Planting for the Future How Demand for Wood Products Could Be Friendly to Tropical Forests

The report analyzes the relationship between global wood product demand and tropical forest health, projecting consumption trends to 2060. It contrasts a 'business as usual' scenario of forest degradation with a sustainable future based on best-management practices in plantations. The authors advocate for a shift away from logging natural forests toward the use of fast-wood and multispecies plantations, supported by improved timber-tracking technologies and consumer pressure for certified sustainable products.

• Global demand for wood products is projected to increase through 2060, with the most significant growth occurring in pulp and paper products. Specifically, the model predicts that all types of paper consumption will increase by more than 100 percent from 2010, including recycled paper (192 percent), printing and writing paper (180 percent), and paperboard (125 percent).
• Demand for solid wood products is also expected to grow, though at a slower rate than paper. Sawnwood is projected to increase by 28 percent, wood-based panels by 64 percent, and veneer and plywood by 61 percent by 2060.
• Poorly managed selective logging is identified as the primary cause of forest degradation in the tropics. The process is often destructive, as the logging of a single tree can damage 10 to 20 surrounding trees, and in the Brazilian Amazon, 16 percent of selectively logged forests are completely cleared within one year.
• Fast-wood monoculture plantations, particularly in Indonesia, have been a significant driver of deforestation. Between 2000 and 2010, clearing forests for pulp and paper plantations caused more deforestation in Indonesia than coal mining or oil palm plantations.
• The report suggests that an additional 125 million hectares of fast-wood plantations could meet the projected increase in demand for wood-based panels, veneer/plywood, particleboard, fiberboard, and wood pulp through 2060.
• Multispecies plantations are presented as a sustainable alternative to monocultures, as they can induce better soil quality, achieve quicker growth, and provide higher timber yields. However, they currently account for less than 0.5 percent of global plantations due to financial momentum favoring monocultures and a lack of large-scale demonstration projects.
• Effective timber tracking is essential for ensuring legality and sustainability, but no single technology is comprehensive. The report suggests a mix of physical technologies (like bar coding) and chemical technologies (such as DNA and isotope fingerprinting) to reduce corruption and forgery.
• Emerging economies, specifically China and India, are dominant drivers of the tropical hardwood market, together accounting for 80 percent of global imports of these materials.

APA

Elias, P., & Boucher, D. (2014). Planting for the Future How Demand for Wood Products Could Be Friendly to Tropical Forests. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2014/10/planting-for-the-future.pdf

Chicago

Elias, Pipa, and Doug Boucher. Planting for the Future How Demand for Wood Products Could Be Friendly to Tropical Forests. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2014. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2014/10/planting-for-the-future.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Elias |first1=Pipa |last2=Boucher |first2=Doug |title=Planting for the Future How Demand for Wood Products Could Be Friendly to Tropical Forests |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=October 2014 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2014/10/planting-for-the-future.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{elias2014planting, author = {Elias, Pipa and Boucher, Doug}, title = {{Planting for the Future How Demand for Wood Products Could Be Friendly to Tropical Forests}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2014}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2014/10/planting-for-the-future.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }