A Successful Workshop on Forest Products Statistics in China
Download Workshop proceedings 
The FAO, in collaboration with International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and Asia-Pacific Forest Network for Sustainable Management and Rehabilitation (APFNet), conducted the first joint workshop on China’s Forest Products Statistics from 1-3 April 2013 in Haikou, China.
The workshop brought key stakeholders together, including major national and provincial governmental statistical officials from China State Forestry Administration (SFA), national timber and forest products experts from the Chinese Forestry Academy (CFA), and representatives from China National Forest Products Industry Association (CNFPIA), the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), APFNet, the ITTO, and the FAO, to exchange and discuss knowledge, experiences and challenges on forest products statistics in China. More than 40 participants attended the workshop. Representatives from the 17 major forestry provinces and 4 forest enterprises were mostly middle or senior level government statistician with long experience in the compilation of forest products statistics in China.
In particular, the following topics/areas were covered during the workshop:
• Importance and outputs of international forest products statistics reporting
• China’s legal and organizational framework regarding forest products statistics
• The customs’ perspective on China’s forest products trade data collection
• How forest products statistics are compiled and reported in China
• Current situation of forest products statistics collection and reporting mechanism at the provincial levels
• Wood fibre supply and demand in China
• Current status and trend of China’s forest industry
• Production and trade of wood-based panels
• Gaps in data collection, definition, compilation, statistical criteria, and reporting.
The workshop was successful in improving communication and strengthening cooperation between forest products statistics providers in China and the international reporting agencies as the FAO and the ITTO. Furthermore, follow-up actions were proposed to improve the reliability and accuracy of forest products statistics in China.
Links:
Workshop website