The Impact of Log Export Restrictions on China's Log Import

Many countries have implemented various types of restrictions on the export of logs to protect their forest resources. This paper examines the impact of log export restrictions in 38 countries on China's log import by using the gravity model. The results show that the GDP, the relative abundance of forest resources, and WTO membership of an exporting country as well as the exchange rate positively affect China's log import. The per capita GDP of an exporting country, its distance to China, and log export restrictions had negative impacts on its log export to China. There are differences in the magnitude of the impact among different types of restrictions: complete ban > conditional ban > time-limited ban > export tariff.