Energy Consumption Makes Spanish Forestry Unsustainable, Researchers Find

Felling of eucalyptus forests in Galicia. (Credit: Aula Silvicultura


Deidra Campbell
09/23/09
1:58p






Spain is one of the leaders in the production of wood, and this uses a great deal of energy. They use so much energy for forestry production improvements are being set in place (i.e. biofuels) in order to make the precess of forestry more sustainable.
In Spain, it is suggested that they begin to use more efficient machinery for the cultivation and harvest stages. Sweden, is also a leader in forestry production, but Spain uses 7% more energy than Sweden, even under the same environmental conditions.. However, it is noticed in both countries that heavy fertilizers are being used, supplying wood, and the overall cutting and transport of the wood contribute to the issues of acidification, eutrophication. and global warming. In Sweden, the idea proposed is to reduce the amount of wood imported. They plan to use trains as opposed to ships to transport the wood, which would reduce energy use by 40%.

I had no clue either one of these countries were leading throughout the world in forestry production. With that being said I do believe both could find alternatives to wood production that would be beneficial to the industry and the environment. The issue comes in when there needs to be regulation and rules to be enforced and they are not . Hopefully, the plans they have on the table will be in place long enough to execute to reduce energy use and consumption.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911095437.htm