Rosewood

Forest information is standardised so that actors engaged in the forest sector could develop and use harmonised information systems. Although basic concepts and measurement units have been defined for decades, almost every actor has implemented them differently in their information systems. Converting and transferring information is difficult or almost impossible between systems. Forest information standards facilitate the use of open materials and data transfer between actors. This improves operational efficiency and international competitiveness of forest sector.

The development of information exchange interfaces is not finished. The goal is a situation where all forest industry systems would read, write and send forest information standard.

Standard defines the structure, data types and codes used in different schemes. Forest information standards are based on XML-format (geometry: GML).
Data to be exchanged with standards is: special feature data, forest compartment data, forest use declaration, timber trade, harvesting and operations. The projects outcome is: documentation, schemas, guidelines, practises. The outcome will be written XML files which are transferred between different systems. XML is used as it is international data standard, a method to structure electronic documents. XML-documents (=files) are readable and alloes to import data into all systems capable of reading such documents. The structure of XML-documents can be validated automatically so it follows its definitions (=schema).
The information standard is already used by metsään.fi, puumarkkinat.fi, kuutio.fi (will be used), organizations such as Tornator, Stora Enso, UPM, Metsä Group.

Spatially explicit GIS-method and a collection of tools to assess the energy wood biomass availability and transport costs at regional level to any given end-use location. In the process the technical harvesting biomass potential, local competing demand and the wood resource balance are assessed. The transport costs from the grid of supply points can be viewed as a function of transport distance. Also, different future growth and demand scenarios can be included into calculations thus providing a valuable decision support to investors of energy wood industry.

Most customer projects differ from every other project in some respect. Calculation methods need more or less adjustment.

Results from the analysis: 1. Numerical (GIS) maps of biomass potential for any given timber assortment, biomass demand and wood resource balance (e.g. balance of small trees, see picture above).
2. Graphs depicting transport costs as a function of distance. 3. Spreadsheets of the result data used for graphs. 4. Summary report of the results for the customers.

For more information, see the reference.

In drinking water protection zones (DWPZ) it may be necessary to transform forest stands which are not site-conform into more stable stands. During this process it can occur that the tree species which are not site-conform become a source of wood through the specific silvicultural transformation strategies. The amount of achievable wood is medium, as the timber-cutting activities have to be in line with the requirements for DWPZ. In Austria the main tree species in such situations will be Norway spruce (Picea abies). In DWPZ the amount of timber (wood) achievable through forest stand transformation strategies can be given but is limited as the guidelines for silviculture in DWPZ have to be applied. Hence no clear-cut activities are allowed there. Despite this fact it will be necessary to transform homogeneous spruce plantations into more stable forest stands. This process will release a limited amount of timber (wood). Cutting of Norway spruce in DWPZ which grows on sites which are not adequate for it in terms of forest ecosystem stability could yield medium amounts of wood. This process of cutting Norway spruce on sites of e.g. beech forest hydrotopes will last until the forest transformation is fulfilled. In all cases the guarantee of forest ecosystem stability is more important than the amount of timber yield. Hence the quantities of timber released in DWPZ will be limited in all cases.

IDWOOD aims to promote and foster innovation and competitiveness of SMEs in the wood sector in the SEE area by sharing and transferring technical and organizational know-how to enable local support organizations to address structural deficits of SMEs and enhance innovation potentials.

Inclusion of both, stakeholders and policy makers, is of great importance and beneficial for both. Stakeholders are given the opportunity to strengthen their organizational and technical capacities, to develop new functions, to participate to working groups and to be actively involved in networking activities. Policy makers receive guidelines and advice on support policies to foster sector’s development.

Results of the project are improved capacities of support organisations; transnational cooperation between support organisations, knowledge poles and productive sector; increased information flow towards SMEs; innovation, design and knowledge transferred to SMEs; sustainability of the transnational network/support system and SMEs cooperation after project end; increased knowledge of market opportunities.

Wood of exceptional quality of various tree species can be sold at the timber auction. First, trees that have high quality timber and are suitable for felling need to be identified with the help of local forester. After the delivery of logs to the place of auction about one month before the event, potential purchasers have 14 days to give offers for the selected timbers. The timbers are then sold to best tenderer. On the day of the open door, the public can view the logs and the prices reached. High quality logs can be sold to purchasers who will offer a slightly higher price than other wood. However, higher profit may be achieved at auction of timber. Purchasers are looking for timber of precisely defined quality and are willing to pay more. It is possible to reach very high prices at the auction and that can be a motivation for forest owners to invest more interest, time and work in their forests. In the year 2018, 3094 logs were offered by 447 owners, 993 offers were submitted. 90% of logs were sold for over 857.000 € to purchasers from Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Hungary and Croatia. The highest price reached at the auction was 11.833 €/m3 for ribbed Acer pseudoplatanus.

Action plan “Wood is beautiful” is an operational document for increasing the competitiveness of the entire forest-wood value chain. The document defines wood as a strategic raw material of Slovenia, which has a lot of unexploited potential. The action plan sets out the objectives, measures, indicators and deadlines for intensifying forest management and for the revitalization and development of wood processing and the energy use of its residues. Due to the interdependence between all individual areas, all the measures foreseen should be implemented. This way the document can contribute to the competitiveness of the entire forest-wood chain, job creation and high added value in the Slovenian wood processing industry. Key objectives of the action plan are to create a market for timber products and services, to increase forest management and conservation in line with forest management plans, to increase the amount and processing of timber at higher levels of difficulty with new technologies, to create new jobs and growth in added value per employee in the wood processing industry. The action plan again places Slovene wood processing industry among strategically important and promising industries with a sufficient amount of domestic raw material.

Forest owner association (FOA) Pohorje-Kozjak is voluntary, non-profit and independent association of private forest owners established in 2007. Main aim of FOA is to increase the sustainable management of private forests and strengthen the economic power of forest owners in accordance with the law. Main tasks of FOA are education of forest owners, consultancy on management and sale of wood, assistance in applying for calls and giving comments on legislation. In the year 2012, a forest owners cooperative (FOC) was set up in order to expand their activities to the rave of business integration.

FOC Kozjak-Pohorje is an example of good practice expansion from the societal activities to the level of business cooperation in a forest cooperative. The comparative study reveals, that members of FOC are on average younger, they have larger forest properties and are better educated than members of the FOA. Also, the interests of members in FOC and FOA are different;  socio-educational reasons are the main driving force in case of FOC, while among FOA members interests are predominantly economic in nature.

The purpose of FOC is primarily a common appearance on the market, which in turn accelerates the economic benefits of its members and increases the competitiveness of forest owners on the market. On the long term, the plan is to increase the purchase quantity of wood and conclude long-term contracts with sawmills. The FOC also established a logistic center for supplying the residents with heat, produced from woody biomass. The next planned step is the investment in boiler rooms, establishment of social enterprise and sale of heat to final consumers. In addition, members of the FOC carry out logging and harvesting activities for forest owners and state forests. In the period from its foundation to date, the operation of the cooperative is stable and positive.

The significant increase in the number of forestry contractors in last few years has been increasing competition, however at the same time requires a reflection on the objective quality of contractors. In sustainable management of forests, the criterion for the selection of contractor should not be only the lowest service price, but it should include also environmental, social and business aspects of the relationship between the client and the contractor. Platform MojGozdar (MyForester) enables the integration of all stakeholders in the forest-wood value chain, including providers of forestry services, users of services (forest owners, forest managers) and administrators of basic data bases about business entities. It is a transparent and objective web-based information system for assessing the suitability of contractors, who perform work in the forest. The methodology for evaluating is consisted of an automatic assessment of the formal suitability of the forestry contractors and direct evaluation of the service by consumers.

Detailed description is available at http://www.crojfe.com/site/assets/files/4529/triplat_77-90.pdf

OHS is part of the international network Open House Worldwide, which operates in more than 35 cities around the world. The OHS is available to the general public, who can enter and test the buildings, get in contacts with the owners and the experts. At the same time it is also intended to promote top experts working in the field of design, design, procurement, construction, operation, maintenance and use of buildings.

Making good architecture is by no means easy. Nowadays it is challenging also in terms of the speed of orders and the advancement of technology. Good architecture is not fashionable, it is one that will be good regardless of the changes brought about by time. In this, the user will feel good, respectful to the environment and sustaining throughout the life cycle.

All the buildings showcased during OHS festivals are presented in the largest network of Slovene architecture. Over the years the largest and constantly expanding collection of contemporary Slovene architecture has been built. In the collection there are over 160 objects where wood has been used as a prevailing material for construction or indoor equipment.  OHS encourages the awareness that buildings are made for long periods, therefore their operation, energy consumption and the right choice of materials are important for a sustainable and conscious social and economic development.

Machinery ring is a social organization that offers support services for farmers and forest owners. It is a form of the use of machines between farms based on mutual neighborly assistance. Members of a machinery ring are owners of agricultural and/or forestry machinery and they can also provide services to other members at prices agreed. The machinery ring ensures coordination and dialogue between service providers and users.

Experience of the first years of operation show good results. The amount of work increases year by year. Forest owners are provided with a comprehensive service, from harvesting forest trees to selling timber, processing residues in wood chips and selling chips. They are able to achieve better prices at market. The machinery ring is a good and innovative example of linking forest owners, which by increasing efficiency and professionalism enables increased mobilization of wood from private forests, better silviculture of these forests and higher returns for individual owners.

Forest owners have access to high-quality hardware that cannot be afforded by individual owners. The machinery ring also provides expert advice and the purchase and sale of wood, including biomass for heating, and agricultural services. In the framework of the machinery ring, the training of owners for work in the forest and professional excursions are organized in cooperation with the Forest Service. The members also receive various discounts when purchasing forestry equipment. To make better use of machinery and work on a larger scale, they set up a limited liability company SK Servis, which deals with felling, harvesting and sale of wood, the production and sale of wood chips and the construction and maintenance of skid roads.