Ingwald GSCHWANDTL Governments‘ Role in Wood Promotion Poiana Brasov/Romania, March 2003 Governments‘ Role in Wood Promotion by Ingwald Gschwandtl Federal

Ingwald GSCHWANDTL Governments‘ Role in Wood Promotion Poiana Brasov/Romania, March 2003

Governments‘ Role in Wood Governments‘ Role in Wood PromotionPromotion

bybyIngwald GschwandtlIngwald Gschwandtl

Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management and Water Management

Vienna/AustriaVienna/Austria


ContentContent• Why should a government promote wood?Why should a government promote wood?• What can a government do to promote wood? What can a government do to promote wood? • Austria as a caseAustria as a case

– forests and wood– research and education– representation, lobbying and communication– business co-operations and networks– legislation and standardisation– SFM– rural development– political agreements and strategies

• ConclusionsConclusions


Why Why should a government promote wood?should a government promote wood?

• limited resources limited resources • renewability and long term supplyrenewability and long term supply• economic, ecologic, social values of forestseconomic, ecologic, social values of forests• employment and incomeemployment and income• rural areasrural areas• carbon storagecarbon storage• sustainable developmentsustainable development• competition and substitution competition and substitution


What What can a government do to promote wood?can a government do to promote wood?

• develop the economydevelop the economy• protect the environmentprotect the environment• provide fair market conditionsprovide fair market conditions• correct socially or environmentally undesired market correct socially or environmentally undesired market

results, respecting market conformity results, respecting market conformity

• areas for activities and interventions are numerousareas for activities and interventions are numerous– legislation, research, education and training, institutional

capacities, economic and sustainable development strategies, natural resource management policies e. a.

• seek country specific solutionsseek country specific solutions


Austria as a CaseAustria as a Case


AustriaAustria

• population 8 miopopulation 8 mio• total area 8,4 mio hatotal area 8,4 mio ha• forests 3,9 mio ha 47%forests 3,9 mio ha 47%• 80% privately owned80% privately owned• 170.000 holdings, 170.000 holdings,

average size 15 haaverage size 15 ha• growing stock 2 bio cbmgrowing stock 2 bio cbm• 70% coniferous species70% coniferous species• increment 8,7 cbm/ha/yincrement 8,7 cbm/ha/y

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

annual

mio

cb

m

increment

felling


Forests and Wood in AustriaForests and Wood in Austria

EnterprisesEnterprises EmployeesEmployees

ForestryForestry 170.000170.000 8.0008.000

Saw millsSaw mills 1.5501.550 10.00010.000

FurnitureFurniture 9090 10.50010.500

BoardsBoards 1010 3.0003.000

Paper and PulpPaper and Pulp 3030 9.4009.400

Card boardsCard boards 100100 9.0009.000

CarpentersCarpenters 6.2006.200 42.00042.000

Roof ConstructionRoof Construction 1.5001.500 9.1009.100

ConstructionConstruction 128128 9.800 9.800


Austrian Wood Industries Austrian Wood Industries

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Annual Production in Mio Euro

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001


-0,5

0

0,5

1

1,5

Total EU East DC Oth.

2000

Trade Balance in Bio Euro

2000

2001

Austrian Wood IndustriesAustrian Wood Industries


Forests and Wood in AustriaForests and Wood in Austria• Research and EducationResearch and Education

– co-financed by public and private funds, complemented by commissioned projects

– Wood Research Austria (Holzforschung Austria)• research projects, tests and experiments, representation in

national and international standards committees, information and know-how transfer.

• special research focus ‘Wood Construction’

• Centre of Competency in Wood Technology’

• ‘HolzCert Austria’ specialised in chain of custody certification


Forests and Wood in AustriaForests and Wood in Austria• Research and EducationResearch and Education

– Wood Technicum Kuchl (Holztechnikum Kuchl)• ‘Specialised School for Saw Millers’

• ‘Technical High School’ with education branches in‘Wood Technology’, ‘Wood Design and Product Management’ and ‘Wood Construction’

– Universities• ‘University of Agricultural Sciences in Vienna (Universität für

Bodenkultur Wien)’ has ‘Institute for Wood Technology’ and branch of study in wood management

• ‘Technical Universities of Vienna and Graz (Technische Universität Wien, Technische Universität Graz)’,special programmes on wood construction for Structural Engineering


Forests and Wood in AustriaForests and Wood in Austria• Representation, Lobbying and CommunicationRepresentation, Lobbying and Communication

– establish or support institutions and mechanisms– legal or private basis– financial support minor, focus on know how transfer

– representations of interest in forestry• Provincial Chambers of Agriculture

(Landes-Landwirtschaftskammern) • Federal Association of Agricultural and Forestry Enterprises

(Hauptverband der Land- und Forstwirtschaftsbetriebe Österreichs)

• Farm Foresters Associations (Waldbauernverbände)• Austrian Forest Association (Österreichischer Forstverein)



– representations of interest in wood based industries• ‘Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (Bundeswirtschaftskammer)’

including ‘Austrian Wood Industries Association (Fachverband der Holzindustrie’

• ‘Association of Austrian Paper Industries (Austropapier – Vereinigung der österreichischen Papierindustrie)’

– co-operations of forestry and wood based industries• ‘proHolz Austria’

– co-operation between ‘Austrian Wood Industries Association’ and the ‘Standing Committee of the Presidents of the Austrian Chambers of Agriculture (Präsidentenkonferenz der Landwirtschaftskammern Österreichs)’

– marketing and communications organisation for wood, running campaigns regarding information, public relations and advertising within the sector and for a wider public, nationally and internationally



– co-operations of forestry and wood based industries• Co-operation Agreement Forest-Boards-Paper

(Kooperationsabkommen Forst-Platte-Papier, FPP)– formed by

Standing Committee of the Presidents of the Austrian Chambers of Agriculture,

Chip- and Fibreboard branch of the Wood Industries Association,

Association of Austrian Paper Industries (Austropapier)– platform– common approaches for the efficient use of forests and market

continuity– public relations concerning sustainable forest management and

sound use of wood


Forests and Wood in AustriaForests and Wood in Austria• Business co-operations and networksBusiness co-operations and networks

– wood clusters • ‘Holzcluster Salzburg’• ‘Holzclaster Steiermark’• ‘Holzcluster Niederösterreich’• ‘Holzcluster Oberösterreich’

• regional co-operation• small and medium size enterprises• increase competitiveness• through creating synergies, sharing of know how, information

and resources• some provincial governments have set up specific subsidies


Forests and Wood in AustriaForests and Wood in Austria• Legislation and StandardisationLegislation and Standardisation

– direct or indirect influences• building and fire prevention regulations

• waste management regulations

• water protection regulations

• transport regulations

– international standards


Forests and Wood in AustriaForests and Wood in Austria• Sustainable Forest ManagementSustainable Forest Management

– balance economic, environmental and social dimensions– wide acceptance– long term supply with goods and services

– well established legal, institutional, financial framework– continuously adapted to changing requirements– international commitments (MCPFE, IPF, IFF, CBD)– Austrian Forest Dialogue to develop forest programme

through participatory, transparent, cross-sectoral approach– certification



• Rural DevelopmentRural Development– National Rural Development Programme

based on (EC)1257/1999 regulation• better utilise potential of Austrian forests

• access roads

• forest owners co-operatives and networks

• innovation

• chain of production



• Political Agreements and StrategiesPolitical Agreements and Strategies

– Austrian Strategy for Sustainable Development• adopted in April 2002• prepared by working group of various governmental and

nongovernmental stakeholders• calls inter alia for

– promoting renewable materials and sources of energy– ecologically oriented taxreform

– international level• Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in

Europe – in particular Resolutions L1, Vienna 2 e.a. • UNFF, UN-CBD, UN-FCCC


ConclusionsConclusions• for economic,social and environmental reasons, for economic,social and environmental reasons,

governments have a role in wood promotiongovernments have a role in wood promotion• legal, institutional, financial framework is neededlegal, institutional, financial framework is needed

– SFM– research, education, training, innovation– legislation, taxes, subsidies– industrial, rural and sustainable development policies

• international agreements and processes could helpinternational agreements and processes could help• public investment needs a clear focuspublic investment needs a clear focus• comprehensive approaches, long term orientationcomprehensive approaches, long term orientation• no universal concept – country specific approaches no universal concept – country specific approaches


Thank you!Thank you!

Documents

Ingwald GSCHWANDTL Governments‘ Role in Wood Promotion Poiana Brasov/Romania, March 2003 Governments‘ Role in Wood Promotion by Ingwald Gschwandtl Federal