This release analyses exports and imports of wood and paper products for 1995 to 2022. The microdata were received from the CSO Trade Division. The results will be used to complete an annual Joint Forest Sector Questionnaire. The JFSQ is an initiative of the International Tropical Timber Organization, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the Food and Agriculture Organization and Eurostat to collect statistics on the World timber situation.
The data are expressed in metric tonnes, cubic metres, and monetary value. Some products in the tables are measured in both tonnes and cubic metres while other products are only measured in tonnes.
The current reporting thresholds require traders, whose exports to EU countries in the previous twelve months exceeded €635,000, to make a detailed export return each month. Traders whose imports from EU countries in the previous twelve months exceeded €500,000 must make a detailed import return each month. All trade with non-EU countries must be reported.
Data for all years are subject to revision. The most likely revisions will arise from late returns or from an adjustment to the microdata by CSO Environment and Climate Division. There are small amounts of non-coniferous tropical wood in the exports figures and some of these may be mis-classifications or they may be products that were imported and subsequently exported.
An EU-wide system for collecting intra-EU trade statistics, Intrastat, was introduced in January 1993. The Intrastat survey is conducted by the Revenue Commissioners (VIMA Office). Larger traders make detailed monthly returns giving information on the quantity and value of all exports or imports with EU countries. All traders are required to record the total value of goods exported to and imported from other EU member states. Traders not registered for VAT and private individuals who move goods within the EU have no obligations under the Intrastat system, and their trade is therefore not included in CSO Trade statistics. Trade in Goods with non-EU countries is compiled mainly from the Single Administrative Document which is used for Customs clearance purposes.
The number of export and import transactions with Northern Ireland was impacted by Brexit. See Information Note on Revision to Trade with Northern Ireland September 2021 for more detailed information.
This release will be published on an annual basis.
The Combined Nomenclature (CN) is an eight-digit goods classification set up to meet the requirements both of the Common Customs Tariff and of the EU's external trade statistics. The CN is also used in intra-EU trade statistics. The CN subheading stated in declarations for imported and exported goods determines which rate of customs duty applies. CN codes are regularly updated. The JFSQ questionnaire provides guidelines on the correspondence between CN codes and JFSQ categories.
Trade data are collected in net mass (kg) for all products and in supplementary units (e.g. cubic metres, square metres, litres) for some products. The JFSQ provides guidance on typical conversion factors for forestry products such as sawlog and sawnwood. CSO Environment has used a mixture of the supplementary unit figures provided by traders and the guideline conversion factors provided by Eurostat. Recently felled log has a higher moisture content resulting in a lower cubic metres per tonne conversion factor than more seasoned or processed products such as sawnwood. The cubic metres per tonne conversion factor for log increases over time as the moisture content decreases.
The aggregate data for net mass and value is broadly similar to the CSO Trade Division microdata. Over the 1995 to 2022 period, there were 6.4 million monthly transactions at trading partner country level in the CSO Environment wood and paper dataset. Trade in wood and paper goods represents around 2% of the total monetary value of imports and around one half of a percent of the total monetary value of exports. Hence a very detailed analysis by CSO Trade Division of the monthly exports and imports transactions would not be warranted or possible within the time frame of their publication schedule.
The changes made by CSO Environment and Climate Division include the following:
Industrial Roundwood includes all roundwood except wood fuel. It includes imports and exports of sawlog, veneer log, pulpwood, stakewood, and other industrial roundwood.
Wood Fuel includes wood harvested from the main stems, branches and other parts of trees where these are harvested for fuel and wood that will be used for the production of charcoal, wood pellets and other agglomerates. It also includes wood chips to be used for fuel that were made in the forest from roundwood. It excludes wood charcoal, wood pellets and other agglomerates.
Other Biomass is a combination of the categories for Wood chips, particles and residues and Wood pellets and other agglomerates. It corresponds to the volume of roundwood that is left over after the production of forest products in the wood processing industry. It includes wood chips produced directly from roundwood in chipping mills. It includes wood waste and scrap not useable as timber such as sawmill rejects, slabs, edgings and trimmings, veneer log cores, veneer rejects, sawdust, residues from carpentry and joinery production, and wood residues that will be used for production of pellets, other agglomerated products or used for energy. It excludes wood chips made directly in the forest from roundwood.
Sawnwood is produced by sawing lengthways or by a profile-chipping process. It exceeds 6 mm in thickness. It includes sleepers, planks, beams, joists, boards, rafters, scantlings, laths, boxboards and lumber etc. It excludes wooden flooring and mouldings.
Veneer Sheets and Wood-Based Panels includes veneer sheets, plywood, particle board, oriented strand board, fibreboard, hardboard, medium and high density fibreboard, and other fibreboard
Pulp is a combination of Wood pulp and Other pulp. It includes mechanical and semi-chemical wood pulp, chemical wood pulp, dissolving wood pulp, and pulp made from recovered paper or from fibre other than wood.
Recovered Paper includes paper and paperboard that has been used for its original purpose and residues from paper and paperboard production.
Paper and Paperboard includes graphic papers, sanitary and household papers, packaging materials, and other paper and paperboard. It excludes manufactured paper products such as boxes, cartons, books and magazines, etc.
Secondary Wood Products includes further processed sawnwood, wooden wrapping and packaging material, wood products for domestic use, builders joinery and carpentry, wooden furniture, prefabricated wooden buildings, and other manufactured wood products. Example products include strips and friezes for parquet flooring, packing cases, boxes, crates, pallets, pallet collars, coopers products, wooden frames, tableware and kitchenware of wood; wood marquetry and inlaid wood, windows, doors, chairs, assembled parquet panels, wooden tools, and wood wool. It excludes bamboo-based products.
Secondary Paper Products includes all articles of paper ready for use. It excludes paper in rolls.
Wood Charcoal and Recovered Post-Consumer Wood have been excluded from this release as they both have relatively small volumes and are difficult to measure. Exports of Wood charcoal may have been previously imported rather than produced in Ireland. Recovered post-consumer wood does not include pallets, old wooden frames, etc. that were processed into wood biomass before being imported or exported.
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