Business Trends Abroad
Global – The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has reiterated the commitment to transparency and system integrity following renewed discussions about alleged false certification claims.
The organization said that open scrutiny remains essential to maintaining trust in its certification system. Volume tracking was one of the key issues discussed at the recent FSC General Assembly, where members were expected to decide on its introduction. FSC Trace is a planned traceability platform that is intended to improve supply chain verification and address existing gaps.
In response to an article by Preferred by Nature that referred to widespread false FSC claims, the organization described the findings as “outdated” and “unsupported” by verified data. FSC pointed to progress made in recent years, including transaction verification, wood origin testing, and targeted investigations aimed at identifying and blocking false claims.
FSC also referred to its cooperation with Wood Forest ID, which uses scientific testing to verify wood origin and improve supply chain reliability.
The FSC launched the Eurasia Integrity Workplan (2024) to reduce the risks linked to trade in Russian and Belarusian timber. The program is designed to prevent uncertified material from entering international markets. The plan includes transaction checks, isotopic testing, and field investigations covering more than 800 certificate holders in the region.
FSC acknowledged that ensuring integrity cannot rely on audits alone. According to a statement released by the FSC, “It is expanding the use of digital systems and real-data monitoring, with system integrity designated as a global priority for 2026.”
The goals are preventing fraud, strengthening verification process, and protecting credibility of forest certification worldwide.
Global Forest Recovery In China
China -While much of the world continues to lose vast areas of forests, China stands out as a major exception. According to a new United Nations report cited by Yale Environment 360, China has added more than 170 million acres of forests since 1990 —an area roughly the size of Texas.
Globally, forest loss remains severe. In addition to that, the world has been losing around 20 million acres of forests each year in recent years. This is driven mainly by land clearing for agriculture and livestock, as well as by fires and drought which is intensified by global warming. According to the U.N. assessment, the most extensive losses have occurred in Brazil, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
However, the report highlights that forests are expanding in many other parts of the world. In wealthier countries, where agricultural efficiency has improved and rural populations have declined, deforestation has slowed or even reversed. The data shows that forest cover is now increasing across the United States, Canada, Russia and much of Europe.
In Asia, both China and India have experienced notable gains as economic development has coincided with extensive reforestation programs. Since 1990, Russia has added more than about 52 million acres, and India 22 million, with Canada having 20 million acres of new forest —but China’s increase of 173 million acres surpasses all others by a wide margin.
Much of the growth in China comes from an increase in large-scale tree-planting projects designed to combat decertification. According to figures, over the past 35 years the country has planted roughly 120 million acres of forests. One of the most significant initiatives was completed last year which was a 2,000-mile-long tree belt encircling the Taklamakan Desert in the country’s west, begun in 1978. Work also continues a similar project around the Gobi Desert in the north.
Even as China faces growing risks from heat, drought, and wildfires, the overall trend remains one of forest expansion — in stark contrast to global deforestation trends that continue to accelerate elsewhere.
Support Declines In European Parliament For Proposed Forest Monitoring Law
Europe – The European Parliament has rejected a proposal for a new forest monitoring framework. In a vote recently, 370 members of the European party voted to dismiss the European Commission’s plan, with 264 opposing the rejection and nine abstaining.
The proposed Forest Monitoring Law was introduced by the Commission in November 2023. The law aimed to create a harmonized system of forest data across the EU supporting sustainable management and multiple functions of forests. The initiative was part of the EU Forest Strategy for 2030.
However, the framework faced criticism for potentially increasing administrative burdens on the forest owners and member states. Representatives of farm and forestry organizations welcomed the rejection, describing the proposal as disconnected from practical realities on the ground.
Members of the European People’s party who were against the law argued that excessive bureaucracy could undermine effective forest production following the parliament’s decision. The European Commission is expected to formally withdraw the proposal.
Global Deforestation Slows But Forests Remain Under Pressure
Indonesia – According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Global Forest Resources Assessment of 2025 (FRA 2025), deforestation has slowed across all regions over the last decade. The report released every five years was published recently during the Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) Plenary in Bali, Indonesia.
Forests now cover 4.14 billion hectares, or roughly one-third of the planet’s surface, with nearly half located in the tropics. Positive trends include a growing share of forests under the long-term management plans (55 percent) and legally protected areas (20 percent).
Despite these improvements, global forests remain under pressure. The current deforestation stands at 10.9 million (hectares) per year, posing risks to biodiversity, carbon storage, water regulation, and protection against natural hazards. Naturally regenerating forests make up 92 percent of the global forest area, while primary forests cover 1.18 billion hectares, planted forests account for eight percent, and forest carbon stocks have risen to 717 gigatons.
FAO Director and General QU Dongyu emphasized the FRA data are critical for understanding forest conditions and informing policies, investments and sustainable management.
Vietnam’s Wood And Wood Products Show Mixed Trends In Global Demand
Vietnam – Vietnam’s exports of Wood and Wood products (W&WP) continued to grow in 2025, but hereafter, data indicates a slowdown in key overseas markets. Custom Department figures show that exports to the UK in August 2025, the most current data available at presstime, reached US$20.6 million, down one percent compared with August 2024. However, for the first eight months of 2025, exports to the UK totaled US$159.6 million, up to nine percent in the last year.
Exports to South Korea declined more sharply, earning US$60.6 million in August 2025, down 13 percent from the same month in 2024. For the January- August period, exports to South Korea fell 6 percent to US$493.2 million.
Vietnam’s Pine timber imports in August 2025 amounted to 102,100 cubic meters, valued at US$19.9 million, down seven percent in both volume and value compared to July 2025. Compared to August 2024, imports were down 9 percent in volume and 24 percent in value. For the first eight months of 2025, Pine imports reached 690,000 cubic meters, worth US$139.5 million, up to 15 percent in volume and five percent in value versus the same period last year. The growth reflects ongoing demand for raw materials as furniture exports maintain upward trend.
Despite overall growth, exports have shown signs of slowing since August of last year, reflecting weaker demand from key international markets. Analysts noted that global consumer demand is softening, putting pressure on Vietnam’s US$18 billion export target for 2025 with the addition of Vietnam’s Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) exports in August 2025 also increased.
Vietnam’s data highlights a dynamic wood sector, with continuing growth in exports and imports, but the slowdown in overseas demand signals challenges for meeting the full-year export target and sustaining profitability.
British Columbia Opens Forest Trade In Office In London
United Kingdom – The government of British Columbia opened a new forest trade office in London, U.K., as part of an effort to expand the province’s export markets in response to rising U.S. tariffs on Canadian forest products.
The move has come after the United States increased duties and fees on Canadian softwood lumber and other wood products to about 45 percent recently.
“We can no longer trust the United States,” said Forest Minister Ravi Parmar in a recent interview with CBC’s On the Coast. “In the case of forestry, we are too reliant on the United States.”
The new office was operated by the Crown Corporation Forestry Innovation Investment (FII), which aimed to strengthen B. C.’s sales presence in Europe and, in the longer term, in markets across the Middle East and North Africa.
