{"id":37547,"date":"2024-11-06T12:03:03","date_gmt":"2024-11-06T11:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/srfb.be\/?p=37547"},"modified":"2024-11-19T16:24:34","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T15:24:34","slug":"larrivee-de-nouvelles-reglementations-inquiete-la-filiere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/srfb.be\/en\/2024\/11\/06\/larrivee-de-nouvelles-reglementations-inquiete-la-filiere\/","title":{"rendered":"The arrival of new regulations is worrying the industry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This is not a new phenomenon, but it seems to be accelerating at an alarming rate. Government departments and influential groups are multiplying the number of standards and regulations, causing a growing lack of understanding among economic players. The resulting loss of competitiveness is impacting on the dynamism of the entire industry. Against this backdrop, the European regulation on deforestation and forest degradation (RDUE) is due to be implemented shortly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Producers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While it is imperative to keep pace with changes in society, and without disputing the validity of most of the related demands, their implementation remains the responsibility of the producer (Natura 2000<\/a>Forestry Code, etc.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Politicians and public authorities do not always create new constraints for forest owners. Powerful lobbies can impose their vision on forestry companies and managers. For example, the FSC charter requires local or indigenous communities to have the right to intervene. Local communities refer to groups of people who live in or near forest areas and who depend on these forests for their subsistence, culture or general well-being, according to the FSC. These communities may include families, ethnic groups, villages, or communities with historical, economic, cultural or spiritual ties to the forest. In the field, group actions by people who interfere with the work of professionals are now increasingly common. At any moment, any work site or product flow between a buyer and a seller can be stopped by an organisation or a group of citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, in order to market wood products, distributors require manufacturers to certify their wood, which in Europe is represented by two well-known labels: the FSC<\/a> and the PEFC<\/a>. To guarantee the origin of the wood, a Silva Belgica<\/a> - 5\/2024 chain of custody has been put in place from the forest to the product on the shop shelves. Even if some malfunctions are reported in the media, the system has proved its worth over the last 20 years. Today, certification is an essential tool for both sustainable forest management and the timber trade. Over the years, the good practices to be followed have multiplied and require increased professionalism to be implemented by both producers and players in the timber industry. To maintain the motivation and interest of the forestry and timber industry, all new measures must be evaluated and realistic in their implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is against this backdrop that the new RDUE regulations are being applied.1<\/sup> (Regulation against deforestation and forest degradation). Each country must interpret this European rule and translate it into national law. This time, a new legal obligation is being introduced, with potentially heavy burdens for the forestry and timber sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For most of the countries concerned, the notion of forest degradation is a legal novelty that needs to be set in the local context. The definition of this notion will probably leave ample recourse to any organisation or group of activists and will further accentuate the legal insecurity of players in the timber and forestry industries. Here, timber traceability will have to be achieved by geolocating plots. Collecting this data is not currently technically feasible. Tracking timber during processing sometimes seems impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FORESTRY OPERATIONS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Belgium, access to the forestry profession is still largely unregulated. This is not the case in neighbouring countries. In both Germany and France, qualifications (often administrative) are required to work in the forest. It should be remembered that forest certification involves the responsibilities of all those involved, including forest managers (chain of custody).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managing the Regulation against Deforestation and Forest Degradation (RDUE) will require an additional administrative structure. Back home, the fear of seeing many small companies disappear is prompting manufacturers to look for technical solutions to help them comply with the RDUE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a simple solution is not found soon, many logging companies will find themselves outlawed. As a reminder, for each customer, each load of wood per forest plot will have to be encoded (with GPS coordinates) by the operator in a legal declaration system. The business is already difficult without adding these administrative tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the summer, forestry contractors tried to make up for months of rain. Thunderstorms, administrative constraints (e.g. delays in obtaining forest access permits during sensitive periods for flora and fauna) and staff shortages limited this catch-up. However, the sunny, warm start to the second half of the season helped to maintain a good level of activity in the forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In hardwoods, log felling is picking up slowly. Chinese buyers are not enthusiastic, although beech is selling well. As a result, industrial timber is rarer. It is worth noting that oak prices held steady at the first sale of the autumn season in Chimay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SAWMILLS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Softwood activity remained difficult this summer. Sawn timber exports to the USA have stalled. Business in Japan remains good, but nowhere near the level seen in the USA. The European construction market, particularly in Germany, is sluggish. Even though the selling price of materials, especially wood products, has fallen, the cost of construction has rocketed in recent years. The various regulations imposed on the construction sector are adding significantly to costs. In the current deteriorated economic climate, this is holding back many initiatives. The diagram on the following page shows the areas of recent regulation in the construction sector. Each area includes hundreds of regulations. The budgets devoted to standards represent an ever-increasing proportion of the cost of constructing a building. Studies and audits now account for an average of between 9% and 18% of the total cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Diagram:\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Panels<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Panel products are highly standardised, and for decades they have been subject to numerous standards. The origin of wood is becoming increasingly important. Certification plays a key role in market access. The British market was the first to impose forest certification almost 30 years ago. However, with Brexit, this market can now do without EC standards, and it seems to be moving away from these requirements (guaranteeing safety, conformity and quality) by importing panels manufactured in China, under social and environmental conditions that are certainly less strict than in Europe. Despite this, the Chinese panels are FSC-certified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PAPER STORES<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While business is good at the moment, European factories are worried. They see the EU RD as a new opportunity for producers outside Europe. In Asia and South America, wood resources, mainly provided by huge plantations (eucalyptus, pinus radiata), will not be affected by the EU RD, as they do not come from forests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The administrative procedures will be much simpler than in Europe, and therefore much less cumbersome and costly. The legal risk weighing on European producers will be incomparable to that weighing on South American or Asian producers. Failure to comply with the EUDR could result in heavy fines in Europe (4% of turnover).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ENERGY<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The constraints on wood supplies to power stations are increasing significantly. The implementation of RED2<\/sup>(European Directive on Renewable Energies) and then RED from 2026 will entail significant costs for mobilising biomass. The procedures will be very similar to the EU RD. The origin of the biomass will be increasingly controlled and the acceptance criteria will be ever stricter (and very often aligned with the specifications for PEFC or FSC certification), again increasing legal uncertainty. Some green energy players will no longer invest in biomass plants, preferring solar and wind power instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PEFC CERTIFICATION... NEW ADMINISTRATIVE CONSTRAINTS?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

by Marine R\u00e9zette, Forest Certification Manager - Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Royale Foresti\u00e8re de Belgique<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In July 2024, the new PEFC standards came into force for forest owners. One of the main concerns of forest owners is the increase in the administrative burden.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

TO BE CERTIFIED, AN OWNER MUST :<\/h3>\n\n\n\n