Papua New Guinea - Forestry

Forests and woodlands covered about 67% of the land area in 2000. Exploitable forests account for roughly 40% of the total land area and include a great variety of hardwood and softwood species. The total roundwood production in 2000 was 8,597,000 cu m (303.5 million cu ft), as compared with about 7,058,000 cu m (249 million cu ft) in 1981. About 64% of all the timber cut in 2000 was used for fuel; production of sawn timber was estimated at 218,000 cu m (7.70 million cu ft). Plywood, hardwoods, and logs are regularly exported to Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and Europe.