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PART IV - FORESTRY IN REGIONAL ECONOMIC GROUPS

South Pacific Forum (SPF)

MEMBERS

Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

DESCRIPTION OF THE FOREST SECTOR

The SPF countries together contain less than 3 percent of the world's forest area. Although 86 percent of the region's forest area is located in Australia and Papua New Guinea, several countries are heavily forested - most notably Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, and to a lesser extent Samoa and Fiji. Australia and New Zealand have large plantation programmes. The region (led by Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea) is a significant exporter of industrial roundwood, accounting for 15 percent of world trade. Australia and New Zealand dominate the region's production of industrial roundwood and processed wood products. The small island nations have abundant coconut trees which serve as sources of wood, coconuts, copra and palm oil for local populations.

 

Forest resources

Land area (thousand ha)

846 637

Total forest area, 1995 (thousand ha)

89 997

Percent of land in forest (%)

10.6

Forest area per caput (ha)

3.3

Annual change in forest area, 1990-1995 (thousand ha)

- 92

Percent annual change, 1990-1995 (%)

- 0.1

 

Production of wood-based products (1996)

Product

Quantity

% of world total

Fuelwood and charcoal

8 756a

n.s.

Industrial roundwood

41 456a

3

Sawnwood

6 760a

1

Wood panels

2 158a

1

Pulp for paper

2 330b

1

Paper and paperboard

2 651b

1

 

International forest products trade - quantity and value (1996)

Product

 

Export value

 

Import value

 

Export quantity

thousand US$

% of world total

Import quantity

thousand US$

% of world total

Fuelwood and charcoal

12a

1 007

n.s.

n.s.a

55

n.s.

Industrial roundwood

18 346a

1 627 281

15

12a

2 775

n.s.

Sawnwood

1 067a

303 248

1

808a

318 289

1

Wood panels

809a

342 270

2

342a

113 732

1

Pulp for paper

680b

267 333

2

201b

152 054

1

Paper and paperboard

625b

459 198

1

1 299b

1 568 866

2

a Thousand m3.
b Thousand tonnes.

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