Researchers from Wageningen University, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and other institutions have published a study in which they identify significant imbalances in supply within the European forest bioeconomy. Entitled ‘Preliminary evidence of softwood shortages and hardwood availability in EU regions’, this study shows that European forestry infrastructures do not appear to be fully aligned with current and future timber needs.
Germany, for example, indicates imminent shortages of softwood, while it has an estimated surplus of hardwood of 3 million cubic metres. The study also deals with the case of Norway, where the supply of softwood is also insufficient.