* Global trade in forest products grew from US$ 80 billion in 1985 to US $152 billion in 1995.

* Trade in forest products has declined since 1995 due to the Asian crisis and lower pulp & paper prices.

* The focus of trade has tended to shift from logs to processed products. No new markets for logs are likely.

* The volume of plywood exports increased 73% between 1987 and 1997.

* Malaysia increased its share of plywood exports from 6% to 18%, while Indonesia lost market share.

* Wood pulp exports from Brazil, Chile, and Indonesia rose sharply over the last decade, while Scandinavian exports declined.

* South Africa has substantially higher forest product exports than any other African nation.

* Despite a dramatic decline in logging in Russia, log exports have gone up due to plummeting domestic demand.

* Furniture trade has become big business. US wood furniture imports went from US$1.5 billion in 1992 to $4.0 billion in 1998.

If this kind of information appeals to you, you will probably enjoy a recent paper by Bob Flynn titled ’Global Forest Products Trade Trends & Their Impact on Asia’.