The Global Timber Index (GTI) Report for September 2026 revealed that among the ten GTI pilot countries, Brazil (55.3%) remained above the 50% critical value for a third consecutive month, indicating overall expansion in its timber sector. Thailand (50.4%) rose just above the 50% critical value, pointing to stabilizing conditions. The other eight countries were in contraction territory: the Republic of the Congo (49.1%), Ghana (48.7%), China (47.9%), and Indonesia (46.0%) posted readings close to the critical value, reflecting slight contraction; Gabon (44.3%) showed moderate contraction; and Ecuador (37.6%), Mexico (35.3%), and Malaysia (23.9%) recorded low readings, reflecting a significant downturn in their timber sectors.

Sub-indices revealed that Brazil’s harvesting volume increased for a third consecutive month, while Ghana’s harvesting activity stabilized after earlier declines. On the demand side, new orders grew in both Thailand and Brazil. Overall performance on the production side was relatively strong: production volume rose in Indonesia (showing an overall upward trend over the past six months) and Brazil (for a third consecutive month); the Congo’s production activity held steady for a second consecutive month; output in both Thailand and Gabon stabilized after previous declines; and the production indexes for both China and Ghana rose and approached the critical value, signaling a move toward stable conditions.

This month, GTI pilot countries continued to see dynamic shifts in trade flows. Take Brazil for example, the combination of U.S. tariff measures raised additional tariffs on certain wood products and furniture to as high as 37.5%, accelerating industry efforts to diversify markets and reduce reliance on the U.S. market. Amid rising tariffs, Brazil’s furniture industry has already shown a tendency to offset lost U.S. share with gains in Latin American markets, according to Brazilian export data. In Gabon, with the upcoming implementation of European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), rising costs for the EU market prompted a growing number of timber companies to pivot toward China, India, and other fast-growing Asian markets.

On September 22-23, the Global Legal & Sustainable Timber Forum 2026 (GLSTF 2026) was successfully held in Macao, China. In an effort to advance the development of legal and sustainable timber supply chains through a series of measures, the event released the Action Framework 2026 for Promoting Legal and Sustainable Timber Supply Chains, setting out practical actions across eight areas: partnership networking, information sharing, supply-chain transformation, trade facilitation, technology innovation, traceability and markets, finance and investment, and capacity building.

GTI Report - September 2026.pdf