Let’s adapt the forest and wood sector to future challenges
The European Union has introduced challenging objectives to reduce the consequences of climate change, committing member countries to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The implemented law also imposes additional measures to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 rates. Therefore, it is necessary to look for solutions that will enable the implementation of these goals within a short time. For the forestry sector, these goals are mainly focused on increasing afforestation, however, the positive effects of the process will be observed in a dozen or more years. In this regard, it is worth considering the possibility of improving the forest supply chain in Poland to ensure the optimal use of wood and minimize the negative impact on the environment.
We won’t stop cutting the wood, but we can improve its distribution
The raw wood is the source of many products necessary for everyday life. It is an irreplaceable material that determines the activities of numerous sectors of the local economy. Its sustainable acquisition is provided by legal acts that regulate the volume of harvesting, whereas its proper distribution depends on the efficiency of the supply chain.
The forest supply chain begins at logging areas, where trees are cut down, branches are removed and then trimmed to the required length. Cutting off branches generates forestry residues that can be used as energy wood, and for that purpose, they are usually chipped in the harvesting area. Those residues and wood chips are delivered directly to sawmills, pulp mills, heating plants or other processing plants.
Is the Polish forest supply chain ready for change?
There are many economic and social challenges facing the forestry sector supply chain in Poland. Firstly, the considerable fragmentation of forestry work and limited information on the flow of raw material between supply chain participants impede the efficient use of workers and equipment, increasing fuel consumption and other operating costs. Secondly, Polish forests face the effects of pest gradations or the occurrence of natural disasters with increasing regularity. In such situations, significant amounts of raw material must be taken out of the forest in the shortest possible time, which complicates the organization of forestry work. Finally, wood transport, mainly heavy road transport over long distances, is associated with significant greenhouse gas emissions. If we focus only on the transport of large- and medium-sized wood, Poland obtains about 42 million m3 of these wood sorts annually, according to the latest data. About 1.4 million trucks are needed to transport the raw material to plants, taking into account average distances of export and average vehicle capacity, which results in CO2-equivalent emissions of 200,000 tons. However, this estimation applies to one-way transport only, thus the real situation is even worse.
Furthermore, in the coming years, the fragmentation of forestry work is only expected to increase as a consequence of the adaptation of trees to climatic conditions, which leads to an increasing cost and greenhouse gas emissions. Staff shortages will also become more and more noticeable. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize wood flow logistics from both an environmental and economic point of view. The most energy-intensive link in the chain, i.e., road transport, will be included in the European Emissions Trading Scheme ETS2 in just three years.
What are we trying to achieve?
The forest-wood sector can make a significant contribution to climate change mitigation, but the efficiency of the forest supply chain in Poland has not been thoroughly studied. Therefore, we plan to analyze the need for optimizing the supply chain of large- and medium-sized raw materials and biomass for energy purposes in the context of the increasing fragmentation of forestry activities.
The project will result in the development of a method for concentrating forestry work and optimizing the transport of raw material from the forest to the processing plants under an innovative approach in the Polish context – modelling of raw material flows using discrete event simulation. Another unique advantage of the proposed model is the possibility of its use in situations of natural disasters. Planning activities in such a case can be supported by our proposed supporting tool, which will enable rapid optimal decision-making based on the current situation, which is currently impossible.
The project will contribute to ensuring the sustainability of managed forests. Its expected results address both ecological, economic and social aspects. The economic and social advantages will be based mainly on optimizing the location of harvesting tasks and the transportation of raw materials, which will help reduce operating costs and increase the efficiency of the forest and wood sector. That will also result in reducing the negative impact of forest management on the environment, which in turn will have a positive impact on reducing climate change. Thus, the forestry and the wood sector will be better adapted to future challenges.
Prepared by: dr inż. Marta Trzcianowska
The project is financed with funds from the state budget, granted by the Minister of Education and Science under the “Nauka dla Bezpieczeństwa II” Program.
Funding: PLN 1, 000, 000
Project Title: Integracja łańcucha dostaw w leśnictwie jako instrument mitygacji skutków zmian klimatycznych
Project Manager: dr hab. Tomasz Nurek, prof. SGGW
