NEWS

The trade of logs and lumber in Europe will change dramatically as Central European timber harvests decline and sanctions against Russia result in a sharp drop in imports of forest products, states Wood Resources International. Another important factor: the spruce bark beetle outbreak across Europe over the past four years resulted in increased harvesting.

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The Russian log export ban and its war with Ukraine have wreaked havoc on the wood supply chain. Russia possesses 20% of the world’s trees but is now harvesting only 30% of its designated "production forests."

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Timber Focus: How Will The War Between Russia And Ukraine Affect The UK Wood Supply?

The United Kingdom has announced additional import tariffs of 35% on Russian and Belarusian wood products. The initial list of goods affected by the increase, which came into effect on March 25, is worth nearly $1.2 billion.
 

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On March 22, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service published a proposal to reclassify the northern long-eared bat as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The bat faces extinction due to white-nose syndrome, a deadly disease affecting cave-dwelling bats across the continent.

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Decorative Hardwoods Association and industry and environmental groups are advocating for increased enforcement of the Lacey Act to stop illegal logging, the world's third-largest transnational crime. Illegal logging generates between $52–157 billion per year at a steep cost: it threatens some of the world's most biologically diverse forests, contributes to climate change, and harms American manufacturers by undercutting them with illegal wood products.