A matrix model for tracing the origin of wood-based products

Project

Production processes

This project contributes to the research aim 'Production processes'. Which funding institutions are active for this aim? What are the sub-aims? Take a look:
Production processes

Project code: TI-WF-08-PID2388
Contract period: 01.01.2020 - 31.12.2021
Purpose of research: Inventory & Assessment

Worldwide, the trade in wood has increased in recent years. Environmental impacts such as forest loss are inextricably linked to the origin of the roundwood. But where does the wood come from?
Bilateral trade statistics are only partially suitable for determining the environmental impacts in the country of origin that the use of wood products entails in other countries. This is mainly due to the fact that in the increasingly globalized world, wood-based products are often imported as semi-finished or finished products. Our study presents a method that, using matrix algebra, makes it possible to relate the consumption of wood-based products to the original origin of raw wood. Thus, the method can help provide information on consumption-related remote environmental impacts of wood consumption.

Our results show the "actual" origin of wood in finished wood and paper products for more than 200 countries in the world. For important consumer countries such as Germany, China and the USA, some significant differences are shown between the most important import countries of wood products according to bilateral trade statistics and the most important countries of origin of raw wood determined with our method.

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