Environmentally optimal wood use in Switzerland—Investigating the relevance of material cascades

Mehr, Jonas; Vadenbo, Carl; Steubing, Bernhard; Hellweg, Stefanie

doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.12.026

Cited by 55 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The best climate change mitigation effect is achieved when wood is converted into long-lived products that are suitable for wood cascading, where the same wood unit is used in several, successive product cycles. Forest conservation concepts with the aim of maximizing the carbon storage in the tree biomass are less effective when accounting for the risk of damages by natural disturbances [14][15][16][17][18][19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategies for Climate-Smart Forest Management in Austria

Jandl

Ledermann

Kindermann

et al. 2018

Forests

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We simulated Austrian forests under different sustainable management scenarios. A reference scenario was compared to scenarios focusing on the provision of bioenergy, enhancing the delivery of wood products, and reduced harvesting rates. The standing stock of the stem biomass, carbon in stems, and the soil carbon pool were calculated for the period 2010–2100. We used the forest growth model Câldis and the soil carbon model Yasso07. The wood demand of all scenarios could be satisfied within the simulation period. The reference scenario led to a small decrease of the stem biomass. Scenarios aiming at a supply of more timber decreased the standing stock to a greater extent. Emphasizing the production of bioenergy was successful for several decades but ultimately exhausted the available resources for fuel wood. Lower harvesting rates reduced the standing stock of coniferous and increased the standing stock of deciduous forests. The soil carbon pool was marginally changed by different management strategies. We conclude that the production of long-living wood products is the preferred implementation of climate-smart forestry. The accumulation of carbon in the standing biomass is risky in the case of disturbances. The production of bioenergy is suitable as a byproduct of high value forest products.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategies for Climate-Smart Forest Management in Austria

Jandl

Ledermann

Kindermann

et al. 2018

Forests

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“…The possible inclusion of albedo is an interesting advantage of GWP bio , as albedo can have a strong contribution on radiative forcing [138], but it is currently generally out of scope of most LCIA methods for global warming [55,68]. Examples of application of the GWP bio approach can be found in Røyne et al [94]; Skullestad et al [18]; Tellnes et al [148]; and Mehr et al [137].…”

Section: Gwp Bio a Metric-based Alternative To Dlcamentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Climate Change Impacts of Biogenic Carbon in Buildings: A Critical Review of Two Main Dynamic Approaches

et al. 2018

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Wood is increasingly perceived as a renewable, sustainable building material. The carbon it contains, biogenic carbon, comes from biological processes; it is characterized by a rapid turnover in the global carbon cycle. Increasing the use of harvested wood products (HWP) from sustainable forest management could provide highly needed mitigation efforts and carbon removals. However, the combined climate change benefits of sequestering biogenic carbon, storing it in harvested wood products and substituting more emission-intensive materials are hard to quantify. Although different methodological choices and assumptions can lead to opposite conclusions, there is no consensus on the assessment of biogenic carbon in life cycle assessment (LCA). Since LCA is increasingly relied upon for decision and policy making, incorrect biogenic carbon assessment could lead to inefficient or counterproductive strategies, as well as missed opportunities. This article presents a critical review of biogenic carbon impact assessment methods, it compares two main approaches to include time considerations in LCA, and suggests one that seems better suited to assess the impacts of biogenic carbon in buildings.

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“…Product or material flow related methods are in general based on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. Suter et al [35], Mehr et al [36], and Kayo et al [37] used a combined MFA and LCA approach to assess environmental impacts including potential effects from substitution and cascading for wooden material flows of Switzerland and Japan. Although having a system boundary comparable to the proposed monitoring concept, Suter, Steubing, and Hellweg [35] and Kayo, Dente, Aoki-Suzuki, Tanaka, Murakami, and Hashimoto [37] considered environmental impacts only up to the stage of semi-finished products.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Impacts occurring after the first processing stage and use are not covered. Mehr, Vadenbo, Steubing, and Hellweg [36] limited all material use only to a wooden house and did not consider its use phase. Softwood and hardwood lumber are not distinguished in all of these studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring Sustainability Effects of the Bioeconomy: A Material Flow Based Approach Using the Example of Softwood Lumber and Its Core Product Epal 1 Pallet

et al. 2020

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The transition of our current economic system towards a bioeconomy that is based on renewable materials and energy can be an important contribution but at the same time a threat to mitigate the challenges of the 21st century, such as global warming and resource depletion. To assess societal, economic, and environmental impacts associated with this transition, we propose an approach for a sustainability assessment as an integral part of a future bioeconomy monitoring concept. The assessment approach is based on material flow analyses of the bioeconomy and their core products. As a proof of applicability, the proposed assessment approach is exemplified for the material flow of softwood lumber and its core product ‘EPAL 1 pallet’. To simulate a frequent monitoring, material flow analysis and assessment of six sustainability effects are applied for the years 2010 and 2015. Since a frequent bioeconomy monitoring requires regularly updated and quality assured data, official statistics should be the major source of information. Whereas cutoff thresholds, nondisclosure of data, and high level of aggregation are major limitations of official production statistics and for material flow analysis, lack of information regarding environmental effects is the major limitation for material flow related sustainability assessment. We make suggestions on how to overcome these limitations and put our approach in to context with other ongoing monitoring activities.

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Environmentally optimal wood use in Switzerland—Investigating the relevance of material cascades

Cited by 55 publications

References 42 publications

Strategies for Climate-Smart Forest Management in Austria

Strategies for Climate-Smart Forest Management in Austria

Assessing the Climate Change Impacts of Biogenic Carbon in Buildings: A Critical Review of Two Main Dynamic Approaches

Monitoring Sustainability Effects of the Bioeconomy: A Material Flow Based Approach Using the Example of Softwood Lumber and Its Core Product Epal 1 Pallet

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