Wood in Construction and as a Raw Material for Fuels. Scenarios for the Austrian Economy

The forestry and timber industry cluster is of great importance to the national and regional economy, as statistical evaluations of value added and employment show. It also plays a central role in the energy transition and the transformation to a sustainable and climate-neutral economy. The Austrian federal government is aiming for climate neutrality in 2040. The cluster can contribute to this in several ways. Wood used for construction can absorb significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in the long term and thus supports efforts to reach a climate-neutral economy. Renewable fuels and other substances made from wood can also provide consumer goods that were previously obtained from fossil raw materials. The results of the present study show that the increased use of wood can be accompanied by an increase in value-added and an expansion of employment despite displacement effects. The transformation of the economic system towards renewable raw materials and climate neutrality has a direct positive effect on value-added and employment and improves Austria's greenhouse gas balance.