The EU's statistical outlook for wood supply and demand meeting sustainability and competitiveness goals Marilise Wolf Crowther Forestry statistics
Introduction: data and policy Many users need to know how well the EU's wood supplies can match the demands made on them and on forests: The forest based sector: forest owners, loggers, processors and traders, etc. Authorities, researchers, planners, investors, NGOs, etc. The European Commission's departments, including agriculture, energy, climate action, enterprises, environment, etc. Discussion started in 2005 by UNECE/TC; European Commission involved from the start. First JWEE agreed in 2006, with IEA and Hamburg Wood Institute s method for wood resource balances. All parties benefitted from these discussions and from studies such as EUWood.
Data and policy The EU s stated policy goals overlap, e.g. Renewable Energy Directive: 20 % EU s energy from RES; over half biomass mostly wood Forest Action Plan: Key Action 4: "Promote the use of forest biomass for energy ; Key Action 7: "Contribute towards achieving the EU's biodiversity objectives" Biodiversity Strategy 2020:"Full implementation of EU nature legislation to protect biodiversity" Forest based Industries Communication: "Promoting sustainable raw material supply while ensuring fair competition"; "Further improve resource efficiency in use of raw materials"
Data and policy Raw materials Initiative: three pillars: Ensuring a level playing field in access to resources in third countries, Fostering a sustainable supply of raw materials from European sources, and Boosting resource efficiency and promoting recycling This list could be continued. Resource efficiency is a flagship initiative of the EU since 2011.
Data and policy The policy challenge: to match limited wood supplies (from EU and non EU sources) with competing and growing demands from the three pillars of sustainability: Economic: wood processors; energy generators; water catchment areas, etc.; Environmental: soil & landscape protection; water regulation; biodiversity e.g. birds; Social& cultural: e.g. landscapes, tourism, active recreation, etc. There is competition and even conflict within and between the three pillars, leading to questions:
Policy questions Can we increase wood supply from forests while keeping or improving biodiversity? If so, what implications for controlling the sustainability of biomass production? To what extent can "non forest" wood sources be mobilised or created, including short rotation coppices, post consumer recovery, reuse and recycling of wood and paper? How to reconcile competing demands from wood processors and energy suppliers? Through the "cascaded" use of wood? What are the emerging and priority statistical needs? Wood outside forests? Wood pellets and briquettes? Household firewood surveys?
Eurostat: Wood production (JFSQ) The Joint Forest Sector Questionnaire is used to pre fill the JWEE Some countries cover all wood harvested; some exclude shortrotation coppices and poplar plantations Fuelwood is recorded but has always been underestimated; wood pellets are covered but not reported by all Household surveys provided surprising insights: French data increased by 80%; now France is producing almost as much fuelwood as industrial roundwood for making products. We would like to reduce the amount of detail we collect with the JFSQ, while improving its quality, and increase our work on forest accounting.
Eurostat: Wood supply; forest accounting We have a set of 13 tables covering forest and wood balances (both physical and monetary), supply use tables, and annual economic accounts for forestry and logging. Only the latter table is used (23 countries reply). Since forestry is now in the mainstream of the energy and climate policies, we see the need to collect timely physical data on forests and wood. Up to now, Eurostat has been using FAO data and the MCPFE (Forest Europe) 5 yearly data on forests available for wood supply for Forest area Wood volumes: growing stock, increment and fellings
Eurostat: Wood supply; forest accounting Comparing FAO definitions and country reports, we see: No agreement on what constitutes forests and other wooded land No agreement on what constitutes wood growing on other land, e.g. short rotation coppices, poplar plantations Only official forest inventory results are reported to FAO; only done every 10 15 years Eurostat would prefer annual running estimates that take changes (e.g. from windthrow) into account, to be able to relate annual estimates to the annual economic data Eurostat is proposing greater detail in the IEEAF tables on forest area and wood volumes to explicitly see what volumes are growing on what type of land
IEEAF draft: volume of standing timber Changes Opening stocks Gross Increment (+) Removals o.b. (-) Othe Roundwood Fuelwood Forest of which available for wood supply Other wooded land of which available for wood supply Other land with tree cover 0 0 0 0 of which agro-forestry for crops of which agro-forestry for grazing of which orchards, olive groves, etc. of which short-rotation coppices Additional LULUCF area TOTAL 0 0 0
Eurostat: energy statistics Energy balances cover wood and wood waste, but could benefit from the JWEE exercise Wood and wood waste made up 50% of renewable sources in 2010 (gross inland consumption). The share of wood and wood waste is decreasing due to rapid expansion of other renewables: 56% in 1990 54% in 2000 50% in 2010 In 2009, Eurostat financed grants for i.a. household surveys on wood consumption in 15 countries; results will be available shortly
The EC s Energy department Needs independent and reliable data on renewable sources of energy Biomass supply: data for the national renewable energy action plans (NREAPs) collected with obligatory template: Domestic supply of biomass in 2006, forecast for 2015 and 2020; "Primary energy production" and its final use 2011: new template published for Member States' progress reports (Art. 22 of the RES Directive): Table 4 covers domestic production and imports of biomass (quantities and their primary energy content). Concepts are "Primary energy in domestic raw material" and "Primary energy in imported raw material"
The EC s Energy department The origin of the raw material is detailed and will require new data and some estimates, e.g. from forests and other wooded land Bioenergy installations: a big challenge for MS, especially the smaller installations using wood. During this workshop, the Commission would like to hear the views of countries on the traceability recommendations made in 2010, on their experiences (challenges, solutions, best practice) related to the reporting of wood data in NREAPs and in the first progress report (Art. 22 of the Directive on RES)
Environmental concerns In February 2010, the EC adopted a report on sustainability requirements for the use of solid biomass and biogas for electricity, heating and cooling. The recommendations are: (a) A general prohibition on the use of biomass from land converted from forest, other high carbon stock areas and highly biodiverse areas; (b) A common greenhouse gas calculation method that could be used to ensure that minimum greenhouse gas savings from biomass are at least 35% compared to the EU's fossil energy mix (rising to 50% in 2017; 60% in 2018 for new installations); (c) National support schemes in favour of installations that achieve high energy conversion efficiencies; and (d) Monitoring of the origin of biomass.
The EC's Enterprise and Industry department This department ensures that EU policies contribute to the sustainable competitiveness of EU enterprises and Facilitate job creation and sustainable economic growth It plays a major role in implementing "Europe 2020", the EU's growth strategy for the coming decade Unit for forest based industries. A major theme for action is its 2008 communication "Innovative and sustainable forest based industries in the EU" is access to raw materials. This primarily concerns wood.
The EC's Enterprise and Industry department EU s demand for wood for processing will increase Affordable access to species, dimensions and quality vital Forest management to mobilise more wood Specialised research, studies and survey work on specific items: better forest inventories (e.g., FLEXWood); wood supply forecasting; harmonised surveys: household firewood; wood recovery The department has contracted a study on wood supply and demand up to 2020, reporting in Feb. 2013.
Outlook to 2020 and... to 2050 ( 80% GH gases) With ever rising energy costs and imperatives for resources efficiency, renewable resources such as wood, which can provide both energy and materials, should be prioritised. Accordingly, this should incentivise Member States authorities and others to produce wood resources supply use balances. For this, there should be EU and UNECE wide agreement on coordination (harmonisation?) of What is to be expected from regular surveys (e.g. JFSQ); What should be in periodic specialist surveys (e. g. JWEE; household firewood; etc.) What should be in ad hoc studies/research projects (e.g. EUWood)
Outlook to 2020 and... to 2050 ( 80% GH gases) Future JWEEs could be renamed "Joint Wood Resource Balance Surveys", to focus not only on wood for energy but all wood supply and demand. It is possible to ask the European Commission to co finance special studies to improve the methods of estimating all parts of wood balances, such as Direct use of wood as a source of energy in households Indirect use of wood for energy in the manufacturing chain Use of recovered wood in industry or power plants
Links Commission staff who contributed to this presentation: Fanny Pomme LANGUE and Giulio VOLPI, DG Energy Jeremy WALL, DG Enterprises and Industry Marek STURC, Eurostat energy statistics Eurostat's data can be downloaded from its database, with special folders for forestry and for energy. Eurostat produces an annual Energy, transport and environmental indicators pocketbook. Copies can be ordered from the EU Bookshop on the same link.