Jun 07, 2007. /Lesprom Network/. During 2006, imports of tropical sawn timber to Spain declined by 27% to 390 894 cubic meters, and dropped in value by 23.5% or Euro 164.6 million, ITTO reported. The figures revealed that imports of sawn timber from Africa, which accounted for 62% of Spanish imports, declined by 27% to 241 025 cubic meters. Imports declined from Cameroon by 28%, Brazil by 31%, Ivory Coast by 26%, Republic of Congo by nearly half, and Gabon by 4%. Following the trend for sawn timber, roundwood imports from Africa also decreased by 22%. While there was an increase in supply by 9% from the Central African Republic, imports from other African countries were in decline. In particular, imports from Republic of Congo decreased by 14%, Gabon by 39%, and Cameroon by 17%. These trends followed general trends in Europe for 2006, where declines were reported for both tropical logs and sawnwood. However, Spain’s trends showed greater decline than the European average (17% decline for logs and 21% for sawnwood). The greater than average trends in Spain were caused by strong competition from Chinese timber imports and supply shortages for meranti wood from South East Asia.