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Overview

Wood is a renewable raw material, a multi-purpose construction material, and one of the most important resources on this earth. Climate protection demands natural and healthy construction materials and a significant reduction in energy consumption. Austrian companies know how to make the most out of this with exportable products of various kinds.

 
Content:

Economic Factor - Wood

With an export trade surplus of almost EUR 3.5 billion, Wood is the second most successful generator of foreign currency, just behind the tourism industry. The Austrian wood industry is highly fragmented. It ranges from specialists who are represented in global niche markets, to all rounders who offer everything from sawing through to end production.
Companies from the wood construction material industry therefore make a substantial and positive contribution to Austria's foreign trade balance. Austrian companies from the particle board, MDF and fibreboard industry have been able to prove their competence in the face of international competition.  

Concentrated Competence

Wood as an economic factor, along with the high technical standards and expertise of this innovative industry, is represented by an array of competence centres and organisations:


Association of the Austrian Wood Industry - Fachverband der Holzindustrie Österreichs

Schwarzenbergplatz 4
1037 Wien, Austria

Telefon:+43 1 712 26 01
E-Mail:office@holzindustrie
 


Timber and Lumber

The economic boom and the high demand for wood also serves to improve the profitability of Austrian forest holdings. Demand for sawnwood is high and has led to positive price developments in recent years. The approx. 1500 companies in the sawmill industry achieved a production value of around EUR 1.66 billion. The industry employs a workforce of around 10,000.

Sustainability

In the process of photosynthesis, CO2 is removed from the air and absorbed into the biomass. In the course of its life, a spruce with one cubic metre of wood removes around 750kg of CO2 from the atmosphere.

The production and processing of wood involves the uses of significantly lower amounts of energy and resources than with fossil-based or non-renewable resources. In addition, fossil energy sources such as petroleum, natural gas and coal can be replaced by carbon-neutral biomass when generating power.  

Forestry and wood are also important for environmental protection. Thanks to its environmentally-friendly properties, wood is becoming increasingly used internationally for energy production.

 
 
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