The global forest products industry is slowly recovering from the economic crisis, with the Asia-Pacific region and particularly China taking the lead. New data published by FAO indicate that on average global production of the main forest products grew by 1 to 4 percent in 2011 compared to 2010 showing that countries are slowly coming out of recession. Production of wood-based panels and paper in 2011, for example, was above the pre-crisis levels of 2007 and appears to be growing relatively strong in most regions, whereas global production of industrial roundwood despite an increase of 3 percent in 2011 over the figure for 2010 has not so far reached the pre-crisis levels. In the markets for pulp and paper, overall growth was very modest over the period 2007-2011, with a growth trend of about one percent per year. However, this conceals major differences at the regional level, where pulp and paper production and consumption is increasing significantly in the Asia-Pacific region, but generally declining in Europe and North America.