The rapid increase in consumption of paper in C

The rapid increase in consumption of paper in China has resulted in significant amounts of fiber being imported by China. The need to import fiber is a result of the lack of Chinese forest resources. The demand for fiber in China has influenced the price and availability of global supplies of virgin and recycled fiber. While China is investing heavily in reforestation efforts, fiber from domestic sources will not be available for some time.

Attendant with the increase in Chinese paper production is an increase in the Chinese demand for lumber. This demand results from the rapid growth of the furniture and construction products industries in China. In the article “China and the Global Market for Forest Products,” by A. White et al., (available at: http://www.forest-trends.org/documents/public...Trends.pdf ), the authors note that China has become the world’s wood workshop. The production of furniture, wood moldings, flooring, plywood and structural lumber has increased dramatically. Much of the furniture and wood products end up as exports to the US and EU. Between 1997 and 2005 exports of manufactured wood products to those two markets increased 700 to 900%! Production of plywood went from2.6 million cubic meters in 1994 to 21.0 million cubic meters in 2004. China is now the global leader in supplying plywood to the rest of the world! This appetite for wood and fiber will continue to strain resources and provide upward pressure on fiber prices whether it is in the form of timber or pulp for paper and board products.

In British Columbia there are up to 20 million underwater trees. Worldwide there are likely more than 35,000 square kilometers of submerged forests. It is estimated that over 100 billion board feet are contained in submerged forests. While it is not likely that this wood would be used for making paper pulp, by using it for solid wood products, it could relieve the pressure on wood for pulping.

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