Wood chip exports from Australia fell in 2011 to their lowest level in 11 years and Vietnam took over as world’s largest chip exporter, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly Vietnam has taken over Australia as the world’s largest supplier of wood chips to pulp mills in Asia. In 2011, Vietnam exported 5.4 million tons, triple that in 2007, as reported in the Wood Resource Quarterly. The good news for wood chip exporters in both Vietnam and Australia has been the steady increase in demand for hardwood chips from China.
In a new twist to the the forest industry crisis in Tasmania, two wealthy environmentalists, Graeme Woods and Jan Cameron, have bought the Triabunna woodchip mill from woodchipping company Gunns Ltd reports alternative magazine Green left. The sale of the mill in the Australian state has been controversial since the state government had agreed to provide a taxpayer-funded loan to Aprin. State-owned Forestry Tasmania had entered into an agreement to supply it with wood and to share the profits.
Increased foreign interest in pulp mills and plantations in Australia while the timber ownership is in transitional mode, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly
The plantation ownership in Australia is in transition after the Management Investment Scheme (MIS) collapsed in 2009, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. Foreign pension funds and pulp companies have shown increased interest in acquiring timber assets as forest plantations owners have gone into receivership.
Global trade of wood chips was up 25 percent in 2010 because of increased production of pulp and paper products worldwide. China showed the greatest growth in chip imports with an increase over 400 percent in the past two years, as reported in the WRQ. The international financial crisis in 2009 had a major negative impact on worldwide demand for pulp and paper products. As a result, the consumption of wood chips and pulpwood for pulp production was lower, and global trade of wood chips fell accordingly. However, in 2010, pulp markets improved and global shipments of wood chips were up substantially.
UPM RAFLATAC ACHIEVES ISO 14001 CERTIFICATION FOR LABELSTOCK MANUFACTURING IN AUSTRALIA. UPM Raflatac has received ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management Systems certification for its labelstock manufacturing facility in Melbourne, Australia. ISO 14001:2004 is applicable to any organization that wishes to establish, implement, maintain and improve an environmental management system
The sixteenth UN Climate Change Conference will be held in Cancun, Mexico, starting from 29 November to 10 December 2010. The Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren today spoke on TV4 on COP16 mentioning the devastation of the rainforest as a major problem. According to Carlgren, Sweden and Norway have a common understanding and he was also critical of the United States and China in the environmental negotiations.
Södra may be involved in a debate on the environment outside of Tasmania Australian news program "Rapport" reports in the Swedish Television. In Tasmania, one company is now building the world's largest pulp factory and Södra wants to cooperate. Construction plans have upset many people in Tasmania since the island also has valuable and ancient forest. The debate has raged for more than five years and divided the population into two camps. Some hope for new jobs, but many are afraid forest and natural resources will be destroyed.
Sweden provides SEK 500 million for action against deforestation, 100 million SEK goes to the Global Environment Facility, GEF (Global Environmental Facility) and applications for sustainable forest management and in addition bilateral assistance for at least 400 million.
In beginning of May Germany announced that they would spend at least Euro 350 million (~USD 450m) of their “fast-start” climate finance on REDD+. The Oslo Climate and Forest Conference aim to launch the Interim REDD+ Partnership through the adoption of a voluntary non-legally binding partnership document. REDD + is the result of negotiations within the UNFCCC.
China became the major import destination for many globally traded forest products in 2009. The country is the world’s largest importer of wood pulp and logs, and was the 2nd largest importer of softwood lumber in the world in the 2Q/09, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly.
Sweden provides SEK 500 million for action against deforestation, 100 million SEK goes to the Global Environment Facility, GEF (Global Environmental Facility) and applications for sustainable forest management and in addition bilateral assistance for at least 400 million.
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