No abstract

The bioeconomy focuses on the production of renewable biological resources and the utilisation of these resources and waste streams into value added products. One of the most important aims of the forest industry is the sustainable production of wood. Improved utilization of available industrial wood assortments generates profit for all in the supply chain. At the same time, it may ensure the production of long-life harvested wood products (HWP), and consequently, increase the volume of carbon stored. The objective of this study is to compare different scenarios of industrial wood utilization in Slovakia and the resulting impacts on the national carbon balance. In the proposed scenarios, we aimed to evaluate changes in the current utilization of domestic wood resources through optimizing harvested wood assortments. Two inventory stock methods were applied to determine the potential quality of domestic wood and its utilization through appropriate distribution of outputs. The model scenario assumes that the higher share of industrial roundwood utilised to produce long-life HWP (sawnwood, wood-based panels) will increase carbon sequestration in HWP. Other scenarios quantify the differences between the carbon volumes stored in HWP using the modelled wood assortment supplemented with alternatives with and without export. The results confirmed that increasing the level of carbon stored in HWP can be achieved by changing the wood assortment structure, while maintaining the same level of volume felled. The highest level of carbon stock was observed in the scenario assuming the optimal structure of wood assortments and no wood export. The scenario that optimized wood assortments and excluded wood exports resulted in the highest level of predicted carbon stock, estimated at 4.87 million tons (mil. tons).

Efficiency improvement is important for increasing the competitiveness of any sector and the same is essential for the forestry sector. A non-parametric approach -Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was used for the assessment of forestry efficiency. The paper presents the results of the efficiency evaluation of forestry in European countries using DEA. One basic and two modified models (labour and wood sale) were proposed, based on available input and output data from Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounts for Forests and specific conditions of forestry also. The sample size was 22 countries and the data for 2005-2008 was processed. Obtained results show average efficiency in the range of 69 -90% (depending on the model). Based on the results of the analysis following can be concluded: Slovak forestry achieved under average efficiency in comparison to other European countries, there were great differences in efficiency among individual countries; state of economy (advanced countries and countries with economy in transition) and region did not influence the efficiency statistically significant.