The Global Timber Index (GTI) Report for September revealed that on 11 September 2024 during the Global Legal & Sustainable Timber Forum 2024 (GLSTF 2024) (in Macao, China), new achievements of the GTI activity were officially released under the theme "The Full Operation of Global Timber Index (GTI) Platform". During the release ceremony, representatives of GTI focal points presented certificates of recognition to two Chinese wood-based panel industry clusters (respectively in Guigang, Guangxi province, and Linyi, Shandong province), acknowledging their significant contributions to data collection and launch of the GTI-Woodbased Panel Index. With two years of efforts, the GTI activity has been piloted in 10 countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo (ROC), Ghana, Brazil, Mexico, Ecuador, and China. Each pilot country selects leading timber enterprises for the monthly GTI reporting and information sharing, increasing the number of participating enterprises from 160 to 260. The GTI Platform is now up and running, with 28 editions of reports released, and 2 specialized indexes (GTI-Producers Index, and GTI-Woodbased Panel Index) launched. Moving forward, more multi-dimensional and value-added services will be provided to GTI enterprises that contribute data and information to the activity.

In September, the GTI indices for China (54.2%) and Brazil (52.3%) rose above the critical value of 50%, suggesting overall growth in Brazilian timber sector and a positive trend of Chinese wood processing industry.

The GTI indices for Thailand (49.1%), Ghana (46.7%), ROC (44.9%), Mexico (37.1%), Malaysia (29.0%), and Gabon (26.3%) were below the critical value of 50%, indicating sluggish market for most producing countries and continued contraction in the overall performance of businesses there. The GTI indices for Malaysia, ROC, and Mexico had been below the critical value for several consecutive months, suggesting timber enterprises in these countries were facing great pressure on production and operations. Under this background, GTI participating enterprises from all the three countries suggested government intervention this month. For example, Malaysian enterprises suggested that the government increase spending on building and infrastructure expansion, so as to increase consumption of building materials; Congolese enterprises suggested that the government accelerate bridge construction and contribute to the maintenance of road network; and Mexican enterprises wanted the government to regulate the imports of MDF boards.

In other news, main practical progress towards legal and sustainable management in the pilot countries include: on September 29, Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister stated that forest fires and deforestation in Indonesia had declined drastically in the last 10 years. Specifically, the forest fire area had dropped from 2.6 million hectares in 2015 to 200,000 hectares in 2022, and the area of deforestation had been reduced from 1.09 million hectares in 2014-2015 to 100,000 hectares in 2023. Recently, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) launched Africa’s first High Integrity Forest Investment Initiative (HIFOR) project in ROC, aiming to encourage the maintenance of climate regulation, and the conservation of biodiversity in high integrity tropical forests by providing long-term funding to forest managers.

GTI Report - September 2024.pdf