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Abstract
Wood is a renewable product, but for the supply of wood non-renewable materials are also necessary, which can have negative environmental impacts. The objective of this study was to analyze the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by the forest supply chain in Austria using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods. The forest supply chain consists of several processes like site preparation and tending, harvesting, and transport. In total, 30 relevant forest processes from seedling production until delivery of wood to the plant gate were considered. Results show that in the year 2018, a total of 492,096 t of CO2 eq. were emitted in Austria for harvesting and transportation of 19.2 hm3 of timber. This corresponds to 25.63 kg CO2 eq. per m3. At 77%, transport accounts for the largest share of emissions within the supply chain. Extraction causes 14% of emissions, felling and processing cause 5%, and chipping causes 4%. GHG emissions for felling, delimbing, and crosscutting are much lower when using a chainsaw compared to harvester. The high numbers for the transport can be explained by the high transportation distances. Especially for the transportation of wood, it is necessary to find more climate-friendly solutions from a technical and organizational point of view. The provision of wood is climate-friendly, and its use enables the substitution of fossil fuels or materials with higher negative effects on climate change such as aluminum, steel, or concrete.
Highlights
The concept of sustainability in the forestry sector should consider three sustainability dimensions of the whole forest wood supply chain [1]
The production of seedlings, transport to the forest, and planting as well clearing of weed with a brush cutter do not have a noticeable influence on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the whole supply chain
Greenhouse gas emissions from the wood production chain in Austria were calculated for 1 m3 of wood harvested, extracted, and delivered to plant gate for the reference year 2018
Summary
The concept of sustainability in the forestry sector should consider three sustainability dimensions (economic, environmental, and social) of the whole forest wood supply chain [1]. Avoiding negative environmental impacts in the manufacturing process of products and the provision of services is becoming increasingly important. In terms of the magnitude of the environmental impacts of forestry, assessment often focuses on certain aspects, such as biodiversity [2,3], water [4,5], soil [6,7], and air [8,9]. Austria aims to reduce GHG emissions by 36% until 2030 compared to the level in 2005 [11]. The most important goal of climate protection is to reduce energy consumption through increased energy efficiency while at the same time reducing non-renewable shares in the energy mix [11,12]
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