Global wood production from natural forests has peaked

Wood is considered to be a renewable resource. However, steep increases in production followed by a peak and subsequent decline have been characteristic of natural forest-based wood industries in many countries. An assessment was made to determine any discernible global trend in wood extraction from...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biodiversity and conservation 2014-05, Vol.23 (5), p.1063-1078
Main Author: Warman, Russell D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Biodiversity
Biological and medical sciences
Biological diversity conservation
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Carbon sequestration
Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts
Conservation
Conservation Biology/Ecology
Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife
Ecology
Ecosystem services
Forecasts and trends
Forestry
Forests
Forests and forestry
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
General forest ecology
Generalities. Production, biomass. Quality of wood and forest products. General forest ecology
Life Sciences
Logging
Original Paper
Plantations
planting
Renewable resources
roundwood
Sustainability
Sustainable development
Terrestrial ecosystems
trees
Wood
wood industry
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Summary:Wood is considered to be a renewable resource. However, steep increases in production followed by a peak and subsequent decline have been characteristic of natural forest-based wood industries in many countries. An assessment was made to determine any discernible global trend in wood extraction from natural forests. This was done using published data on global production from various wood sources, including plantations, planted forests and trees outside forests. Global wood supply from natural forests peaked around 1989 and has been in decline since. A growing planted tree supply has been making up the gap between total roundwood demand and natural forest supply. These data suggest a declining role for natural forests in global wood production, with the long term sustainability of wood supply derived from purpose-cultivated trees rather than natural forest sources. Where these planted trees lower demand for wood from natural forests this will provide opportunities to reduce resource conflict in natural forests, apply more precautionary prescriptions where logging does occur, and increase the use of natural forests for biodiversity conservation and other ecosystem services such as carbon storage.
ISSN:0960-3115
1572-9710
DOI:10.1007/s10531-014-0633-6