T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s forest products sector is looking for ways to make better use of its industrial base and forest resources, with recycling, higher-value production, timber construction and lower raw-material costs emerging as the main themes at the first ORS\u0130AD Workshop Series held during Intermob 2026 in Istanbul.<\/p>\n
The Future of the Forest Products Industry Workshop, organised by ORS\u0130AD Newspaper<\/em> with the support of Reed T\u00fcyap Fuarcilik, was held on September 17 at the T\u00fcyap Fair Convention and Congress Centre. It was the first of three workshops devoted to the sector and brought together representatives of the General Directorate of Forestry (OGM), industry associations, universities and companies. Discussions ranged from forest resources and wood-based panels to certification, the EU Deforestation Regulation, recycling and the wider use of timber in construction.<\/p>\n Recycling moves higher up the agenda<\/strong><\/p>\n Tevfik Dedeba\u015f, board member and adviser at the MDF and Particleboard Industrialists Association (YOMSAD), put recycling and raw-material efficiency at the centre of the debate. He said European markets had advanced further in the use of recovered wood, while T\u00fcrkiye, and particularly its particleboard industry, still had room to improve the use of recycled material.<\/p>\n Dedeba\u015f placed the discussion in the context of the size of the Turkish wood and furniture industry. He said the wider sector is worth more than $21 billion and generates over $6 billion in exports, making it one of the relatively few industries in T\u00fcrkiye with a positive trade balance. Global MDF and particleboard\/OSB production is estimated at around 215 million cubic m, with T\u00fcrkiye among the world\u2019s major particleboard producers and the second-largest MDF producer after China. T\u00fcrkiye also accounts for roughly 13% of global flooring production, rising to around 17% when overseas subsidiaries are included.<\/p>\n Raw-material costs remain one of the sector\u2019s weakest points. Dedeba\u015f said wood prices in T\u00fcrkiye increased by 189% in 2022, against national inflation of 64%. He cited wood costs of more than \u20ac100 in T\u00fcrkiye, compared with \u20ac27 in Russia, \u20ac40 in the US, \u20ac68 in Germany and \u20ac56 in Austria. In his view, the gap continues to weigh on the competitiveness of Turkish manufacturers in export markets.<\/p>\n Certification gives T\u00fcrkiye a strong base, but commercial gains remain limited<\/strong><\/p>\n Fatma Tayci, value chain specialist at FSC T\u00fcrkiye, highlighted the scale of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s production base and its existing certification infrastructure.<\/p>\n According to Tayci, T\u00fcrkiye ranks second globally and first in Europe in MDF production and represents around 45% of the Eastern European market for wood-based products. She also said T\u00fcrkiye has the world\u2019s second-largest FSC-certified forest area after Sweden. Around 14 million hectares are FSC certified, covering 17 of the country\u2019s 30 regional forestry directorates, while approximately 1,000\u20131,184 companies hold FSC certification.<\/p>\n Despite that position, she argued that T\u00fcrkiye has not yet converted its production capacity and certification base sufficiently into commercial value, stronger exports and growth. Greater cooperation between companies, universities and public institutions would be needed to close that gap.<\/p>\n The EU Deforestation Regulation was another major topic. Tayci said large producers would be affected from December 2026 and smaller producers from June 2027. Turkish companies may not always fall directly under the regulation, she noted, but the country\u2019s role as an important supplier to the European market means that the effects will still reach Turkish producers through their customers and supply chains.<\/p>\n The industry looks beyond raw panels<\/strong><\/p>\n Naci G\u00fcng\u00f6r, marketing director at Alim Group, argued that T\u00fcrkiye should make more of the industrial infrastructure it already has rather than focusing mainly on expanding commodity panel production.<\/p>\n T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s wood-based panel industry accounts for around 5% of global production, while the country\u2019s edgebanding industry represents roughly 10% of worldwide demand. G\u00fcng\u00f6r said closer cooperation between panel manufacturers and the furniture sector could make better use of that position.<\/p>\n He also pointed to the post-pandemic shift towards nearshoring as an opportunity for Turkish producers. Rather than supplying panels alone, companies could strengthen their position by selling more complete solutions combining panels with complementary products such as edgebanding.<\/p>\n G\u00fcng\u00f6r proposed joint projects between YOMSAD and the Federation of Furniture Associations, MOSFED, and called for a stronger recycling infrastructure. In his view, future raw material should come not only from forests but increasingly from cities. He suggested collection centres, plantation projects involving OGM and universities and furniture take-back schemes similar to those already used by IKEA in Europe.<\/p>\n The same principle applies to product development. G\u00fcng\u00f6r argued that the industry should focus less on adding conventional raw panel capacity and more on higher-value products with improved resistance to scratching, moisture, bending and fire. He estimated that the economically viable export radius for raw panels is around 700 km, making higher-value products increasingly important for reaching distant markets such as the US.<\/p>\n He said he was \u201ccautiously optimistic about 2027\u201d, with a recovery possible if interest rates continue to fall and geopolitical conflicts do not spread further.<\/p>\n Calls for deeper structural change<\/strong><\/p>\n M Celalettin Ak\u00e7a, chairman of the National Wood Association (UAB), argued that T\u00fcrkiye needs broader structural reform if it is to extract more economic value from its forest resources.<\/p>\n He estimated the annual value of the Turkish wood sector at \u20ac12\u201315 billion, while noting that there are no official statistics covering total industry revenue. Germany, by comparison, generates around \u20ac200 billion from forest products.<\/p>\n Ak\u00e7a also referred to OGM\u2019s T\u00fcrkiye Forestry Programme, which is being developed through regional workshops and is intended to guide the sector over the next 20 years.<\/p>\n He cited Poland and Vietnam as examples of countries that have expanded their wood industries through solid wood furniture, design and innovation. Rather than competing only by producing familiar materials at lower cost, he argued that companies need to pay more attention to what products and solutions markets will require in the future.<\/p>\n Timber construction seen as an underused opportunity<\/strong><\/p>\n Dr Demet S\u00fcr\u00fcc\u00fc, founding director of Bah\u00e7e\u015fehir University\u2019s Wood Construction Application and Research Centre, called for a more integrated approach connecting forestry, manufacturing, design and construction.<\/p>\n She pointed out that several of the world\u2019s largest wood-producing countries \u2014 including the US, Canada, Russia, China and Brazil \u2014 also have large timber construction markets. The US builds around 1.5 million timber homes annually, while Canada constructs roughly 550,000\u2013600,000, including light timber-frame buildings of between two and eight storeys.<\/p>\n S\u00fcr\u00fcc\u00fc argued that recycling should develop alongside upcycling and higher-value timber production. She described the conversion of timber into products such as glulam and cross-laminated timber as a way of moving material into higher-value structural applications.<\/p>\n She questioned why T\u00fcrkiye, despite having significant forest resources and certification levels comparable in some respects with Sweden, has not developed structural timber production to the same extent. Stockholm Wood City, now under construction in Sweden, was cited as an example of the scale timber construction can reach.<\/p>\n Education and design will also be important. Bah\u00e7e\u015fehir University has offered the elective course Contemporary Timber Structures and Structural Systems<\/em> every semester for the past five years. S\u00fcr\u00fcc\u00fc also described T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s hosting of COP31 as an opportunity to promote timber construction internationally and expressed the hope that the event could support the development of a \u201cwood declaration\u201d.<\/p>\n OGM details T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s forest resource and production base<\/strong><\/p>\n B\u00fclent G\u00fcne\u015f, deputy head of the operations and marketing department at the General Directorate of Forestry, provided figures on T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s forest resources and OGM\u2019s production system.<\/p>\n T\u00fcrkiye has around 23.4 million hectares of forest and approximately 1.8 billion cubic m of growing stock. Annual forest increment in 2026 is around 51 million cubic m, while roughly 34 million cubic m is included in production. According to G\u00fcne\u015f, this means about 60% of estimated annual increment is currently being utilised.<\/p>\n OGM itself has annual wood production capacity of around 32 million cubic m and annual sales revenue of approximately $1.6 billion. More than 90% of its revolving-fund budget comes from wood sales. G\u00fcne\u015f stressed that OGM operates on a balanced-budget basis rather than for profit.<\/p>\n Around 55% of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s forests are currently FSC certified, with OGM aiming to bring all production forests under certification by 2028.<\/p>\n Digitalisation is also continuing through the second phase of OGM\u2019s ORB\u0130S Forest Information System. A barcode-based system is planned to provide product traceability and help prepare the sector for EUDR requirements. Around 65% of OGM sales are now conducted electronically, following the introduction of e-sales during the pandemic.<\/p>\n Timber construction also enters OGM\u2019s programme<\/strong><\/p>\n OGM is supporting timber construction through a Global Environment Facility-backed project in the earthquake region. According to G\u00fcne\u015f, around 150,000 sq m of building area has so far been completed using timber structural systems, including the Osmaniye Forestry Operations Directorate building.<\/p>\n At the same time, he acknowledged complaints over OGM wood prices and said part of the problem lies in the organisation\u2019s structural costs. Around 49% of sales revenue is paid directly to producers and workers as production costs. Since 2019, 15% of revenue has also been transferred annually to the Ministry of Treasury and Finance. In addition, 28,000 of OGM\u2019s 48,000 employees are paid through the revolving fund.<\/p>\n G\u00fcne\u015f said these structural costs would have to be addressed if wood prices are to move towards more competitive levels. He also stressed that greater utilisation of forest resources has to remain compatible with conservation, forest management plans, certified production and sustainable forest management criteria.<\/p>\n More value from the existing base<\/strong><\/p>\n The workshop ultimately exposed a common concern running through very different parts of the Turkish forest products sector: T\u00fcrkiye already has a sizeable industrial base, significant forest resources and unusually strong certification coverage, but much of the debate is now shifting towards how to extract more value from what is already available.<\/p>\n For panel producers, that means more recycling and higher-value products. For forestry, it means dealing with raw-material costs and making better use of the existing resource base. For construction, it means developing a domestic market for structural timber. And for OGM, it means combining higher efficiency and digital traceability with a cost structure that allows Turkish wood users to compete more effectively at home and abroad.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s forest products sector is looking for ways to make better use of its industrial base and forest resources, with recycling, higher-value production, timber construction and lower raw-material costs emerging as the main themes at the first ORS\u0130AD Workshop Series … Continue reading