Wood creates jobs with a future

300,000 jobs in Austria are linked to the forests and the raw material wood. Austria is one of those countries that offers the highest professional training for forestry and timber trade. Consequently, wood experts from Austria are in demand in other countries. Delegations from China and North and South America come to Austria to learn how to sustainably manage forests and innovatively develop and market products made from wood - from timber construction and consumer products to cellulose fibre production.

In the last few decades, wood processing has experienced a trend towards industrialisation, for example in construction or in the production of innovative fibers. One key criteria for this development has been the material efficiency of the raw material. The question behind all this has to do with understanding which trees are best suited for which purposes and how to fully utilize all the materials present in a tree – such as the cellulose – for its intended use. One key factor to pay attention to in the forest industry is our climate. On the one hand, it is important to keep the natural fauna in balance, ensuring sustainably managed forests. On the other hand, certain plants and trees will adapt easier to the climate changes, such as beech trees, and are therefore more strongly promoted in reforestation programs.

To answer those questions, there have been close co-operations between industry and reputed research institutes and universities for years. For example, the holz.bau forschungs GmbH in Graz and the Institute for wood technology at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences in Austria have focused their joint research on wood containing composite materials. Wood is also gaining importance as a replenishable and eco-friendly raw material in order to replace fossil raw materials such as mineral oil. Step by step, the natural material is pushing into different areas such as building and insulation materials, packaging, textiles and hygiene products. The Austrian corporation Lenzing AG offers a prime example of the sustainable and integrated use of forests, where materials made from wood replace the plastics found in conventional products. Already successful in the textile industry with its TENCEL™ branded fibers, the company recently introduced its new VEOCEL™ fiber brand for consumer care products. These fibers for wet wipes are a sustainable alternative to many plastic fibers commonly used in such everyday care products. Originating from wood-based cellulose, wipes made of these VEOCEL™ fibers are capable of completely biodegrading and returning to its natural origin.