Global Wood Trade
Wood products produced in British Columbia are exported to many regions of the world. This module explains the basics of the global economy and trade, describes supply and trade of various groups of wood-related products, and examines the growing importance of China in global wood trade.
Learning Objectives
After viewing this presentation and relevant support material, users should be able to:
- Discuss the basics of the global economy and trade including purchasing power parity, the relative importance of the economic triads, the rise of developing countries and the growing importance of business and sustainability.
- Describe the global location of forest resources, where wood is harvested, the changing role of natural and plantation forest and uses for subsistence and industrial use.
- Discuss the supply and trade for industrial logs, sawnwood, panels, pulp and recovered paper.
- Describe the growing importance and impact of China as a wood importer, manufacturer and exporter.
- Identify key trends and drivers for production and trade in for industrial logs, sawnwood, panels, pulp and recovered paper
Presenter
Dr. David Cohen, Professor
Listen to Dr. David Cohen respond to the question: How did I get interested in this area of study? by clicking on his photo.
For information about Dr. Cohen, please check UBC, Faculty of Forestry
Module Resources
Presentation
Introduction to Global Trade in Forest Products
Dr. David Cohen covers three major topics: basic terminology and trends in relation to the global economy; global forest resource location, harvest and trends in management; and global trade data for primary wood products. The rapidly increasing role of China, both in terms of general global economic power and in terms of wood resource and wood product production, is emphasized.
Other Resources
- FAOSTAT – Statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization.
- World Economic Data Base
- International Monetary Fund
Potential Questions for use by Instructors
- What are the three economic triads and which are becoming more economically powerful?
- What is Purchasing Power Parity and why it is important?
- What are two major global economic trends?
- What are some major trends in sourcing wood from forests? Support your answer with several specific examples.
- What is the changing role of China in wood products production and trade? Support your answer with several specific examples.