Demand for Indonesian Timber Far Outpaces Sustainable Supply, Study Says

More than 30 percent of wood used by Indonesia’s industrial forest sector stems from illegal sources rather than
deforestation for palm oil plantation
Deforestation in Aceh, Indonesia, for palm oil.
well-managed logging concessions or legal tree plantations, according to a new report based on data from industry and the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry. If Indonesian forestry industries operated at capacity, 41 percent of the wood supply would be illegal, the analysis found, and if companies were to go forward with plans for new mills, the supply would be 59 percent illegal. The source of this illegal wood is unclear, but the report suggests it is likely harvested by clear-cutting natural forests for new oil palm and pulp plantations. Part of the problem, the report says, is that Indonesia’s sanctioned forestry plantations — the country’s primary source of legal wood — are not currently sustainable because they are producing wood at only half the predicted rate.