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The Timber Footprint of the German Bioeconomy—State of the Art and Past Development

Author

Listed:
  • Vincent Egenolf

    (Sustainable Resource Futures Group (SURF), Center for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), University of Kassel, 34117 Kassel, Germany)

  • Gibran Vita

    (Sustainable Resource Futures Group (SURF), Center for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), University of Kassel, 34117 Kassel, Germany
    Environmental Sciences, Open University of the Netherlands, 6419 AT Heerlen, The Netherlands)

  • Martin Distelkamp

    (Gesellschaft für Wirtschaftliche Strukturforschung, 49080 Osnabrück, Germany)

  • Franziska Schier

    (Thünen Institut für Internationale Waldwirtschaft und Forstökonomie, 21031 Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany)

  • Rebekka Hüfner

    (Sustainable Resource Futures Group (SURF), Center for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), University of Kassel, 34117 Kassel, Germany)

  • Stefan Bringezu

    (Sustainable Resource Futures Group (SURF), Center for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), University of Kassel, 34117 Kassel, Germany)

Abstract

The article gives a comprehensive overview of the roundwood equivalents (RE) consumed in the German bioeconomy from Germany and abroad between 1995 and 2015, i.e., the Timber Footprint of final Consumption (TFP con ). The calculation is based on an adapted version of Exiobase 3.4. The sustainability of roundwood procurement for the TFP con is assessed. A systematic embedding of the tree compartments considered in the TFP in the context of national forest inventories and material flow analysis is presented. The results show that, in 2015, the total volume of the TFP con of Germany is 90 Mm 3 (slightly above the 1995 level) and is composed of 61% coniferous and 39% non-coniferous wood. Germany is strongly dependent on roundwood sourced from abroad and thus was a net importer of RE in 2015. Among the 17 countries with the largest supply of RE for the TFP con , around one third very likely include large shares of roundwood procured from deforestation or clear-cutting. The self-sufficiency rate in 2015 was only 76%. It would be possible to increase domestic roundwood production by 8–41% (mainly in the hardwood sector) without exceeding the sustainability limits as defined in the WEHAM scenarios.

Suggested Citation

  • Vincent Egenolf & Gibran Vita & Martin Distelkamp & Franziska Schier & Rebekka Hüfner & Stefan Bringezu, 2021. "The Timber Footprint of the German Bioeconomy—State of the Art and Past Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-19, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:7:p:3878-:d:527838
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    1. Aikaterini Paltaki & Anastasios Michailidis & Fotios Chatzitheodoridis & Konstantinos Zaralis & Efstratios Loizou, 2021. "Bioeconomy and Livestock Production Nexus: A Bibliometric Network Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-12, November.

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