Can Europe’s forests satisfy the increasing
demand for raw material and energy
under sustainable forest management?
Joint press release issued with the Liaison Unit Warsaw of the Ministerial
Conference on the Protection of Forests
in Europe (MCPFE) and the Confederation
of European Paper Industries (CEPI)
Geneva, 23 January 2007 -- Wood is gaining an increasing attention,
in the framework of climate change discussions and energy security, as
a carbon neutral energy to replace non-renewable energy sources. This,
combined with rising energy prices, is leading to an increase in wood demand. "Since
traditional use of wood in Europe, notably by the pulp and paper industry,
continues to expand as well, the competition between wood for bio-energy
and for traditional wood processing industry is an increasing challenge",
emphasizes Bernard de Galembert, Forest Director at CEPI, the Confederation
of European Paper Industries.
On the other hand, forest inventories have shown that in most European forests,
annual growth exceeds by far the volume of wood harvested. This has led to
discussions on how best to mobilize additional wood resources, considering
the impacts by and on other sectors and finding ‘win-win’ solutions.
During a two-day workshop (11-12 January 2007) on ‘Mobilizing Wood
Resources’, over 100 different stakeholders and country delegates presented
their positions and strategies towards increasing wood mobilization and then
discussed and assessed their opportunities and risks. Piotr Borkowski, Head
of the Liaison Unit Warsaw of the Ministerial Conference on the Protection
of Forests in Europe (MCPFE), stated that the results will be considered by
the MCPFE as a contribution in the drafting process of the resolutions for
the 5 th Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe to
be organized in Warsaw, Poland in November 2007.
Mr. Kit Prins, Chief of the UNECE/FAO Timber Section, summarized the recommendations
of the Workshop:
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Governments, with the participation of all stakeholders,
should ensure comprehensive policies and strategies for the forest
sector, rural development and energy. It is important to coordinate
policies with other sectors to avoid perverse or contradictory effects.
-
Improve the quality of information on wood resources
(including forests, trees outside forests, wood industry residues and
post consumer wood fibre), and then use this broader base for wood
supply.
-
Promote the sustainable utilization of forests
by empowering forest owners to cooperate, improving infrastructure,
and stimulating innovation and R&D along the wood supply chain.
The final conclusions and recommendations will be published on the website
shortly at:
The workshop was organized by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)/Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Timber Section, the Confederation of
European Paper Industries (CEPI), the Ministerial Conference on the Protection
of Forests in Europe - Liaison Unit Warsaw (MCPFE LUW), the Joint FAO/UNECE/ILO
Experts Network for the Implementation of Sustainable Forest Management,
the FAO Forestry Department and the European Forest Institute (EFI); with
the support of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).
For more information, contact:
Mr. Kit Prins
Chief, Timber Section
UN Economic Commission for Europe/Food and Agriculture Organization
UNECE Trade and Timber Division
Palais des Nations
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: +41 (0)22 917 2874
Fax: +41 (0)22 917 0041
E-mail: [email protected]
or visit the UNECE/FAO website at
Ref: ECE/TIM/07/P01