Lesser Known Timber Species (LKTS)

Eli Prins, Andries Polinder, Mark van Benthem,  november 2025

Lesser Known Timber Species (LKTS) are underutilized timber species with market potential. LKTS are becoming more important to forest managers each year, because the harvesting of only a limited amount of ‘commercial species’ causes overharvesting in some regions, reducing species’ abundance. This is already a serious threat to the business case of sustainable forest management for some forest managers. Bringing LKTS to market can be risky, but can also be a business opportunity for both forest managers and timber traders.

Probos has developed an infosheet to highlight the opportunity of LKTS. The one-pager describes how LKTS uptake can be stimulated, and includes conditions for LKTS production to go hand in hand with sustainable forest management.