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“The sustainable management of tropical forest contributes significantly to safeguarding forests, protecting biodiversity, contributing to rural communities and sustainable livelihoods”, said Thorsten Arndt, Head of Advocacy at PEFC International at the Global Legal & Sustainable Timber Forum (GLSTF) 2024 in Macao SAR last week. “Yet we are facing a dichotomy. While we are all well aware of the tremendous benefits that sustainable forest management provides, topical timber has grappled with numerous challenges as it has struggled to maintain its stake in the international timber markets, especially in terms of public perception”, he remarked in his opening speech of the first session, Together Towards Reliable and Effective Global Timber Supply Chains.

“With forestry in India being at a critical crossroad, the decision to develop our own national forest certification system will be an important driver to promote the sustainable management of our forest resources,” said KK Singh, Chairman of the Network for Certification and Conservation of Forests (NCCF). “While India is among the world’s most forested countries, we also have a growing demand for wood products, and unsustainable use of forests, for example for wood fuel, is a significant challenge,” continued Mr. Singh. “Forest certification will help us not only in mainstreaming sustainability in forest management, but also in raising awareness with companies and consumers about the importance of sourcing and buying responsibly sourced wood products.”

The forest is not only a habitat for animals and plants but a retreat for people as well. It is also the economic basis for Mercer Timber Products and all companies in the Forestry sector – thus a driver of value creation, especially in rural areas. The industry is exemplary in showing that this is not a contradiction: through the sustainable management of German forests and the efficient use of our resource, wood, the timber industry is making an important contribution to climate protection and ultimately a sustainable future for us all. Wood is the most important renewable raw material in Germany. It plays an outstanding role in climate-neutral value creation and energy generation. Thanks to its sustainable management, the forests in Germany have been supplying wood for a wide variety of purposes for over 300 years. Every year, more wood grows in Germany than is used. Around 32 percent of Germany’s total area is covered with forest, making the country one of the most densely forested areas in Europe. As a PEFC-certified company, Mercer Timber Products supports this sustainable management. After all, forest management is the basis of our existence. In addition, Mercer’s use of wood takes an important step in the shift from fossil fuel energy. The bark from the harvested logs is used directly in the biomass cogeneration plant, which generates green electricity and heat for the drying process.