CHINA – The authorities in China are working to improve air quality through monitoring and control of industrial enterprises according to information from ITTO (International Tropical Timber Organization).

Currently, inspection teams from the Ministry of Environmental Protection have been assigned to Beijing and Tianjin and 26 other cities in Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi and Henan Provinces. Inspection and monitoring will be carried out in each city during 2017 according to information provided in the Air Pollution Prevention and Supervision Scheme. Inspections of wood based panel producers are underway and the sector is expected to undergo a major transformation as it moves to meet national environment standards and realizes green development.

The downside to the strict environmental regulations is that panel prices have started to rise as factory output falls and as some factories are forced to close.