Published:
Conclusions
The study shows that given continuing economic growth and competitivity on price and performance of forest products, European consumption and production of forest products will continue to grow steadily. Waste paper recycling will intensify and net imports grow. Nevertheless, the demand for European roundwood will increase. Europe's forests will, however, be able to meet this challenge by increasing harvest levels, while remaining within the limits of sustainable wood supply.
Background
The first ECE/FAO study of European timber trends and prospects was published in 1953 and had considerable influence on forest sector policy in the 1950s. The fourth study was published in 1986. Planning for the present study, known as ETTS V, started almost immediately after the completion of ETTS IV, when a small team of specialists started to consider data and methodology for outlook studies. ETTS V, like its predecessors, has been carried out under the joint auspices of the Timber Committee of the UN Economic Commission for Europe and the FAO European Forestry Commission, who defined its objectives and will consider its implications for forest sector policy at their joint session in September 1996. The Joint FAO/ECE Working Party on Forest Economics and Statistics oversaw the work and monitored progress, notably by reviewing draft conclusions at its session in 1995.
Read more