• Ecuador

Overview of timber sector of Ecuador

304

million US dollars
of exportation (2019)

3

million m3
of logs (2017)

Production and processing

According to ITTO (2019) the Ecuadorian industry produced in 2017 about 3.0 million m3 of logs. Two thirds of the harvested wood in the country are destined for the commercial wood processing sector (Oliver, 2013).

In Ecuador, the demand for native timber from the country’s Amazon forests is mainly domestic, rather than export-based.

Export

The total export value of logs and primary timber products was 304 million US dollars in 2019. In 2018, logs were yet the most exported timber commodity (mostly teak logs from plantations, often squared), accounting for 60% of the export value, followed by sawnwood (23%), and plywood and veneer (17%).

Export volumes of higher value-added products are still small and these consist mainly of furniture and mouldings. As can be observed from the graph below, Ecuador’s timber is mainly exported to the neighbouring countries Peru and Colombia, and further to the USA, China and India.

 

Timber export Ecuador

Data table

  Production
(X 1000m3)
Imports
(X 1000m3)
Domestic consumption
(X 1000m3)
Exports
(X 1000m3)
logs 3.067 0 2.847 220
Sawnwood 514 8 412 111
Veneer 243 2 245 0
Plywood 487 1 453 35


ITTO (2019), data 2017