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For the mountainous country of Austria, the important protective forests \u2013 forests that protect against natural hazards such as avalanches, mudflows and rockfalls \u2013 are also among these special features.<\/p>\n
This needs to be actively maintained and kept \"functional\", explains the Austrian Forest Association. \"We need supportive measures and no restrictive EU regulations for the care of our forests and the use of wood,\" says \u00d6k.-Rat Rudolf Rosenstatter, chairman of the forest association, denouncing the misguided forest-related EU policy from the association's point of view.<\/p>\n
The Austrian Forest Association compares the trade balances for wood and fossil fuels. While one earns money with wood, coal, oil and gas have a negative foreign trade balance. Climate-friendly forest care suitable for grandchildren secure jobs and income for around 300,000 people. With a surplus of around \u20ac5 billion, the forest wood paper value chain will again be one of the most important assets of the Austrian economy in 2021. There is enormous potential in forest and wood for the fight against climate change, for example through carbon storage in wood products and the replacement of fossil raw materials.<\/p>\n
Forest and wood are an important part of heat and energy independence from fossil energy imports from warring nations. The EU, which is actually supposed to promote European energy independence and the energy transition, is restricting forest care and wood use with the EU Renewable Energy Directive.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe EU is driving us further into the dependency and arbitrariness of warring despots. With every cubic meter of wood that the EU does not let us use and with every dearly paid barrel of oil or cubic meter of gas, enormous amounts of money and purchasing power flow irretrievably into countries that wage wars and trample on human rights. In doing so, the EU is allowing our mountains of debt for fossil energy imports to grow rapidly,\u201d says Rosenstatter, annoyed at the restrictive EU requirements.<\/p>\n
Neglected forest does not protect<\/strong><\/p>\n In fact, it seems as if the positive effects of forest care that is suitable for grandchildren and the climate-neutral use of wood for the environment in Brussels are not yet known.<\/p>\n \"The current EU forest policy shows that the great importance of climate-friendly forests, their preservation and the use of wood as an essential part in the fight against climate change is not recognized at the Brussels negotiating table. I can only explain it like this, because the \"forest left to its own devices\" aimed for by the EU is an absolutely fatal sign, according to Rosenstatter.<\/p>\n Not tending means neglecting and a neglected forest, especially in the mountains, will not be able to protect the population in the long term. \"When will people in Brussels finally recognize the positive key role played by forests and wood in protecting the climate and people and that wood is an indispensable part of the energy transition,\" Rosenstatter concludes.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For the mountainous country of Austria, the important protective forests \u2013 forests that protect against natural hazards such as avalanches, mudflows and rockfalls \u2013 are also among these special features. This needs to be actively maintained and kept “functional”, explains … Continue reading