The Chamber of Commerce specified five key measures for the long-term stability of the Czech timber industry:
- Strengthening the wood processing industry: promoting a stable industry which secures employment and makes the Czech economy more independent of the automotive industry
- Promoting wood as a sustainable material: giving preference to wood products in state institutions, establishing a “forestry and wood fund”, and increasing research into the use of different types of wood
- Increasing the use of wood in construction: more public buildings built in wood, rapidly adapting fire safety regulations, and developing a long-term strategy for sustainable construction
- Protecting the resource wood for the domestic industry: ensuring access for Czech processing companies in order to strengthen domestic employment and the creation of added value in the country
- Sustainable forest management: targeted reforestation with economically valuable tree species, controlled land use, and prioritizing the use of wood waste for energy production
One of the first planned measures is the establishment of a forestry and wood fund and the amendment of building regulations and standards in multi-story timber construction, as silvarium.cz reports.
“Each year, the Czech Republic produces around 15 million m³ of wood. A significant part of this volume is exported and finds its way back in the form of end products with high added value. We want to change that,” Marek Výborný, Minister for Agriculture, emphasized.
In the first eleven months of 2024, Austria imported around 1.85 million m³ of log wood from the Czech Republic. In the same period of 2023, imports totaled 2.19 million m³.
In the years strongly affected by calamity, Germany imported between 2.77 million m³ (2019) and 1.45 million m³ (2022) from the Czech Republic, making it the main supplier of coniferous log wood for Germany. In 2023, Germany’s imports from the Czech Republic amounted to 806,000 m³. That year, 2023 Poland was the main supplier with 1.42 million m³.
