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6 MARKET BEATS JAN/FEB 2026 FDM ASIA | www.fdmasia.com
Sailko actual forest cover, or areas densely populated with trees.
As a result, total wood exports to the Philippines amounted
to $832 million in 2024, with China accounting for over half
of the market share at $439 million.
The US was the seventh-largest exporter to the country
during the same period, representing three percent of the total.
With a value of $22 million, the US shipped sawn, chipped,
sliced, or peeled pine and other coniferous wood, cooperage
products, non-coniferous veneer sheets, cross-sections of pine,
sawn, chipped, sliced, or peeled oak wood, and pallets to the
country in the year of 2024.
The USDA expects exports to remain on an upward
More than half of the exports for the year consist of trajectory in 2026 and beyond as demand for hardwood
softwood lumber, which is commonly used in construction and glue-laminated wood rises. Both wood varieties are also
and furniture manufacturing. commonly used in construction.
The foreign agency said the country saw higher consumption
of this wood variety due to a revival in demand for condominium Italy's wood and furniture exports maintain stability
units after previously facing a large surplus. despite global uncertainty
“High-end condominiums and hotel residences are increasingly The Italian wood and furniture sector is proving resilient in a
in demand, driven by wealthy empty nesters and expats living still complex international environment.
in Metro Manila,” the report read. After a 4.7 percent decline in exports in August 2025 alone,
Such demand is pushing developers to focus more on the first eight months of the year remained essentially stable:
premium living spaces that incorporate ergonomic and natural the total value reached €12.7 billion, a slight decrease of 0.2
designs, which typically require high-quality imported wood percent. This is according to data from the FederlegnoArredo
products. research center, based on Istat, as reported by montenapodaily.
In addition, growth in 2025 was also supported by public com.
infrastructure projects aligned with the government’s sustainability In the manufacturing sector, the furniture industry is
objectives, including airports that incorporate sustainable wood returning to growth. Industrial production rose by 4.3 percent
and engineered timber in their designs. in October, continuing the positive trend seen between January
As the country increasingly embraces sustainable practices, and October 2025 (+4.1 percent).
the need for wood products is expected to rise, although This turnaround follows two difficult years—2023 and
local production will likely remain insufficient to meet demand. 2024—which were marked by significant declines after demand
Despite having one of the most diverse forest ecosystems in had been exceptionally high in the first two years after the
the world, the country faces deforestation and land degradation pandemic.
due to shifting cultivation, land use conversion, forest fires, 2025 is therefore likely to be a year of return to more
illegal logging, and demand for fuelwood. normal levels, with the domestic market appearing to play a
The USDA estimates that out of the total land area of 30 key role, thanks in part to the continued implementation of
million hectares (ha), only seven million ha are considered construction support measures.

