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

Vincent Egenolf; Gibran Vita; Martin Distelkamp; Franziska Schier; Rebekka Hufner; Stefan Bringezu

doi:10.3390/su13073878

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

Vincent Egenolf, Gibran Vita, Martin Distelkamp, Franziska Schier, Rebekka Hufner, Stefan Bringezu

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

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 Mm³ (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.

Original language	English
Article number	3878
Number of pages	19
Journal	Sustainability
Volume	13
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073878
Publication status	Published - Apr 2021

Keywords

Environmental input&#8211
Environmental monitoring
Output analysis
Resource footprints
Roundwood equivalents
Supply security
Sustainable consumption and production
Environmental input-output analysis

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10.3390/su13073878

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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 (TFPcon). The calculation is based on an adapted version of Exiobase 3.4. The sustainability of roundwood procurement for the TFPcon 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 TFPcon of Germany is 90 Mm3 (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 TFPcon, 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.",

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

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