Three stories this week. One is about paperwork that may hide where timber really comes from. One is about satellites checking forest carbon claims. And one is a reminder that "wood demand" is not one market.
Indonesia holds 23 containers of suspect merbau in Surabaya
On 20–21 October, the Indonesian Navy and East Java forestry enforcement officers inspected 37 containers on a ship at Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya. According to West Papua Voice, 23 held processed timber that forestry officials identified as merbau, valued at about Rp5.5 billion. Investigators suspect it came from illegal logging in Nabire, Papua Tengah. Wood Central reports the case as suspected timber laundering.
As of 22 October, no suspect had been named and no legal finding made. Investigators are still checking the timber's origin, its documents and who handled the shipment.
Sources: Wood Central: Timber laundering suspected in Papuan merbau shipment · West Papua Voice
Satellites sharpen the checks on forest carbon in the Congo Basin
The European Space Agency's Biomass satellite, launched in April 2025, uses radar to map forest structure and estimate how much carbon a forest stores. Citing Reuters, African Sustainability Matters reports that it passes over parts of the Congo rainforest about every three days. Registries and verifiers can use this kind of data to compare forest loss inside a project area with the wider region.
The same report notes that a Verra review found the Kariba REDD+ project in Zimbabwe had issued more than twice as many credits as it should have. It also cites Sylvera data: higher-rated avoided-deforestation credits traded at about $7 a tonne, against an average of $26.10 for higher-rated reforestation credits. The article adds that satellite data alone cannot guarantee higher prices or more investment.
Source: African Sustainability Matters (citing Reuters)
Austria: fibrewood in demand, spruce sawlogs under pressure
The Austrian Chamber of Agriculture's October wood market report, as summarised by Fordaq, describes brisk demand for industrial wood, especially fibrewood used by paper and panel makers. Demand for softwood sawlogs remains subdued, because weak Austrian construction and difficult export markets have cut demand for sawn softwood.
Sawlog prices are under moderate pressure and have been adjusted in some regions, though not uniformly across the country. Larch demand still exceeds supply. The report also points to EU deforestation regulation (EUDR) obligations that begin on 30 December 2026.
Source: Fordaq: Austria sees firm industrial-wood demand as spruce sawlogs weaken
My take
Satellite images always increase confidence in any project. Try to get them from any company you wish to cooperate with. Wood demand always remains high. It seems that timber is an asset that is still missing from the market.
I'm a long-term tree-plantation investor, not a forestry scientist or a licensed financial adviser. I earn referral commissions from a plantation company I work with. Nothing in this digest is investment advice. Always read the original sources.
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