Boosting the EU forest-based bioeconomy: Market, climate, and employment impacts

This study adds to the scientific literature dealing with climate change mitigation implications of wood substitution. Its main contribution rests modelling approach. By fully integrating forest resource and wood-product markets in quantitative scenario analysis, we account for international trade products as well impacts on EU forests forest-based sector employment an increased uptake wood-based construction and/or biochemicals biofuels. Our results confirm crucial role sawmilling industry bioeconomy. Thus, boosting would be most effective increasing production employment—in logging solid wood-products manufacturing, but also sectors using byproducts feedstock. Vertical integration biorefineries should thus advantageous. The positive climate-change effects carbon storage harvested (HWP) material substitution from are more than offset by reduced net sinks 2030, due harvests. Further, imports, resulting lower consumption sawnwood outside EU, reduce extra-EU long-life HWP GHG-intensive materials, highlighting need concerted mitigation.