indigenous peoples, its ‘most important custodians’, play in forest maintenance.

PEFC International Head of Communications Thorsten Arndt said the DFLU and Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade Roadmap unveiled at COP26 represent key commitments to safeguard forests. “But one of the most straightforward solutions to fight climate change didn’t get quite the attention it deserves: sustainable forest management and forests’ dual role as both carbon sinks and providers of renewable resources that store carbon and substitute fossil fuel intensive materials,” he said.
More action was needed to encourage uptake of policies promoting sustainable forest management, forest certification, and wood products from sustainable sources. “This is especially relevant for tropical timber,” said Mr Arndt. “Given competing pressures on forests and land use, we must increase efforts to add value to forests to keep them standing. Business can be instrumental by specifying certification systems in procurement, thus contributing to recognition of sustainable working forests’ full benefits.”

Richard Wainwright, Communications Manager at forest and rights NGO FERN said, while advances were made at COP26, its shortcomings were ‘alarming’. He described the DFLU as being a ‘rehash of previous unfulfilled commitments’. “Its promise to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 was out of step with what’s needed,” he said. Unless further measures were taken, the ‘prospect of a low carbon, nature positive and climate resilient future’ would be unattainable’.

Mr Wainwright said key questions on funding pledges after the Declaration on Forests were ‘whether money will materialize, how it will be spent and who will make the decisions’. “What FERN wants to see is the UK and EU turn this around; to reinvigorate FLEGT, come up with a strong deforestation law and stop supporting burning wood for energy,” he said.

Mark van Benthem, Director of forest and timber sustainability analysts and advisors and STTC founding partner Probos, said he was pleased about the recognition at COP26 that, besides climate change mitigation, they were critical for protecting livelihoods, preserving ecosystems, and biodiversity maintenance. “This does justice to the value forests represent and helps drive the STTC and Fair&Precious agenda, growing the market for verified sustainable timber to incentivise sustainable forest management,” he said. On the DFLU, he acknowledged criticism that such announcements have been made before. “But this time the leaders represent over 85% of forests, equivalent to 3.7 billion hectares and, significantly, it includes the key tropical forests of Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia,” he said. “That said, there’s an awful lot to do in nine years.”

Data can drive verified sustainable timber procurement

The first surveys to monitor timber companies’ levels of verified responsible procurement have been undertaken by trade association partners in the Thémis project using its data collection tool. Further timber industry federations have also voiced interest in joining the initiative, which aims to help them develop procurement policies and establish sourcing targets for members. The goal of this, in turn, is to promote increased trade in verified responsible timber and so incentivise uptake and spread of sustainable forest management (SFM).

Thémis, comprising the data collection tool, where analysis of the collated information is presented via dashboarding options, has been developed by sustainable forestry and timber advisor and analyst Probos, working with IT specialist Graphius. Funding has come from IDH – the Sustainable Trade Initiative, the Central African Programme for the Promotion of Certified Forest Operations (PPECF), plus the three initial trade federation Thémis partners; Le Commerce du Bois of France, Fedustria of Belgium and the International Tropical Timber Technical Association (ATIBT), representing its trading members.

Development of the project has benefited from Probos’ and Graphius’ experience monitoring and reporting verified responsible sourcing by members of the Netherlands Timber Trade Association (NTTA) for the last 11 years. This has also highlighted the impact the process can have on trading patterns. The NTTA has used the data to set baselines for targets, which member companies have regularly exceeded for some product groups, until today 94% of their total imports are third party certified sustainable.

“By collecting this data, trade federations can monitor progress and target interventions,” said Probos Director Mark van Benthem at the time of Thémis’s launch. The exercise, he added, can also have market benefits for federations and their membership. The environmental commitment and support for SFM it demonstrates, helps differentiate member companies from non-members and the openness it shows can further build buyer trust.

Being part of Thémis currently involves federations inviting members to provide their information via the tool annually on an aggregated basis – and it covers the range of timber products; tropical and temperate hardwoods, softwood, panel products and a selection of secondary timber goods, like mouldings and joinery products. The process ‘demands quite a lot from companies’ said Mr van Benthem. Purchases are detailed by product type and whether third-party certified, or covered by verified legality schemes, or other forms of legality and sustainability assurance, such as FLEGT licensing or IDH’s SourceUp verified sourcing area programme. “But the tool benefits from Graphius’s experience working with us in monitoring NTTA members’ procurement and has been designed to be easy to use,” said Mr van Benthem.

Federations can use the data in a range of ways in market analysis and to inform development of procurement policy. Members can benchmark their performance against federation averages or targets for verified responsible sourcing. The response of participating federations’ members to the first round of monitoring was described as ‘fair’, although results for certain products were only reported by two or three companies, meaning they cannot be reported in case linked to the specific business. To encourage further participation in the next phase, the benefits of being involved for individual companies, the federations and the overall timber sector, are being further underlined. “We’ve also added new dashboard functionalities to the Thémis portal, enabling companies to select specific data sets and visualise them in graphical formats,” said Mr van Benthem.

Four more European federations are now considering getting involved with Thémis and it is hoped, pending additional funding, they will be included in the next monitoring phase. “Ways of engaging producer members of ATIBT and other tropical timber organisations are also being considered,” said Mr van Benthem. “The more participants and the more ambitious their responsible sourcing targets, the larger the positive impact on forests.”

London seminar highlights vital importance of trade governance

Latest developments to strengthen international forest and forest product trade governance, and its key role in achieving sustainability targets, including the goals of the COP26 Declaration on Forests, were the theme of a seminar in London. The event featured presentations from the Independent Market Monitor (IMM) on FLEGT and from Timber Development UK (TDUK) on the new Tropical Timber Accord (TTA). It formed part of the TDUK’s World of Wood Festival, a six-week exhibition including a series of seminars and discussions co-organised with CEI-Bois. This was timed to coincide with COP26 to highlight to policy makers the vital part forestry and timber, notably wood in construction, must play in combating the climate crisis.

IMM Trade Analyst Rupert Oliver highlighted the significance of FLEGT VPA partner countries in the global timber industry, accounting for 11% of world trade, a percentage that’s rising thanks to rapidly climbing Vietnamese wood furniture sales to the US. He said there was so far ‘no strong signal of significant market benefits [for Indonesia] attributable directly to FLEGT licensing’, adding that FLEGT was a ‘slow burn, not a silver bullet’. But he said it had achieved ‘considerable reach and influence in global forest trade and should be built on …… with efforts to promote a favourable position for FLEGT-licensed timber, including via UK/EUTR enforcement and communication of FLEGT’s contribution to sustainable forest management in partner countries’.

Lead Consultant Sarah Storck said IMM’s trade surveys in VPA partner countries had found respondents were positive FLEGT could increase in impact in line with growth in national and regional timber market legality regulation, which now covers 49% of global timber trade.

TDUK chief executive David Hopkins said the goal of the Tropical Timber Accord (TTA), drawn up with trade body partners globally, was to develop a new international tropical timber trade framework focused on governance. Under the initiative, supplier countries which improved forest and timber trade legality performance would receive ‘green lane’ access to consumer markets worldwide, including key players such as the EU/UK, USA, China and Japan. This, said Mr Hopkins, would lead to growth in the legal, sustainable forest products market and attract investment to keep forests standing.

Click here to view the seminar and visit www.flegtimm.eu for a full report.

Fair&Precious Partners in the spotlight: Royal Wijma

In the latest of our interviews with Fair&Precious partners, we ask Gijsbert Burgman, Sales Manager of Royal Wijma, about its business, its outlook and ethos.

How would you describe your business; who you are, what you do and what you stand for?
Royal Wijma is a timber company which traces its roots back to 1897. We specialise in forestry, with involvement in tropical forest operations in various countries, sawmilling and the manufacture of timber elements for marine constructions, in which role we are involved in major timber engineering projects, from bridges, to waterway and sea defences. We control supply and guarantee chain of custody from forest resource all the way to the end product and we pride ourselves on being a professional business partner, with a focus on continuity, sustainability, quality and ethical values.

Why did you become a Fair&Precious partner?
Wijma has been actively involved in the development of F&P from the outset in 2017 because we attach great importance to growing the market for certified sustainable timber to support and increase uptake of certified sustainable forest management. F&P shares our objective of promoting and expanding a sustainable, ethical and legal tropical timber market to ensure the long-term maintenance of the tropical forest, an objective clearly underpinned by the 10 trading commitments made by F&P partners.

What do you see as the challenges for tropical timber to retain European market share?
We have seen a drop in the use of tropical timber in European market over the past few years because of an image problem – the common association of the tropical timber industry with deforestation. But we can turn this around by creating awareness that timber, when originating from certified sustainable resources, is the best, lowest environmental impact and the only renewable building- and manufacturing material. A certified sustainable tropical timber industry also provides the incentive to keep the forest standing in the long-term. We believe governments should create tax incentives to grow the use of verified sustainable tropical timber to help increase the area of forest under sustainable management.

How do you see current market opportunities for timber ?
The increasing concern and discussion around the climate crisis are giving a boost to the use of certified sustainable timber, because – as said – it is the only renewable building- and manufacturing material that combines significantly lower carbon and wider environmental impact than alternatives with technical properties that suit it to everything, from house building to marine project construction. This is underlined by the appearance of factories across Europe for production of pre-fabricated timber-based housing, with the aim of shrinking the construction sector’s carbon footprint and boosting its overall environmental performance.

What areas do you feel are particularly important for the industry to develop?
Market development of Lesser Known Timber Species (LKTS) is vital for the future of the tropical timber sector, but it takes a lot of time in research and testing of physical and technical properties. It can only be achieved when players through the whole supply chain work together on trial projects to realise the potential of these often untried materials. There must be a continuous process of matching timbers to specific end-use and ensuring they are fit for purpose.

What would be your sales pitch for sustainable tropical timber or timber products to a customer?
Tropical timber should be sold as a renewable and environment positive building- and manufacturing material when sourced from forests that are managed in a sustainable way, through such certification schemes as those of the FSC and PEFC. In comparison with energy intensive products, such as steel, aluminium and concrete, timber as a construction material has by far the lowest environmental impact. It should also be promoted on the basis of its beautiful, natural appearance, combined with its unique technical properties.
A healthy market for tropical timber also ensures sustainable livelihoods for millions of people in supplier countries, while incentivising maintenance of the forest for the future and disincentivising conversion of forest land to alternative uses.

Are you optimistic for the future of the sustainable tropical timber sector?
Yes, but if the European market isolates itself through very restrictive timber import measures, it is going to limit its leverage with tropical timber producing countries and its ability to support maintenance and growth of the forest.
The way to success is through wide-ranging promotion of certified sustainable timber in close cooperation with tropical countries, thus supporting them in the protection of their forests through greater uptake of certified sustainable forest management.

 

STTC and F&P Conference 2021 considers sustainable forests’ key climate change role

Photo: JB Dodane

With policy makers and global media focused on the outcomes of COP26, the STTC and Fair&Precious annual conference will spotlight the key role of sustainable forests in maintaining a liveable climate. The online event takes place on 18 November, six days after the close of the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. It targets an audience across the timber and forest industries; trade federations, certification schemes, NGOs, government and civil society. It gathers a roster of trade, research and forest and timber sector sustainability experts to address the conference theme ‘Sustainably managed forests as part of the solution to climate change: recognizing the value of certified forests and ecosystem services’.

Audience participation forms a core part of the programme. Besides presentations, the conference features breakout discussions on a wide range of topics, from the landscape approach in driving sustainability, to the development of environmental product declarations (EPDs) for tropical timber products.

Following an introductory keynote – linking good governance and sustainability – from Hervé Maidou, Secretary General of the Commission of Central African Forests (COMIFAC), a panel, including Mr. Maidou, René Boot, director of Tropenbos International, and Mark van Benthem of Probos and STTC founding partner, will address the impacts of European tropical timber imports and certification on climate change. Delegates will be able to share their views and quiz the panel in a question and answer session.

Next, there are a dozen of discussion sessions to choose from. Just to mention some: tropical timber EPDs feature in a discussion of the role of the built environment on climate change. This will look at the contribution in this field of the Dryades project, a joint initiative of the ATIBT, French timber association Le Commerce du Bois and timber businesses to develop EPDs for a range of products. The landscape approach to sustainability, where a specific jurisdiction adopts a sustainability framework covering a range of areas, from water quality and supply maintenance, to forestry, will be subject of a discussion led by Willem Klaassens, Director of the SourceUp programme at IDH, the Sustainable Trade Initiative. After attending COP26, UK Timber Trade Federation Managing Director David Hopkins will lead a conversation on how the timber trade sector can contribute to its outcomes.

Other discussion subjects are on the contribution of tax incentives’ to tropical forest certification; partnerships between tropical forest producers and sustainable timber buyers; the role of data in support of sustainable forest management; use of lesser known timber species; marketing and the image of tropical timber; and PAFC Congo Basin, the new regional forest certification programme, encompassing Gabon, Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo.

The relationship between the landscape sustainability approach and ecosystem services is the theme of the third and final part of the conference. Followed by a panel question and answer session, there will be presentations on the SourceUp project and linking landscape initiatives to global buyers, landscape approaches and sustainability intensification and integration of ecosystem services to maintain certified forests.

The Conference runs from 08.30 am to 12.00 am CET and you can register on the STTC website.

Certified forest management at route to meeting Fair&Precious commitments

Photo: Nicolas Rénac

Partners in the Fair&Precious (F&P) sustainable tropical timber promotion campaign made 10 key commitments to operate sustainably, ethically and legally. Now F&P founder ATIBT has commissioned a report further explaining those commitments and demonstrating how they are met through supporting certified Sustainable Forest Management (SFM).

Initially, Probos’ forest and timber sustainability analysts and advisors from Wageningen, the Netherlands, undertook a literature review to elaborate on the commitments and their value. Subsequently Simon Lhoest of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech at the Université de Liège was commissioned taking into account latest scientific research and data to show the linkages between the F&P pledges and SFM. The resulting report, The 10 commitments of Fair&Precious: the Scientific Arguments, will soon to be posted on ATIBT’s website.

The first F&P commitment made by partners is to support management and protection of tropical forests to help combat climate change. Mr. Lhoest’s report cites evidence showing that SFM helps maintain the forest’s carbon stock, with selective felling and reduced impact logging resulting in the retention of 76% to 92% of the original volume. It then returns to 100% after the harvest cycle, often quite rapidly. Research in the Amazon, showed carbon stocks of a sustainably managed area actually above original levels 16 years after harvest.
F&P supporters also pledge to keep timber harvest levels below forest growth rates. SFM, says the report, adapts felling to specific forest environments, where necessary diversifying target species to ensure regrowth of the timber stock.

Selective felling can also accelerate regeneration, with research showing higher rates of new growth in FSC-certified sustainably harvested areas than in mature, non-exploited forest. F&P partners also undertake to increase knowledge of biodiversity to conserve species. Mr. Lhoest quotes research showing abundance of species is significantly greater in selectively harvested areas than in forest otherwise disturbed by human activity. In fact, he states, research has shown that selective logging ‘energizes the forest ecosystem’. “It creates gaps, such as those that occur in forests naturally, which constitute micro-habitats necessary for development a multitude of tropical species,” he says. By conserving tree cover over large areas, it also allows connectivity between and dispersion of flora and fauna populations

Prevention of poaching is another F&P commitment. Companies implementing FSC and PAFC/PEFC-certified SFM must implement a globally-defined policy of wildlife management. That includes training and awareness raising programmes on the importance of wildlife protection for employees and local communities and anti-poaching strategies. Provision of alternative protein sources to reduce bush meat consumption can also be involved.

F&P commitments address too the social and economic well-being of forest operation employees and local communities. The report cites research showing that, due to the social and ethical obligations imposed on companies by SFM certification, their workforces and their families enjoy better living conditions. They have access to better healthcare, housing and education, while local services and wider infrastructure are improved.

The report also looks at the connection between certified SFM and the other F&P commitments, including the pledges to support value-added timber production local to forest operations, train local people and use of a wider range of tropical timber species to make best environmental and economic use of the forest resource.

“Each of the 10 Fair&Precious commitments is put into perspective, with an explanation of how SFM contributes to them based on latest scientific research,” said ATIBT General Manager Benoît Jobbé-Duval.

New tropical timber trade governance deal proposed at COP26

David Hopkins

Policy makers at COP26 are being urged to back a new deal to strengthen governance in the tropical forest and timber trade. It proposes incentivizing tropical supplier countries to sign up by giving them preferential access to consumer markets globally in return.

The Tropical Timber Accord is described as a call to action from the global private timber sector to global governments, with the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow seen as the ideal opportunity to launch a campaign for its implementation.

The concept has been developed by the UK Timber Trade Federation (TTF), with backing from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, in consultation with other trade bodies and government agencies worldwide. TTF Chief Executive David Hopkins, who was given four time slots to present it in the Blue Zone at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, described it as a new way to combat the illegal tropical timber trade and illegal conversion of forest land. “It’s a fresh approach, not simply to maintain forests, but to increase their environmental, social and economic value,” he said.

The Accord opens by stating that the world’s tropical forests are key to climate regulation, but have never been in such danger. The biggest threat comes from largely illegal conversion, primarily to agriculture and mining. Lack of effective governance has also ‘allowed a lucrative international trade in goods from illegally deforested areas’. “Businesses wanting to invest in sustainable production of timber and other forest products find themselves undercut, undermined and disincentivised by illegal operators,” it states. Despite international treaties on climate change and other agreements to protect it, the area of tropical forest has continued to decrease. “Even forest development policies such as UN REDD and REDD+ are undermined, because without strong governance mechanisms, there is no guarantee of permanence in the forest or landscape investments they make,” states the Accord. “We need new policies that incentivise legal and governance reform to ensure long-term forest sustainability and growth. Countries implementing those reforms should be rewarded with enhanced trade benefits, attracting investment to industries that depend on retaining forests as forest.”

Much of the groundwork for such an approach, it adds, has been laid by international Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) conferences and, notably, the UK/EU FLEGT Action Plan. However, the market leverage of FLEGT is limited as it’s only recognised by the UK and EU, when today other countries, such as China, the US, Japan and the Middle East, are such major tropical timber and forest product consumers. “We need a global solution, an incentivising international legal trade framework for tropical forest and forest product supply chain governance and management,” states the Accord.

It proposes a new international forest governance framework that will:
• Set principles and processes enshrined in law by which future international trade could recognise, incentivise, and support strong governance and sustainable forestry
• Be based on each country’s nationally determined norms and standards and define a process for recognizing these to ensure mutual recognition and encourage compliance
• Encourage consumer markets to adopt policies that promote responsible consumption and trade with countries with strong forest governance and discourage trade from those which cannot demonstrate and verify good forest governance
• Incentivise countries to implement effective forest governance by giving their forest products industries preferential ‘green lane’ access to markets and trade, backed by communications and promotion throughout the supply chain.

London festival highlights timber’s climate role

Tree whisperer, one of the TTF Conversations about climate change competition winners

The World of Wood Festival (WOW), a six week event to highlight the contribution forestry and timber can make to combating global warming, is being held in London to coincide with the UN Climate Change Conference. Running from October 25 to December 1, a key focus will be the UK/EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade initiative and sustainability and governance more widely in the tropical timber sector.

WOW, which is taking place in the London Building Centre, was jointly devised by the UK Timber Trade Federation (TTF) and European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois). It is backed with UK government funding and supported by an alliance of 40 other trade associations, businesses, campaigns and organisations including bodies focused on forest growth and development. On show will be latest developments in engineered/mass timber and other wood products from around the world, including Ghana, Indonesia, China, Australia and North America.

Seminars and presentations will cover a range of forest and timber topics. The core message is that using more wood from responsibly managed forests generally – but particularly in construction – can play a vital role in mitigating climate change. Another emphasis at WOW will be that good forestry and timber governance are key to sustainability and maintaining the world’s forests and their role, both in regulating the climate and maintaining biodiversity. This ties in with the TTF’s launch of its Tropical Timber Manifesto, which is proposing a new global governance framework rewarding supplier countries which implement governance reform with preferential consumer market access (see accompanying story).

The TTF has been a leading supporter of the UK/EU FLEGT initiative since its launch and has been running a government-funded FLEGT Communication Campaign. This has included design competitions, challenging architects and designers to create structures, objects and furniture in tropical hardwoods from FLEGT VPA countries. The latest was titled ‘Conversations About Climate Change’, where the entrants’ brief was to design pieces that triggered discussion about the carbon and wider environmental benefits of using legal, sustainable timber. The winning entries from this competition will feature at WOW and there will be plenty of messaging about the key importance of good governance in the global timber trade.

On November 9, the FLEGT Independent Market Monitor (IMM) will also host a presentation at the Festival, describing its work in tracking timber market legality assurance development and its impact on trade flows. Other WOW events will look at new developments across the international timber supply chain and the Festival will be backed by an extensive digital communications and virtual experience programme.

The organisers say it will highlight ‘international best practices and use its in-person and digital experience platforms for discussion and knowledge-sharing with the aim of strengthening forest governance and trade in wood products globally’. “We want to display wood’s beauty and its role in the climate emergency as a carbon store and to build global recognition that good governance and forest management is the core component of growing forests around the world,” said TTF Chief Executive David Hopkins. “One key message prevails and remains more crucial than ever: that wood equals hope.”

WOW has a dedicated website where visitors will be able to download an augmented reality app for a virtual tour of the exhibition. For more information contact lbedry@ttf.co.uk

Climate role of timber and forests on the map at COP26

Photo: AECOM

The Cities4Forests organisation and UK timber marketing campaign Wood for Good are hosting a range of events in and around COP26 in Glasgow to highlight the vital climate role of forests and timber. Cities4Forests is a global programme to encourage urban centres worldwide to connect with and invest in all types of forests, from urban to tropical, and use ‘nature-based solutions for city infrastructure’. Its events at COP26 include a presentation in the Nature Zone titled ‘How cities are inspiring nations, companies and financiers to embrace forest action’.

On November 3 at the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) at Blantyre near Glasgow it hosts a roundtable on sustainable timber innovation and on November 6, in association with Glasgow City Council, it is hosting a live-streamed presentation on how cities are incorporating nature-based solutions in climate action plans ‘to achieve environmental, social and economic goals’.

Also in partnership with CSIC, Cities4Forests has created the Partner Forest Boardwalk. This will be in place throughout COP26 from November 1-12 and will feature timber from community forest concessions in Guatemala and the Iwokrama community in Guyana. “Our aim is for the Partner Forest ensemble to inspire other cities to invest in faraway forest conservation, which has some of the greatest returns on climate investment,” said Cities4Forests.

Wood for Good is holding a conference on use of timber in construction on November 2 at CSIC as part of the Built Environment at COP26 project (be@COP26). It is also sponsoring the UK Green Building Council’s Build Better Now virtual exhibition. This highlights the ‘role buildings and cities can play as a solution to the climate and ecological emergency’. Wood for Good has also posted an interactive map on its website to show where and when the different activities and events focused on timber take place at COP26.