1,720,979 research outputs found
Impacts and interaction of political and economic driving forces in the international timber trade
Full text linkThe direction of the development of the international forest market and the trade of timber products is largely determined by factors external to the traditional boundaries of the forestry sector. External factors can include international economic changes, environmental and energy policies implemented by international or national institutions, technological advancements and the response of civil society and public authorities to the most critical environmental changes, like deforestation, forest degradation and illegal behaviour of the actors in the supply chain (FAO, 1998)
More precisely, changes in international economic situations, such as the 2008 economic crisis, and the growth of emerging economies, are having diverging and sometimes opposite effects on the demand for timber products in specific countries and are modifying the composition of the types of timber products consumed (ITTO, 2013). At the same time, specific laws enforced by developed countries to fight the illegal timber trade, such as the implementation of the FLEGT Action Plan in Europe and the amendment of the Lacey Act in the USA, can favour changes in the trade behaviour of timber importers in Western countries (Pepke, 2015). Just like developed countries, which have traditionally been significant importers of roundwood, producing and exporting countries have also been implementing restrictions on exports in order to ensure the correct forest management over the past few years. These have included measures such as quantitative restrictions (quotas) and export taxes. Furthermore, the choice to assign economic incentives to wood used for energy has been an important driving factor in leading to a sharp growth in imports of woody biomass for energy purposes (Berndes et al., 2003). In this period characterized by profound structural changes and increased competition with emerging economies, forest-based industries in traditional markets have begun to respond to these challenges by developing new and innovative products, such as new building materials, biodegradable plastics and bio-fuels (Hurmekoski and Hetemäki, 2013).
The main goal of the PhD thesis research is to connect these driving forces that have recently been affecting the international timber sector with the recent different trade patterns. We analyse this topic with a mixed, qualitative-quantitative, approach. In the first part, the research will describe and extensively analyse with mainly a qualitative approach the driving forces that have recently been characterizing the global timber market. In the second part, the thesis aims to assess the real level of enforcement of the main initiative implemented by the EU (the FLEGT Action Plan) to fight against the import of illegal timber. The third part will be based mainly on a quantitative approach, therefore we will present the methodology used to collect data on the timber trade and to improve their quality, while the following part of the thesis will be dedicated to the presentation of the results and the related discussion.
The research has demonstrated how the 2008 economic crisis hit log imports to Western countries accelerating the growth process of emerging countries like China and India on the international log market. The main reasons behind these trends were the collapse of log demand in the EU-28 and the USA during the crisis, as well as the introduction of tariff measures in important producing countries and the rising demand for timber products in emerging economies. These economic driving forces are doubtless factors that have tended to lessen the impact of measures intended to fight against the trade of illegal timber. In fact, although some of the trade patterns that emerged in the period between 2005 and 2014 can be attributed to the enforcement of EU Regulation (EU) No. 995/2010, the present research has demonstrated how these trade patterns seem to have been mainly motivated by factors unrelated to the introduction of the EUTR
Fuel for Collective Action: A SWOT Analysis to Identify Social Barriers and Drivers for a Local Woody Biomass Supply Chain in an Italian Alpine Valley
Full text linkThe role of woody biomass in the clean energy transition is substantial in the EU. Forest residues are one of the main biomass sources that can be used for energy production, but their use to support the energy transition is still limited for several reasons. Research has shown that the use of forest residues in energy production can be effectively stimulated through collective actions that aim to develop short and local supply chains. This study aims to identify the barriers and drivers for the development of a local supply chain for forest residues in an Italian alpine valley, gathering and analysing the perspectives of all involved local actors, that is, (i) suppliers - the communities that own the forest resources, (ii) intermediaries - the forest professionals providing extension and advice services to owners and the harvesting companies; and (iii) the final consumers, in this case the local municipalities and hospitality enterprises. Data are analysed using a SWOT analysis. The results show that the suppliers identified opportunities especially, while the final consumers focused more on strengths, weaknesses, and threats. The SWOT categories in terms of the number of different factors were weaknesses (37 %), strengths (27 %), threats (18 %), and opportunities (17 %). Opportunities and strengths were considered as drivers, while threats and weaknesses were barriers. Several drivers emerged, such as a general predisposition toward the development of a local supply chain for forest residues, social homogeneity in terms of knowledge and management of the land, and common challenges. Barriers also emerged in the form of limited know-how on the supply chain potential, but also in limited availability to concede control between different forest owners over their property. The SWOT results are useful to design strategies to support the development of the supply chain: four possible strategies, amongst which flexible cooperation processes between different categories of stakeholders, and the organisation of a buying group of the hospitality enterprises, were suggested
Uno studio per la valutazione degli investimenti che prevedono una gestione a selvicoltura d’albero
No full textL’economia forestale nei paesi dell’Unione Europea. Una fotografia del settore attraverso i dati Eurostat
No full textIl contributo presenta alcuni tra i principali dati statistici sul settore forestale europeo recentemente pubblicati da Eurostat. L’analisi dei dati relativi alle utilizzazioni forestali mette in evidenza una certa arretratezza del settore forestale italiano caratterizzato da trend negativi che sono in controtendenza rispetto a quelli dei principali partner europe
Biomasse forestali ad uso energetico.
No full textQuesto contributo mira a fornire alcuni brevi spunti di riflessione sul settore italiano delle biomasse legnose per fini energetici, che rappresenta un elemento fondamentale nel raggiungimento degli obiettivi nazionali di produzione energetica da fonti di energia rinnovabile prefissati per il 2020. Nonostante la sua importanza a livello strategico sia formalmente riconosciuta, è ancora difficile dare una lettura omogenea e coerente del settore legno-energia italiano, data la forte eterogeneità delle attività e degli attori coinvolti e la mancanza di dati certi su cui poter strutturare solide politiche di programmazione ed incentivazione, non solo economica
Misurare la filiera corta: linee-guida per una valutazione sistematica della filiera delle biomasse legnose a fini energetici
No full text
Disponibilità di biomasse legnose in Italia
No full textIl capitolo presenta una panoramica relativa alla disponibilità di biomasse legnose di origine forestale da destinare all'utilizzo energetico. In particolare sono presentati dati e riflessioni in merito alla disponibilità legata ai prelievi interni, recupero degli scarti di lavorazione e importazioni. Sono inoltre presentati alcuni spunti propositivi in merito all'adozione di buone prassi, con particolare riferimento all'approccio a cascata nella valorizzazione delle biomasse legnose
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