**1. Introduction**

Forests exist in four major climatic zones (boreal, temperate, subtropical, and tropical) (**Figure 1**). According to the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2020, the total area of forests globally amounted to 4.06 billion hectares, representing 31% of the total land area [1]. Meanwhile, the total global area of planted forests is estimated to be 294 million hectares, accounting for 7% of the world's forest area. Asia has the largest area of planted forests with 135.23 million hectares, accounting for 46% of the total global planted forest area, followed by Europe, North and Central America, South America, Africa, and Oceania.

Planted forests are usually defined as forests consisting primarily of planted and/ or intentionally seeded trees. Planted forests can provide benefits for traditional timber and fiber production, economic development, and employment in rural areas [2], while they can serve as a key means of combating climate change, restoring degraded land, and maintaining sustainable ecosystems in the short to medium term [3, 4]. In a broader geographic and economic context, well-managed planted forests contribute to sustainable development toward a forest-based circular bioeconomy and healthy ecosystems [5].

Wood is one of the traditional materials used in construction applications, and there is a wide range of engineered wood products (EWPs) available for construction, from sawn lumber to structural lumber. Light-frame systems are the most common type of wood-frame construction, using EWPs such as dimension lumber, placed at regular intervals and fastened together to form floor, wall, stair and roof members. Due to cost advantages, timeliness, and convenience, light-frame wood construction is commonly used in single-family homes, multi-unit dwellings, commercial buildings, and light industrial buildings. Construction costs and lead times are lower than traditional methods because more and more structural components are prefabricated in factories and often shipped to the jobsite along with plumbing fixtures, electrical systems, paints, flooring accessories, and other materials.

The development of wood-frame construction has been uneven globally, with major concentrations in North America, Australia, Japan, and some countries in South-East Asia. In developing countries, although wood is still considered a typical building material, there are a number of constraints that hinder the development of EWPs, such as consumer perception bias, which is usually associated with deforestation; high costs, which are higher when EWPs or more modern building systems are used; a lack of professional builders, who are accustomed to masonry and concrete buildings; and a lack of special regulations and standards. Nevertheless, some changes

**Figure 1.** *Global forest distribution by climatic domain [1].*

can be observed, especially in some developing countries with high forest cover. In Brazil, for example, the number of companies producing EWPs continues to grow, and the strong links between civil engineering and forestry have resulted in more wood-frame construction.
