WWF LIVING FORESTS REPORT: CHAPTER 4 FORESTS AND WOOD PRODUCTS

The document analyzes the global wood products value chain, projecting a significant increase in wood removals by 2050, primarily driven by bioenergy. It evaluates the environmental footprints of wood versus alternative materials, the role of recycling and efficiency in reducing virgin fibre demand, and the potential for sustainable production through managed natural forests and tree plantations. The report emphasizes the importance of secure land rights for indigenous peoples and the role of credible certification, specifically FSC, in ensuring sustainable forest management.

• The Living Forests Model projects that annual wood removals by 2050 will be three times the volume reported in 2010, with the primary driver being a massive increase in wood used as feedstock for bioenergy.
• Wood-based materials often have a lower environmental footprint than alternatives; for example, wood outperforms cement and steel by more than a factor of 10 regarding energy and greenhouse gas savings in the supply chain per cubic metre constructed.
• Increasing the use of recovered paper could significantly reduce the demand for virgin wood fibre. A scenario suggests that if global use of recovered paper increased, demand for virgin material would drop even if global paper consumption rose.
• There is a stark disparity in paper consumption, with 10 per cent of the global population consuming over 50 per cent of the world's paper, primarily in North America and Europe.
• Improving milling efficiency, particularly in tropical sawmills which currently average around 50 per cent efficiency, could significantly lower global demand for saw logs.
• To meet future demand, the Living Forests Model suggests that between 242 million and 304 million additional hectares of natural forest outside protected areas may need to be managed for commercial harvesting by 2050.
• Recognizing the land rights of indigenous peoples and local communities is linked to better environmental outcomes; in developing countries, the area of forest recognized as owned or controlled by these groups increased from 21 per cent in 2002 to 31 per cent by the time of the report.
• WWF considers the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to be the only currently credible forest certification system, noting that only 4 per cent of tropical production forests have been certified under any scheme.
• Illegal logging has seen significant declines since 2000 in specific regions, falling by 50 per cent in Cameroon, 50-75 per cent in the Brazilian Amazon, and 75 per cent in Indonesia.

APA

WWF International (2012). WWF LIVING FORESTS REPORT: CHAPTER 4 FORESTS AND WOOD PRODUCTS. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/607/5ub3o4pav8_living_forests_report_ch4_forest_products.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. WWF LIVING FORESTS REPORT: CHAPTER 4 FORESTS AND WOOD PRODUCTS. 2012. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/607/5ub3o4pav8_living_forests_report_ch4_forest_products.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=WWF LIVING FORESTS REPORT: CHAPTER 4 FORESTS AND WOOD PRODUCTS |date=2012 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/607/5ub3o4pav8_living_forests_report_ch4_forest_products.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2012wwf, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{WWF LIVING FORESTS REPORT: CHAPTER 4 FORESTS AND WOOD PRODUCTS}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2012}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/607/5ub3o4pav8_living_forests_report_ch4_forest_products.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }