Towards Developing a Comprehensive Carbon Accounting Framework for Forests in British Columbia

This report concentrates on the issues of establishing, managing and monitoring a forest carbon sink project within the framework of the Kyoto Protocol. The work was carried out as a case study for British Columbia in Canada and one of the results is a proposed forest carbon accounting system for this Province

Recent Developments in Forest Products Trade between Russia and China: Potential Production, Processing, Consumption and Trade Scenarios

China has a very significant role in the global timber market and this has significant ramifications for forests, forest livelihoods and the structure of forest industries around the world. In this report we will focus on possible future trends in the forest products-processing, consumption and trade between China and its main suppliers, with a particular focus on Eastern Russia (Siberia and the Russian Far East). The data used for the report preceded the global economic downturn which started in 2008. While the current downturn will likely have an impact on regional supply, processing, consumption and trade in the short-term, in the long-term it is expected that the global economy will recover and these trends will resume in a predictable fashion based on the data incorporated into the scenarios presented in this report. The International Forest and Forest Products [IFFP] trade model was used as a modeling tool to undertake the analysis. It includes a model of the global industrial forest estate

Muddy Greenhouse Gas Accounting Requires Independent Third Party Certification

At the Conference of Parties (COP 6 II) the sinks became a central issue in the Kyoto negotiations. This paper illustrates the uncertainties involved in the greenhouse accounting with respect to sinks. Different assessments, using the same basic data, result in dramatically different results with respect to the sink capacities. In order to achieve the targeted efforts with the sinks in the Kyoto process a new institutional setup is required. An important component of this institutional setup is the introduction of independent third party certification of greenhouse gas accounts and country reports submitted to the UNFCCC Secretariat

China and the Global Market for Forest Products: Transforming Trade to Benefit Forests and Livelihoods

China's spectacular economic growth over the last decade is having a dramatic impact throughout the world. It has become a leading nation in terms of its demand for forest products, and its influence is being felt as far afield as Cameroon and Cambodia, Indonesia and the United States. Burgeoning domestic consumption, in a nation with very limited per capita forest resources, has fueled the rapid rise in China's imports of forest products. Growing demand in the US, Europe and elsewhere for low-cost wood products manufactured in China has also contributed to the country's ever-increasing demand for foreign timber. China has rapidly become the wood workshop of the world, capturing almost a third of the global trade in furniture over the last eight years. In many supplier countries, particularly those with weak governance records, the increasing trade flows into China are associated with unsustainable harvesting, illegal logging and the abuse of forest communities' rights. However, China's growing demand also creates the possibility that millions of low-income forest producers can benefit from this new market. Trees and forests are the primary asset of millions of the world's poorest people and when governments enable the poor to use them wisely, they can be an important instrument of rural development. China is now in the world's spotlight, with governments, industry and development agencies eager to learn more about the global impact the country is having on forests and forest industries. Until recently, they have been hampered by a scarcity of reliable information and a lack of rigorous, publicly accessible analysis of macro-level trends. The primary source of market information to date has been proprietary analysis, the costs of which have precluded their use by all but the largest international investors and trade associations. This paper and the body of research it represents aims to help fill the knowledge gap. It is an overview of the key findings of many research studies conducted by Forest Trends, the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy (CCAP), the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and their many partners in China and the Asia-Pacific region. As an overview, it necessarily focuses on broader and more globally critical issues. The synthesis of this research presents a wake-up call for the global forestry community. One of our key findings is that domestic and export demand for Chinese manufactured wood products will continue to grow dramatically, at least over the medium term and probably well beyond. So, in turn, will the demand for both home-grown and imported timber. Furthermore, China should be seen as the harbinger of even greater change, as India and other populous developing countries increase their demand for forest products. It is now clear that the global forest market is undergoing dramatic changes, and that these changes have important implications for forests, forest people and industry globally. We hope this paper helps governments, industry and civil society gain a clearer understanding of their respective roles in the global timber market. It is also hoped that it will help them to take an important leadership role in helping to transform the forest products market to one that not only ensures sustainable forestry and conservation, but to one that provides satisfactory livelihood opportunities for forest dependent communities, and promotes sustainable economic development for all nations

An assessment of China's forest resources

China's forest resources have been and continue to be threatened. The analysis of the various reported statistics, while often conflicting, does indicate significant challenges ahead for the forest to supply the material for industrial, non-industrial, fuelwood and conservation objectives. Given forecasted constraints on domestic fibre supply for at least two decades there could be a significant increase demand for logs and forest products from China's trading partners. Overall this paper indicates the challenge in reaching more specific conclusions since there are serious data discrepancies in all major statistical areas. These discrepancies must be addressed before a clear set of land and sustainable development policies can be created

The institutional design of forest certification standards initiatives and its influence on the role of science: The case of forest genetic resources

In the 1990s a wide array of non-governmental certification initiatives emerged as a way to promote the sustainable management of resources in sectors such as fisheries and forestry. In this paper, we examine two related questions about these initiatives: how does the institutional design of certification initiatives affect the way science is used in the development of certification standards and in whose interest is science employed? Using the empirical case of forest certification and the specific standards various initiatives have created to address the management of forest genetic resources, we show how structural aspects of decision-making processes affects the standards adopted and the rationalization for their appropriateness. Two basic models of decision-making - stakeholder participation and technical expertise - are discussed in relation to three certification initiatives active in North America - the Canadian Standards Association, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the Forest Stewardship Council. By examining the standards these initiatives set for the management of forest genetic resources, we illustrate how two dimensions of science - uncertainty and the logic of cause and effect - are used to rationalize cautious and rigid versus flexible and discretionary standards for the management of forest genetic resources. Our findings indicate that the design or structure of certification decision-making processes, and their embedded balance of authority, mediate the form of standards initiatives will justify on the basis of science

China's forest sector markets: Policy issues and recommendations

Based on the papers contributed to this Special Issue and other studies an effort is made to identify the major policy issues facing the Chinese forest sector. The policy analysis is organized around the so-called "supply china" (from stump to final products' markets). The discussion of policy issues and implications centers on the identified large and growing gap in the demand/supply balance of forest products. A major problem to carry out the policy analysis is the identified lack of consistent and transparent data for the different components of the "supply chain". This is a situation which must be substantially improved in order to undertake relevant policy setting for the Chinese forest sector