News in international markets

The European Commission said EUDR simplification measures have cut compliance costs by about 75%, while maintaining the regulation’s scope and timeline.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is disrupting timber supply chains, Robbert Jan Dekker, director of Dutch Royal Deckker, said.

Brazilian exports of wood-based products (excluding pulp and paper) totaled $226.1 million in March, down 34% from a year earlier, ITTO reported.

BTG Pactual TIG closed a $1.24 billion reforestation fund targeting 660,000 acres in Latin America, spanning conservation, restoration, and commercial tree farms.

UPM’s board approved a plan to spin off its plywood business into WISA Group, with completion targeted for October 31.

New Zealand and India signed a Free Trade Agreement reducing tariffs and expanding access to a fast-growing market of more than 700 million consumers by 2030.

Niagara Sawmilling has launched a NZ$115 million expansion, including a new sawmill, expected to more than double output and boost local timber processing.

Stiga RM commissioned a new birch plywood processing mill in Kuldīga, Latvia, investing 3.09 million euros to expand higher value-added production.

Ghamoud has launched Algeria’s first continuous particleboard plant, with 100,000 cubic meters of annual capacity.

BTG Pactual TIG raised $370 million in a first close for its newest core Latin America timberland strategy, targeting $1.5 billion for investments across Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil over five years.