Supply Forecasts for Timber from the Russian Far East and Links with the Pacific Rim Market

This report is based on a presentation made at the meeting "Commercial Forestry in the Russian Far East: Opportunities for Sustainable Trade, Conservation, and Community Development" on 18-20 September 2001 in Yuzhno-Skhalinsk, Russia, which was co-hosted and co-supported by Forest Trends. The report uses earlier analysis by IIASA's Forestry Project on possible abd sustainable supply of industrial wood from the Russian Far East and links this supply with the demand situation in the Pacific Rim Market. Structural changes are taking place in the Pacific Rim Market with a dramatic increase in the consumption of wood in China and a changed demand structure in Japan. The export of industrial roundwood from the Russian Far East to China has increased substantially in recent years and is expected to continue to increase in the future. The potential demand from the Pacific Rim Market on industrial roundwood from the Russian Far East is assessed to be 30-35 million m3 in 2010