Universität für Bodenkultur Wien Department of Forest and Soil Sciences International Workshop: Small Holder Timber Production Systems Social, policy, legal and investment frameworks Austrian Case Study Herbert Hager and Gerhard Glatzel

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien Department of Forest and Soil Sciences Austrian Forestry Sector

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien Department of Forest and Soil Sciences Austrian Forestry

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien Department of Forest and Soil Sciences Hemerobie der österreichischen Wälder

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien Department of Forest and Soil Sciences Austrian Forestry: Tree Species and AAC

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien Department of Forest and Soil Sciences Austria a Small Holder Forestry Country Aproximately small holders 90% of these are holding less than 2ha

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien Department of Forest and Soil Sciences 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 (chances... conservation contracts)  National and EU wood products and trading standards  Certification for SH

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien Department of Forest and Soil Sciences 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

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien Department of Forest and Soil Sciences 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)

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien Department of Forest and Soil Sciences 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)

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien Department of Forest and Soil Sciences Thank you for attention ! And cool down with an Austrian winter landscape, where even trees take a break from growing.