Congo Basin forest on track for 10m ha certified

 

Photo: CIFOR

A ‘second wave’ of certification in the Congo Basin is expected to boost the area of certified sustainable forest in the region to 10 million ha by 2025. FSC accreditation of Gabon Advanced Wood and PAFC validation of fellow Gabonese operation Bois et Sciages de l’Ogooué in 2022 added 474,690 ha to the certified area, taking the total to 5,866,756 ha. According to the Central Africa Forest Observatory (OFAC), this represents 12% of the Congo Basin’s exploitable forests.

The certified total is currently spread across three countries, the Republic of the Congo (RoC) (2,989,168 ha), Gabon (2,535,880 ha), and Cameroon (341,708 ha). In addition, Alpicam-Grumcam has achieved FSC certification of four management units (FMUs) this year in the districts of Kadey, Boumba, and Ngoko in eastern Cameroon covering 353,388 ha. This development reinforces the ATIBT in its conviction that the 10 million hectares certified milestone will be reached in 12 years. Its Certification Commission has assessed the area, analysed forest certification data, and looked at incentives for getting certified across the Congo Basin. It concludes that a further 4.2 million ha of forest, managed by 13 companies, will be certified by 2025, a 73% increase on today’s total. More than half of it will be in Gabon, where prospective new rules are set to oblige forest concession managers to gain certification. The remainder will be divided between Cameroon and the RoC.

The ATIBT identifies several certification drivers in the region. These include the broad support for certification from the Programme for the Promotion of Certified Forest Operations (PPECF), notably through its ‘coaching’ programme, which includes financing of private operator’s ‘upgrading action plans’. It also cites the PEFC’s endorsement of the PAFC Congo Basin scheme, which supports and encourages certification across Cameroon, Gabon, and the RoC and is the first regional PEFC scheme. “The implementation of the European Union’s new zero deforestation regulation (EUDR), expected early 2025, will also have an impact on this dynamic, as certification is considered [under the new rules] as a tool to assess and reduce risk of illegality and implication in deforestation and forest degradation”, said the ATIBT. It also sees political and regulatory factors pushing certification. Gabon has led the way by setting a target for all forest management businesses to be certified by 2025. The result of this is unsure, among others due to the coup d’état in Gabon last summer. Meanwhile, in the RoC a new Forestry Law awaiting implementing legislation stipulates that “Forestry companies shall certify the management of forest concessions”.

“Although considered a purely private initiative, there is growing interest in the use of forest certification as a public policy tool by providing incentives for its adoption or making it mandatory” concluded the ATIBT. “Forest certification is now recognized as a means of combating deforestation and forest degradation by ensuring timber is legally harvested.” To further accelerate certification uptake, the market must be persuaded to pay a premium for certified timber so producers are ‘compensated for the direct and indirect costs of certification’. The value of certification should also be formally recognised and acknowledged in the EUDR.

 

 

Cameroon reforestation project shares experiences

 

Photo: CIFOR

ATIBT is the implementing partner of a major EU-funded initiative to support reforestation and further improve forest management practices in Cameroon. The project, Reforestation in the Forest Management Units of Cameroon (UFA-Reforest) was launched last year and runs until 2026. Its aim is to “contribute to the sustainable management of Cameroon’s timber production forests by mobilising private and public stakeholders around reforestation and future forest management strategies”.

Four ATIBT forestry management member businesses are taking part, Pallisco, Grumcam-Alpicam, Sefac, and Seef. The objective, over the course of the programme, is to plant 240,000 trees at a rate of 60,000 per year. The first round of reforestation projects focused on 17 ha of degraded areas, the second, now underway, is stepping up to 27 ha. Each of the forest management businesses has a nursery to supply reforestation activities stocked with 125,000 seedlings. These are planted out when they reach 40 cm high.

UFA-Reforest forms part of a wider strategy, the Programme for Improving Governance in Forestry in Cameroon (PAMFOR). Technical support is being provided by the Gembloux Agro-Biotech faculty at the University of Liège and Belgian-based NGO Nature+, which supports community-based and participatory approaches to natural resource management, providing technical assistance and training to forestry businesses and community forestry projects. The Higher School of Technical Education (ENSET) at the University of Douala is also involved.

Early in 2023, the project was visited by an EU delegation to evaluate its progress to date and discuss issues with forest concession managers, conservation services, and local communities. The trip took in Pallisco’s nurseries and forest operations and also a visit to the forest and timber operations in eastern Cameroon of Dino & Fils, which is looking for support from UFA-Reforest. The EU representatives expressed satisfaction with the work of the project and complimented the quality of forest concession infrastructure.

A delegation from the Cameroon National Assembly, including the Trade Ministry, also visited Pallisco to gain an understanding of the realities of the forestry sector and to listen to the concerns of local people. Other forestry businesses have also been invited to see UFA-Reforest activities and learn about the project. Together with representatives of the Ministry of Forests and Fauna, 18 managers from eight forestry companies spent a week at the Pallisco Mindourou site to look at operations in the field and discuss reforestation issues. Topics raised on the visit to the Mindourou nursery, included seed supply, tree species diversification, and production of non-timber forest products. Challenges in plantation plot preparation also came up in talks. It was recommended that further such visits to UFA-Reforest operations should be organised.

Click here to see a video about UFA-Reforest.

The tropical timber sector can manage the EUDR challenge

 

Tropical timber suppliers to Europe express confidence that they can rise to the challenges of the incoming EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). However, there is concern that there is insufficient detail on implementation and how companies will be expected to provide data to demonstrate compliance. The EUDR comes into effect for larger businesses at the end of 2024 and six months later for affected SMEs.

It demands that suppliers that first place six so-called Forest and Ecosystem Risk Commodities (FERCs) on the EU market, including timber and wood products, undertake due diligence to demonstrate goods are not linked to deforestation or forest degradation. There is a requirement for geolocation coordinates to show exactly from which plot of land they originated and also for information on the time of harvest.

The EUDR changes the status of EU FLEGT-licensed goods. Under the previous EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), which the EUDR supersedes, a FLEGT license exempted products from further due diligence on entering the EU. Under the EUDR, a FLEGT license will be accepted as proof of legality, but suppliers must still undertake additional due diligence to prove goods are not implicated in deforestation.

The new regulation also involves benchmarking supplier countries according to the risk of deforestation (high, medium, low). Levels of due diligence required on goods will vary accordingly. In an interview with the UK Timber Trades Journal, Geneviève Standaert, export manager of the Belgian-based international timber trader, raised the issue of the lack of implementation information.

“The text of the law is ready, but the practical guidelines won’t be until December 2024 when the new legislation will be enforced,” said Ms Standaert. “So we will have to wait and see what is required in day-to-day business in terms of such areas as customs clearing and training and where to upload data and in what form, including how we submit geolocation information.” She added that the ‘plots of land’ for which the EUDR demands geolocation coordinates will vary widely. A ‘plot’ is defined as ‘land within a single real estate property’. It could be a few hectares or tens of thousands. To stay informed, Vandecasteele is signing up for numerous presentations on the subject and is keeping suppliers informed.

Vandecasteele believes the timber sector’s EUTR experience, resulting in closer relationships between buyers and suppliers, leaves it well-placed to deal with EUDR. “Under the EUTR, we’ve been working for 10 years with suppliers as partners, so this gives us a real head start in comparison with the other commodities covered by the EUDR,” said Ms Standaert.

Precious Woods also believes its experience collating geolocation data to prove legality under the EUTR stands it in good stead with the EUDR. But it also highlights a lack of information on how the latter will be administered. “Our main concern is the EUDR IT system which is still in development,” said co-chief executive officer Markus Pfannkuch. “If the system and process are too complicated, we’ll need to recruit more staff.” In addition, some issues are foreseen with regards to harvest information. “We can’t attribute a piece of lumber that arrives in a bundle to a specific tree,” said Mr Pfannkuch. “However, we know when trees were harvested and can relate the lumber inside the bundle to the specific harvesting periods.”

Interholco is confident it ‘can meet all requirements’ of the EUDR, including geolocation details for timber origin, given that most of its timber comes from its own concession in the Republic of the Congo. “Some details of implementation are still unknown, such as how the European portal for downloading EUDR information will operate and whether we can give plot information annually, or have to provide it on each invoice,” said Vice President of Production and Sales Christophe Janssen. “But we don’t foresee problems.”

There is also a view that new tools and initiatives will aid the implementation and monitoring of and compliance with the EUDR. These include the Forest Data Partnership, a project involving the World Resources Institute, UNFAO, Google, NASA, the US Government, and Unilever. This is developing a ‘consistent geospatial data ecosystem’ to enable companies, governments, NGOs, researchers, and civil society to access open-source, validated data that can be used for the monitoring, verification, and disclosure of progress in reducing deforestation and advancing restoration.

 

Community forest enterprise of Maya forest

 

Photo: Mark van Benthem

FORESCOM is supplying FSC-certified community-sourced lesser known timber species (LKTS) as part of its effort to harness the international market for supporting the maintenance of forests in Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR). The MBR, covering over 2 million ha of forest, is described by the FSC as the ‘largest continuous protected area in Central America’; a ‘last stronghold against deforestation and biodiversity loss’.

FORESCOM is a community enterprise, formed in 2003 by nine smaller community enterprises to effectively manage concessions in the MBR. FORESCOM now comprises eleven such bodies. FSC and ‘Madera Justa’(Fair Wood) certified, they manage a total area of 350,000 ha of forest. Backers of the operation include the FSC itself, USAID, the Rainforest Alliance, and COPADE. A community enterprise at such a large scale is rather unique in the tropical timber domain.

According to the FSC, an average of around 1.5 trees is extracted per hectare every year in concession areas where there are between 200 and 300 timber trees. The targeted areas have cutting cycles of 30 to 40 years. Sustainable felling is also restricted to about 45% of the land, with the rest set aside for conservation or harvesting non-timber forest products, such as xate palm leaves, copal amber, honey, and allspice.

Around 15,000 people live around the concession areas, many working in the forests. Their sale of sustainable forest products supports community educational and health facilities as well as individual livelihoods. The FSC says child malnutrition is lower in these areas than in the surrounding region, school attendance is higher and there is less migration to cities.
“Also highest reported values of [flora and fauna] species that are spotted within the FSC-certified area,” FSC says, adding that these include jaguars, with up to 11.28 individuals per 100 km². According to Glyde Márquez Morales, sales manager at FORESCOM, FSC certification guarantees proper forest management and underpins forest product value, increasing prices for both timber and non-timber product prices in leading international markets, such as the United States and Europe.

Earlier this year, the STTC/F&P newsletter reported that the Rainforest Alliance organised an international trade mission to the Maya forest in Guatemala and Mexico, with participants including ATIBT, Probos, and Precious Woods. They initially held ‘intense and constructive’ talks in Tulum, Mexico with representatives of community forest operations, before spending several days visiting the forest in both countries. Recommendations to come out of the mission were for the establishment of a regional forest and timber association and a marketing strategy around the Wood of Selva Maya brand.

To contact FORESCOM tel: +502 7823-1097, email ventas@FORESCOM.com.gt

Fair&Precious Partners In the Spotlight

 

In the latest of our interviews with Fair&Precious Partners about their companies and organisations and their views on the campaign and tropical timber’s prospects, we talk to Isabelle Brose, Managing Director of the European Federation of the Parquet Industry, the FEP

STTC/F&P Newsletter: How would you describe the FEP, who you are, and what you stand for?
Isabelle Brose: The FEP was created in 1956, and is the main body representing and defending the interests of the European parquet industry at all levels. Its role is:

  • To strengthen and improve the position of wood flooring
  • To enhance the growth, prosperity, and stature of European parquet manufacturers.

The key areas of focus for FEP are raw material supply, production, market, and internal affairs. The Federation has 82 members in more than 20 countries; 53 manufacturers, eight national federations, and 23 suppliers. The EU parquet industry has an annual turnover of about €2.5 billion, provides 16,000 direct jobs, and comprises more than 1,000 enterprises. European FEP country parquet production was estimated at 78 million m2 in 2022.

STTC/F&P: Why did FEP decide to become a Fair&Precious partner?
IB: We joined ATIBT for the following reasons and were presented with the possibility of also supporting Fair&Precious. Besides the recurrent issue of availability and affordability of wood raw material, especially oak, the situation of birch plywood supply became acute with the EU measures taken against Russia related to the situation in Ukraine. The ban on imports of wood and wood products from Russia and Belarus pushed some of our members into diversifying supplies including, with the addition of under-appreciated domestic and tropical species. Regarding tropical species, we wanted to avoid potential risks regarding legality and sustainability and to present a strong message and guarantees to our stakeholders and consumers regarding these issues.

STTC/F&P: The tropical timber sector has struggled to hold on to its European market share in recent years. What does FEP see as its key challenges in the flooring industry?
IB: Image is so important. We’re in the era of social media immediacy, a reputation can be ruined from one day to the other. Wood flooring manufacturers want to avoid potential risks regarding legality and sustainability, knowing they won’t have time to prove themselves right if attacked by the press or NGOs.

In a way, the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) and now the EU Deforestation-free Value Chains Regulation (EUDR) are also perpetuating the idea that importing wood from far away is ‘wrong’. Some time ago having ‘fair trade’ was a positive, as long as populations in Africa, Asia, or South America were supported. But today the focus of end-consumers is also on ‘local’ products, although European wood could have originated from Siberia not so long ago. Our recent FEP Marketing Study throughout Europe is underlining this, the origin of natural wood flooring solutions has become a more important issue for many consumers.

Overall, all validated legality and sustainability claims resonate quite well with European consumers. However, the labels claim with the most impact is still ‘made in the local country’;  consumers indicate that this would have the greatest influence on their purchase decision.


STTC/F&P: Does FEP see opportunities in the flooring market for tropical timber to recover lost ground?
IB: Everybody wants wood flooring. In our recent marketing study, we found that;

  • European consumer perceptions of natural wood are very positive, with 50% viewing it as important to have a wooden floor at home
  • Natural wood flooring is seen as stylish and authentic, adding warmth and character
  • And as the use of wood, as a non-fossil renewable resource, is set to increase further, supported by the principles of the EU Green Deal, we can expect to see parquet progressing, including sustainably sourced tropical products.

The necessary diversification of supplies could also help increase the share of tropical wood in parquet production, but good communication – storytelling – will be necessary to circumvent the current appeal of ‘local’ products.

STTC/F&P: Where does FEP see the greatest possibilities for tropical timber use?
IB: Probably in high-end markets and for products requiring higher water resistance.

STTC/F&P: What sort of environmental validation do your member companies require of timber?
IB: Existing certification schemes such as PEFC and FSC are important and meeting the requirements of EUTR and EUDR are mandatory. In addition, and to address the debate over ‘local’ vs imported products, conclusive Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), including the carbon footprint of transport, would be useful. It’s worth noting that reporting obligations for EU operators and manufacturers on sustainability are increasing.

STTC/F&P:  Besides sustainable and legal harvesting, what values are FEP members looking for in certified tropical forestry?
IB: We trust that sustainable forest management supports local populations and their development, hoping this can lead them to preserve the forest.

STTC/F&P: What is your view of the timber sector argument that using a wider selection of tropical species, including sustainably produced lesser-known varieties, is an environmental positive?
IB: Using a wider range of tropical species makes sense. But all factors need to be taken into account. That includes technical specifications for parquet, in terms of the production process and end product, as well as existing demand or lack of it for such species. We cannot forget that in Europe our sector is still dependent mainly on oak for technical and commercial reasons.

STTC/F&P: What do you see as the key value of Fair&Precious?
IB: The  ‘10 Commitments’ on social, economic, and environmental sustainability and the guarantee provided by Fair&Precious that forest managers who carry the brand are certified in sustainable management. Also important is the support it can provide in the case of accusations and consumer questions.

STTC/F&P: What do you think should be the key sales pitch for tropical timber to the flooring industry?
IB: The world is bigger than oak! 😉

STTC/F&P: Longer term, is FEP optimistic about the use of tropical timber in flooring?
IB: Cautiously optimistic, provided good stories on sustainable forest management and conclusive EPDs support the image of tropical wood. The need to reopen international trade in various directions, to be less dependent on a few countries only, should also prompt a re-consideration of tropical species.

Lesser Know Timber Species

 

Photo: Mark van Benthem

Lesser Known Timber Species (LKTS) are globally underutilized species of timber. LKTS are emerging more than ever as a major challenge for the timber industry, requiring a proactive response to regulatory developments, sustainability imperatives, and increasing demands for species diversification. LKTS will be a returning rubric in this newsletter.

This time we provide the context for LKTS and in the next newsletters, everytime a LKTS species will be presented, kicking off with Pucté in the first 2024 newsletter. Firstly, the increasing rate of listings tropical timber species in Appendix II of CITES highlights the need for the industry to adapt quickly to the growing diversity of species to be processed. This diversification, driven by ecological concerns and sustainability imperatives, requires in-depth consideration of the identification, processing, and promotion of the resources used.

Furthermore, in the context of the next generation of forest management plans – the first generation of which is ending – the use of LKTS species is becoming a central issue. Decisions taken in this context will have long-term repercussions on the sustainability of the timber industry and its impact on forest ecosystems. New legislation, such as that currently in force in the Republic of Congo, adds a further layer of urgency by encouraging those involved in the sector to pay particular attention to this issue.

Against this backdrop, where environmental issues and the sustainable management of forest resources take center stage, various projects have emerged in recent years to address the LKTS issue. The member companies of the Fair&Precious collective have all undertaken more or less isolated initiatives. For example, the effective promotion of Gombé in Gabon has been positive. In addition, ATIBT’s initiative in Cameroon to identify and promote species of interest on the markets illustrates the need for a proactive and coordinated approach.

ever, to move forward meaningfully, it is imperative to put in place a real strategy, characterized by increased collaboration between wood processing industries and forestry companies committed to certified sustainable forest management. This collaboration is crucial to ensuring the responsible use of tropical wood through LKTS species, by aligning industrial practices with the objectives of conserving natural resources and preserving forest ecosystems.

 

Chemical analysis tools have timber tracing potential

 

Multi-element analysis has the potential to be developed into a timber tracing tool to help combat illegal trade. That’s the conclusion of a recent project undertaken by an international group of researchers who collaborate via Timtrace, a Dutch-based operation that develops and tests methods to verify the claimed origins of timber.

The Timtrace report says that tracing has become more important than ever, as regulation internationally seeks to ensure timber trade legality to combat deforestation. “Legislation, such as the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) and the incoming EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) require documents and certificates of origin. Yet, these can be falsified. Therefore, it is important to independently verify the origin of wood, based on the properties of the material”, states Timtrace. “These methods can help timber traders to support the paper trail showing they source timber legally and create transparency in their value chain.”

Multi-element analysis, says the research project report, involves measuring a large number of elements, such as magnesium, calcium, and lanthanum, simultaneously using mass spectrometry. Based on this elemental analysis, an ‘origin-specific fingerprint’ is defined given that the chemical composition of plant material, such as wood, varies according to local environment and soil chemistry. The most likely origin of a sample can be determined by comparing the chemical fingerprint to an established geo-referenced dataset.

“This can help to answer two relevant tracing questions: origin verification and assignment”, says the report. “The verification question addresses whether a wood sample came from a certain (claimed) origin. The assignment question addresses which location a wood sample most likely originated from in case the sample origin is entirely unknown.”

Multi-element analysis has been shown to work for the assignment and verification of a range of commodities, including vegetables, bananas, and tea. However, the chemical composition of timber is more complex and the method had not previously been tested sufficiently across different countries and wood species. The research project looked at its applicability to three economically important species, tali and azobe from Central Africa and red meranti from Borneo.

“We first analysed whether the two timber species from Central Africa shared their variation in elemental composition across the study region”, says the project report. “Then we developed classification models for all timber species based on the elemental composition, addressing both origin verification and assignment accuracy.” The researchers assessed whether wood elemental composition correlated with soil variables that affect element uptake and lastly simulated a real-life tracing case by applying classification models to a set of blind samples, to determine their most likely origin.

In Central Africa, tracing accuracy was 86%–98% for regional clusters of chemically similar sites, with accuracy depending on the tracing question. These clusters were 50–800 km apart and tracing accuracy was highest when combining the two timbers. The tracing accuracy of Red Meranti on Borneo was 88% at site level. The researchers state that further evaluation in the use of this approach with wood is needed, with reference databases covering wider geographic areas and representing more species. But their first project results are considered a success. “Overall, these results illustrate a high potential for multi-element analysis to be developed into a timber tracing tool which can identify the origin for multiple species and can do so at a within-country scale”, concludes their report.

 

 

Ghana to issue FLEGT Licences in 2024

 

 

Ghana is set to start issuing Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) licenses for exports to the EU and UK in 2024. The news came out of a September meeting in Brussels of the Joint Monitoring and Review Mechanism (JMRM) body for the country’s FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU. The JMRM is a bilateral platform to track the progress of the VPA, which, when fully implemented to the satisfaction of governments of both the EU and Ghana, enables the start of licensing.

The meeting agreed on a joint action plan, setting out the final steps to be taken to ‘complete Ghana’s readiness to issue FLEGT licenses’. According to Forestry Commission of Ghana Director Chris Beeko, this involves Parliament giving the green light to the ratification of Timber Utilisation Contracts. These are entered into by timber rights holders and the Ghanaian Ministry of Forestry and must be ratified by Parliament to comply with legal requirements. This process is anticipated to be completed by the year’s end before Parliament rises. The JMRM will then convene to document this and issue a communiqué on the completion of the Ghana FLEGT licensing readiness process. “This is tentatively scheduled for February 2024”, said Chris Beeko, adding that “the communique on Ghana’s readiness will trigger the processes in the EU to list the Ghana FLEGT license in their systems [as the next step] towards the start of licensing”.

In the EU, under its new Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), FLEGT licenses will be accepted as proof of Ghanaian timber and wood products legality. Under the UK Timber Regulation, FLEGT licenses from Indonesia, the only country so far to issue them, exempt its timber from further import legality due diligence. They are also accepted as proof of legality and sustainability under UK government procurement policy. The same is expected to be the case for Ghanaian licenses.

“We are currently moving forward with a transposed agreement, so there can be a Ghana-UK FLEGT VPA”, said Chris Beeko. “With this, a similar treatment of the FLEGT license as pertains under the EU agreement will apply to the UK market. Discussions are underway to initial this before the end of November.” Ghana signed its VPA with the EU in 2009. It committed the country to establishing a nationwide Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS) to ensure that timber products comply with national laws and regulations.

The VPA also entails Ghana promoting sustainable forest management and measures for the preservation of forest ecosystem services, such as carbon storage and protection of soil and water quality and biodiversity. Other aspects include the improvement of forest and timber sector working conditions and the involvement of local communities in forest management decision-making.

According to the Forestry Commission of Ghana, the VPA also increases transparency in the forest sector and ‘stimulates continuous improvement in forest governance’. “It galvanises stakeholders around a common objective of timber legality and sustainable forest management”, says the Commission. “It has enabled an inclusive approach to policy-making and promoted ownership of forest policy, [leading] to a transformational shift in the forest sector regulatory environment.”

The end result is a consolidation of Ghana’s position as a ‘front runner in combatting illegal logging to ensure legal and sustainable timber supply for both domestic and international markets’.

 

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ATIBT’s expansion in South- and Central America

 

In a significant development in the growth and geographic spread of ATIBT’s international membership network, it has signed up three South American forest management and timber organizations. They are ATIBT’s first members outside Central Africa and have also become partners in its international Fair&Precious tropical timber marketing and communication campaign.

One of the new members, Mil Madeiras Preciosas, based in Itocoatiara in the Brazilian state of Amazonas, is a subsidiary of the Swiss-based Precious Wood Group. ‘Mil’ was established in 1994 and has a mission to not just succeed as a timber business, but ‘through forest management in the Amazon, improving people’s quality of life through rational, sustainable use of natural resources. The mission statement says: “The group believes in raising awareness and through education, promoting knowledge in society about the value of responsible consumption of forest products”. In 1997, the company became ‘the first indigenous forest management company in Brazil to obtain FSC certification’. It also holds PEFC-accredited Cerflor certification. “We strongly support the intention of ATIBT to not only represent tropical timber from Africa but from other continents too. Thus, it was a logical consequence that Mil joined ATIBT when we heard it wants to expand its activities in Latin America” said Markus Pfannkuch, co-chief executive of Precious Woods.

The second new ATIBT member and F&P partner is Maderacre, which manages 220,000 hectares of natural forest in Tahuamanu, Madre de Dios, Peru, and supplies a range of timber and wood products to international markets. Its forest management has been FSC-certified since 2007 and is part of the Madre de Dios REDD project. Its plant in Iñapari produces decking, flooring, finger-jointed, and other dimensioned goods, and its species range from Cumaru and Jatoba to Ipe and Garapa. In total, it has identified more than 150 species of commercial interest in its concessions.

Maderacre’s commercial manager Jose Canchaya sees joining ATIBT as helping reinforce its message about the value of sustainable forest management. “It is a proven solution to fight against deforestation and climate change, but this is not well disseminated around the globe”, he said. “We think ATIBT can help us to make more people understand the best way to conserve the tropical forest is to use it in a responsible way and create formal jobs. We have been working in the Amazon for 21 years and have many studies and learned lessons that can help to spread the benefits of sustainable forest management. In the environmental services field, by now we have 15 years of experience developing carbon credit projects in a productive forest.” He added that Maderacre’s values also align with those of Fair&Precious. “Fair&Precious is gaining recognition as a label that promotes sustainable forest management beyond conservation. A thriving local community is at the centre of all its efforts. This is something we strongly promote as well and we would like to include the Amazon Rainforest in the brand’s scope and mission.” Further underlining the ATIBT’s focus on strengthening ties with South- and Central America is its engagement with projects to further develop the sustainable forest management of the Selva Maya Forest by indigenous and other community operations in northern Guatemala and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

The third South American ATIBT member is the Association of Wood Exporting Industries of the State of Pará  (AIMEX). This association, founded in 1981, supports the link between public authorities and timber exporting companies. Currently, the association has 23 members. The objectives of AIMEX are fivefold: (1) To encourage the sustainable, rational and balanced exploitation of the forest through the autonomous forest management plan as a basic condition for the sustainability of the forest resource so that the wood-forest sector is a vector of sustainable development of the economy, (2) To associate the conservation of the vegetation cover and the benefits derived from it, with the generation of employment and income, contributing to a standard of living compatible with the natural wealth of the region, (3) To serve AIMEX members involved in the tropical timber trade, maintaining order, structure and ethics in the world market, (4) To promote the wood species of the State of Pará and to defend the interests of the forestry wood sector in public and private policy issues, (5) To provide products that meet the latest standards of sustainability and legality, complying with laws, such as those contained in the FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) and the European Timber Regulation (EUTR), as well as the standards established in commercial contracts.

Furthermore, the Rainforest Alliance has been involved in initiatives to secure rights of tenure and strengthen the technical capacity and sustainability of forest operations through certification in both countries. They claim to have now attained a level ‘to access more responsible markets and maintain sustainability’. Consequently this June it organised a trade mission ‘to find ways of improving the marketing of timber from Mexico’s certified community forests’. Among the participants were ATIBT and its members Probos and Precious Woods. They held ‘intense and constructive’ talks in Tulum, Mexico with representatives of community forest operations, called Ejidos, before spending several days visiting the Selva Maya forest in Mexico and Guatemala. Among the recommendations from the mission were the establishment of a regional forest and timber association and a marketing strategy around the Wood of Selva Maya.

Added impetus for tropical timber promotion

 

The Fair&Precious (F&P) sustainable tropical timber promotion and communications program gained a further four partners in the first half of 2023. The F&P campaigning ‘collective’, which was launched by ATIBT to raise international awareness of the environmental, social, and economic value of a sustainable tropical forestry sector and the technical and design potential of tropical timber, now has 43 partners, a mix of businesses and industry, research and consultancy organisations.

One new partner is French bespoke door and window manufacturer Millet. The 77-year-old company prides itself on retaining traditional joinery craft skills, while combining these with the latest production technology, and also highlights its commitment to minimising its environmental impact. “I entered the company with the ambition to show that we can do business differently and innovations we invest in contribute to sustainable development, which is as important to me as the growth of the group“, said Managing Director Fabrice Millet. The company’s environmental policy includes sourcing certified sustainable raw materials. “Working with certified wood producers is a requirement, not an option” it states. “For us, forests are a precious asset, essential for regulating climate and biodiversity. It is a matter of managing the forest sustainably, not damaging it during harvesting, and conducting applied research to better understand and manage forest dynamics.”

The European Parquet Industry (FEP) says it has joined F&P as the latter’s ten environmental and social commitments align with its values and the messaging of its own Real Wood campaign. This is aimed at growing the market for real wood flooring, which it claims to be not just aesthetically superior to other materials, but to have stronger environmental credentials. “The ecological advantages of real wood as a floor are undeniable. Far less energy is used in the extraction, processing, and disposal of wood than with any other building material” states the campaign. “It is recyclable, and the carbon-storing properties of wood products play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Another new F&P backer is Eticwood, the international Belgian tropical and agroforestry consultancy, services, and solutions specialist, which provides advice and technical assistance to partners via offices in Europe and Africa. The forestry projects it supports are focused on the ‘economic and social empowerment of communities’ and implementation of sustainable development initiatives, which also integrate climate issues and maintain biodiversity.

Alongside, Ecocoa, a Belgian artisanal chocolate producer, co-owned by Eticwood and Durwood, has also taken up an F&P partnership. The company’s catchline is ‘from bean to bar’. It uses only verified sustainable cocoa bean sources with full traceability and, by limiting intermediaries in the supply chain, says it can offer fair remuneration to producers. “Our short chain allows us to increase the producers’ income without charging the final consumer a high price”, says Ecocoa.