The purpose of this study is to evaluate the alternative ways of using domestic wood resources in responding to climate change. It estimates the carbon storage effect and substitution effect of carbon dioxide emissions of alternative ways of utilizing...
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the alternative ways of using domestic wood resources in responding to climate change. It estimates the carbon storage effect and substitution effect of carbon dioxide emissions of alternative ways of utilizing domestic wood resources for mitigating climate change.
This study examines how carbon stored in wooden products can vary depending on their usage path by using network analysis.
In 2009, 39%, 33%, and 17% of domestic woods were used to produce wood chip, wood-based board, and sawn wood, respectively. Round wood and wood waste were used as raw material for producing wood board, of which the 61.7% of raw materials was supplied in the form of mills. 72% of residuals from felling and tree improvement activities such as pruning and thinning remained in the forest as waste and the rest of 28% was delivered to wood-based board manufacturing, agriculture, fire wood and sawdust making respectively at 54%, 29%, 9%, 8% in 2009.
In 2009, domestic wood was supplied mainly for manufacturing household goods, pulp, agriculture and building and their shares are 35%, 22%, 20%, and 16% respectively. As of 2009, the quantity of wooden products accumulated in buildings, household goods, agri-material, packing, construction is estimated to 4,104thousand m3, 3,995thousand m3, 826thousand m3, 90thousand m3, 84thousand m3 , respectively. The quantity of wood in the form of forest residuals, building waste wood and black liquor from pulping process, used for energy recovery is 527thousand m3.
Wood resources can be recycled from sawn wood-based to wood board, but the opposite direction is not possible. Therefore, an optimal wood utilization path which maximizes the carbon storage effect and substitution effect of carbon dioxide emission was drawn through network analysis. As a result, a distribution order satisfying a cyclical use of wood resources in responding to policy of climate change is the cyclical utilization path of round wood→sawn wood→buildings→recycling.
There is another way of increasing the frequency of recycling. Avoiding inclusion of toxic chemicals in the manufacturing stage can augment the carbon storage effect and substitution effect of carbon dioxide emission considerably by substituting building materials and household goods with eco-interior materials and products.
The result of this study implies that the afforestation policy that promotes establishment of forests for supply of bioenergy and the forest biomass to be used for generation of electricity without the sawing process is not the optimal way from a climate change mitigation perspective.
To maximize the effect of mitigating climate change of using domestic wood utilization, it is necessary to provide proper incentives in order to shift from the existing path to sustainable path.
The use and manufacture of eco-friendly products can increase the carbon storage effect and substitution effect of carbon dioxide emission. Therefore, a sustainable use of wood resources can be induced by offering carbon credit to activities of the use and manufacture of eco-friendly products.
In order to induce the current path of domestic wood usage into a cyclic path, the following policies are proposed:
Firstly, there is a need to formulate a policy that induces the use of large-diameter log as sawlog so as for wood chips and pulp to be produced as byproducts, instead of directly using logs of pitch pine and hardwood timber as pulp wood. For this, a timber dealer who harvest timber from forests should be given incentives to deliver large-diameter hard wood log as sawlogs to a mill not directly to pulp mills. Also, a mill that utilizes such wood resources can be given economic compensation as it contributed to mitigating climate change.
Secondly, because waste wood recylcing increases additional carbon storage effect, there is a need to provide economic incentive such as granting more carbon credit to recycled products compared to the products made of raw materials harvested from forests. In order to realize this policy, there is a need to establish data systems that keep records wood usage for each process and to develop program that can demonstrate an carbon account of each user of wood product.
Keyword: Harvested Wood Products, Material Flow Analysis, Domestic Wood, Mitigation of Carbon Dioxide Emission, Korean Wood Industry , Climate Change Policy