One of the data services EFI offers to its network is the Forest Products Trade Flow Database. This database provides information on bilateral trade flows between 200 countries and any of their trade partners for over 300 forest-based products between 2005 and 2015. The data are being kept regularly up-to-date and new ‘cleaned-up’ data are added as soon as the raw data become available from UN COMTRADE. The original data, which is based on UN Comtrade, contains some missing or erroneous trade flows. Using various estimation methods, it has been possible to assess the plausibility of trade flows data and to re-estimate some of the missing information. The currently published methodology report describes an algorithm used to treat the data and its software implementation.
The algorithm used makes the data more reliable, as one of the database’s users, Ed Pepke, points out. Pepke, who works as Senior Timber Trade Analysis with the EU FLEGT Facility, and Associate in Forest Products Marketing and Policy at Dovetail Partners Inc. says: “There are many sources of trade statistics available, but many do not provide completely reliable data. EFI provides validated trade statistics. And that’s stats you can trust.”
Download the report here.
Full reference: Rougieux et al. 2017. The Forest Products Trade Flow Database – A reproducible method and tool to support the analysis of international forest products trade. EFI Technical Report 100, 2017.