In order to examine the long-term development of international trade in wood products, it is useful to study the patterns of past behaviour of trade. In this paper we therefore present an analysis of the structural characteristics of international trade in wood products over the last twenty years. The analysis reveals the structure of trade flows and their tendencies over time, together with the effects that trade policies have had on trade patterns. An attempt is then made to develop an understanding of the factors which have influenced these trade flows, via the application of gravitational models
