austrian forestry sector

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Department of Forest and Soil Sciences

International Workshop:Small Holder Timber Production Systems

Social, policy, legal and investment frameworksAustrian Case Study

Herbert Hager and Gerhard Glatzel



Austrian Forestry Sector



Austrian Forestry



Hemerobie der österreichischen Wälder



Austrian Forestry: Tree Species and AAC



Austria a Small Holder Forestry Country

Aproximately 220000 small holders

90% of these are holding less

than 2ha



Legal and Social Framework Austrian Forestry Law 1975 /2002

Forest land has to remain under forest utilization No clearcut larger than 0.5 / resp. 2.0ha No sale on the stump Reforestation/ regeneration duty of the owner (penalty) Forest land must render services to the public

e.g. free recreational use or nature conservation. National and EU conservation & environmental laws

Natura 2000. (chances... conservation contracts) National and EU wood products and trading standards Certification for SH



S H Timber Producers and their Problems in Austria &CE

Small Holders minor players in the market, can not offer volume to the industrial buyer

Small Holders have higher costs, because of problems with mechanization and utilization of machinery

Small Holders often produce on inferior sites due to land degradation from historical landuse practices

Small Holders are undergoing social change (urbanization, abandonement), have lost the knowledge or interest in managing forests

Small Holders love planting conifers (spruce, pine) Small Holders get less for their product (-10 to 20 Euro) Difficult timber certification process



Strategies against these drawbacks and disadvant.

Organizational measures...chamber of agriculture and its forestry advisors and consultants

Organized timber auctions (espec. val. hardwoods) Small Holder Forest Growers Associations (WWG), Forest

Tending and Marketing Associations, Forest Machinery Users Association (Maschinenring).. ..Subsidies

Incentive Programs for regeneration or afforestation of higher tree diversity forests and amelioration projects

Contracted nature conservation projects (e.g. Naturwaldzellen)

Stimulation and award programs (e.g. Austrian Farm Forester of the year, Excellence in Forest Tending)



Strategies against these drawbacks and disadvant.

Value added chain taken up by SHTGrowers; Diversification... Provider for heating and electricity

Pan European Process.... PEFC Certification---- makes FSC also available to SHT Growers , Certification of WWG

SHT enterpreneurship (ongoing research)



Thank you for attention ! And cool down with an Austrian winter landscape, where even trees take a break from growing.

austrian forestry sector

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