INTERFORST 2018

•••2••• Messewelten Economy and ecology: both is possible Interforst 2018: sustainable forestry is a chance for climate protection around the globe E conomic factor and natural area – the forest stands at the crossroads of strong societal de- mands. At the same time, sustain- able forestry provides opportuni- ties for climate protection. At the trade show Interforst in Munich, the economy, politics and science present the major trends, discuss challenges and show solutions every four years. Wood is an all-rounder – and so commonplace that many do not even realize it: whether trans- formed into toys, paper, floor coverings, wooden tables or front doors – around 76 million cubic metres of timber are harvested annually in Germany and approxi- mately 525 million throughout Eu- rope (German Ministry of Food and Agriculture; Eurostat). The demand for this renewable re- source is unbroken. “Forestry is often an underestimated dimen- sion,” states Martina Ehrnsper- ger, Exhibition Director of Inter- forst. “It is a modern industry operating between regional com- mercialization and international markets, though. Digitalization and high-tech machines have long since found their way into this sector. Climate protection plays an important role as well.” In the European Union, approximately 60 per cent of the forests are pri- vately owned – and Germany, too, is a country of forest owners: 48 per cent of the forests are in the hands of around two million pri- vate forest owners. The rest con- sists of municipal and corporate as well as state and federal for- ests. The forest is an economic ar- ea for a great number of forestry operations as well as wood-pro- cessing industries – and not only in the rural areas. Economic backbone In Germany, the Forestry and Wood Cluster has some 1.1 mil- lion employees working at about 130,000 companies. Sales rev- enues generated from the for- est and its products amount to some 180 billion euros annually. “Therefore, the Forestry and Wood Cluster is part of the eco- nomic backbone of the Federal Republic of Germany,” states Philipp Freiherr zu Guttenberg, President of the Federation of German Forest Owners (Arbeits- gemeinschaft Deutscher Waldei- gentümer – AGDW – Die Waldei- gentümer). Climate-friendly replacement All protective and recreational services ensured by the forests are financed by the timber yields. At the same time, wood is a cli- mate-friendly replacement for fossil resources, for example as a renewable energy source, such as wood chips or pellets. Durable wood products, such as furniture or houses, are also durable car- bon reservoirs. Sustainable forestry offers chances for climate protec- tion. Photo: Messe München GmbH Neue Strategien notwendig Wälder im Klimawandel – unverzichtbar, schutzbedürftig Weltweit wird kontrovers über Klima- und Umweltschutz diskutiert. Über die Bedeu- tung von gesunden und wachstumsstarken Wäldern herrscht hingegen Einvernehmen, Wälder sind Teil vieler regionaler und natio- naler Klimaschutzprogramme. Doch Bäume und Wälder leiden selbst unter dem Klima- wandel. Welche Strategien können helfen? Wärmer, trockener und mehr extreme Ereignisse: Klimaprognosen sagen mehr Stress für die Natur voraus – und er ist be- reits heute deutlich spürbar: „Umgestürz- te Bäume nach Unwettern sowie Schäd- linge und Waldbrände infolge trockener Sommer zählen dazu“, sagt Philipp zu Gut- tenberg, Präsident der AGDW – Die Wald- eigentümer. Das erfordere eine Reihe von Maßnahmen, „darunter das Anpflanzen klimatoleranter Baumarten sowie die Be- reitstellung geeigneter Mittel, um Schäd- linge wie Borkenkäfer oder Eichenprozes- sionsspinner zu bekämpfen“. Der Einsatz aktueller Technologie und neuester wis- senschaftlicher Erkenntnisse sei ebenfalls entscheidend. Ein Schlüssel, um den Wald langfristig zu schützen, heißt nachhaltige Bewirtschaf- tung. Denn sehr langfristig gesehen sind Wälder, die sich selbst überlassen werden, CO 2 -neutral. Derweil diskutieren die Fach- leute den richtigen Weg zu stabilen Misch- wäldern durchaus kontrovers. Waldbesitzer fordern politische Unterstützung ein, um Alternativen zu suchen und zu erproben. Um ihr Risiko zu minimieren, wollen viele beispielsweise nicht nur auf die üblichen heimischen Baumarten setzen, sondern auch auf klimatolerante Baumarten wie Douglasie, Roteiche oder Küstentanne als Beimischung. Die Diskussion um den klimafitten Wald ist Bestandteil der Interforst. Das Thema wird sich unter anderem im Kongress sowie im Forenprogramm niederschlagen. Auf der Interforst treffen alle relevanten Gruppen der Forstwirtschaft und -technik zusam- men, hier tauschen sich Wissenschaft, Po- litik und Praxis aus. Einhellige Expertenmeinung: Nachhal- tige Waldwirtschaft ist Klimaschutz. Foto: Messe München GmbH A great challenge Forestry 4.0 – digitalization in the forest industry As in other sectors, digitalization is proceeding apace in the forest and timber industries. At Inter- forst, this topic will be reflected in the accompanying scientific con- gress, the special shows and the exhibitors’ booths alike. All rele- vant groups of forest manage- ment and forest technology will gather at the five-day industry highlight where representatives of science, politics and practice will exchange views, experiences and ideas. The topic of digitalization is ac- corded ever-greater importance, not only in the industry but also in forestry. Managing and cultivating forests according to silvicultural principles is a great challenge, which is not becoming easier but increasingly more complex de- spite state-of-the-art technology. Nowadays, the amount of data re- corded in the forest is huge – for example inventory data such as geographical or geological data or those referring to wildlife bi- ology. In addition, there are op- erational data, feasibility studies, risk analyses, accident statistics, forest-damage surveys, timber inventory, sales and much more. The comprehensive evaluations of these data contribute to improv- ing forest protection and manage- ment. Within the framework of Inter- forst, Martin Müller from the Ba- varian State Forest Enterprise will explore the topic of “Industry 4.0 in logistics” in depth in a Congress lecture. The Manager of the Logis- tics, Technology and Technologi- cal Production Department sees the greatest chance for forest and timber industry 4.0 in higher effi- ciency thanks to faster and more accurate data. “Every efficiency-oriented organi- zational unit fine-tunes the im- provement of its work flows, the standardization of its processes and the preparation of data in or- der to be able to take better deci- sions and secure sustainability for itself. In our industry, digitaliza- tion is primarily a matter of achiev- ing better networking among one another. Digitalization will help us network people, forests and ma- chines better than ever before!”