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Mountain Wood vs. Lowland Wood Harvesting Methods: An Ecological Case Study



Author(s)

Anton Kraler, Verena Krismer and Georg Wieland

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DOI:10.17265/1934-7359/2014.01.010

Timber Engineering Unit—Institute for Structural Engineering and Materials Science, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria

Are Austrian mountain wood harvesting techniques more ecological than techniques applied in the lowlands of southern Germany? For this comparative study, the authors selected the area of Lower Bavaria for lowland wood, as a great deal of wood is imported from this region to western Austria. At first, the felling area is described for both regions, from forest site to sawmill. Thereby, the authors create mean values related to timber harvesting and transportation, which are applicable to the whole of western Austria and Lower Bavaria, southern Germany. Secondly, the eco-balance of mountain and lowland wood is established. It is based on the following impact categories: global warming potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, ozone depletion potential and non-renewable primary energy. The environmental impact is more expressive if the results are applied to a specific construction part (i.e., glued laminated timber-ceiling). Our research study showed the eco-balance of western Austrian mountain wood is more favourable than the environmental impact of harvesting lowland wood in southern Germany.

Mountain wood, lowland wood, harvesting techniques, eco-balance, global warming potential.