Wood

There is a lack of reliable data estimating the total global deforestation associated with the production of a diversified range of wood products (e.g. raw materials, wood fuel, pulp and paper, and furniture), but human activities such as overexploitation of wood, including for fuel and illegal or unsustainable logging are key drivers of forest loss worldwide. An AidEnvironment analysis of the European wood sector reveals that industrial logging is one of the most significant drivers of forest loss in Europe, despite its crucial role in climate mitigation, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity. In recent years, increasing demand for biomass as an energy source became a relevant pressure factor on forest resources in Europe. From the over 30 wood products covered under the European Union Deforestation Regulation, the top-5 largest imported wood products in the EU27 from non-EU countries include wood pulp (23% import share in 2024), fuel wood (22%), paper and paperboard (16%), round wood (13%), and sawn wood (5%). Brazil is one of the deforestation-risk origin countries of wood supplies to the EU, and AidEnvironment has connected likely illegal Brazilian timber cases to various European importing operators.