Greenwood Management Welcomes Global Timber Price Recovery

Copenhagen, Denmark, April 29, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Sustainable Brazilian forestry management and investment firm Greenwood Management has welcomed the news that lumber prices are growing worldwide. The growth is largely thanks to demand from the Far-East, not the least in China and Japan.

The latest Wood Resource Quarterly report on lumber prices in the first quarter of 2011, showed that global wood consumption is up 20 per cent on the same period a year ago. This follows an overall 18 per cent rise in wood consumption across the whole of 2010 - showing recovery after the 50-year low the market had fallen to in the preceding years.

A spokesperson for Greenwood Management said, "China still has a seemingly insatiable demand for timber as it is vital as a raw material for its massive growth projects. It’s own sawmills can’t keep up with this demand and, as a result, US, South American and Asian timber prices are soaring."

Greenwood Management offers individuals and fund managers the opportunity to invest in existing Brazilian plantations of non-indigenous, sustainable crops used in the timber and charcoal markets domestically and all over the world. Demand from China has driven up returns for investors, Greenwood added.

Increased demand from China has seen the country’s imports of timber rise from two million cubic meters in 2006 to 9.4 million cubic meters last year. Forestry investors will be glad to hear that this trend is not about to slow down. The latest Wood Resource Quarterly figures show Chinese imports of timber in the first quarter of 2011 were 32 per cent higher than during the same period in 2010.

Now, wood prices in Asia, North America and Europe are at their highest levels for ten months, according to the quarterly review.

In addition to the rise in demand from China, all the major markets for timber increased imports last year. The US remains the biggest importer of timber and increased the amount imported by seven per cent, while Japan has increased imports by 15 per cent. The demand for timber in Japan is likely to continue to rise as it sets about the task of rebuilding homes and businesses in the wake of its devastating earthquake and tsunami earlier this year.

"All the signs point towards another strong year for the global forestry industry," stated Greenwood’s spokesperson.

He added, "We believe that investing in ethical forestry projects in emerging markets is a great way to support countries like Brazil while making the most of this much-anticipated growth period in the forestry industry."

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