Forest damage and forest supply chains: a literature review and reflections

Timber supply is affected by natural disruptions such as storms, wildfires, and insect infestations, which modify timber properties and disturb the supply to forest industries. Climate change threatens to increase the prevalence of forest damage and supply chain disturbances. This review analyzed the research between 2000 and 2022 on the effects of forest damage on wood supply chains and management measures to handle such disruptions. The review identified 23 studies from North America, Europe, and Australia and analyzed them regarding damage type and impact, research approach, and key findings. The literature on the topic covers the leading causes of damage: fire, wind damage, and insect infestation. In some cases, climate change was identified as the underlying cause of the supply disruptions. Research approaches involved calculations of consequences, scenario modeling, optimizations, and qualitative studies. This review identifies the essential considerations for successfully handling supply chains after forest damage. Robust supply warrants a range of adaptations, including choices for forest establishment, forest management methods, and collaborative planning. In addition, future research themes based on findings in the retrieved papers are suggested

Do People Make Strategic Moves? Experimental Evidence on Strategic Information Avoidance

The strategic commitment moves that game theory predicts players make may sometimes seem counter-intuitive. We therefore conducted an experiment to see if people make the predicted strategic move. The experiment uses a simple bargaining situation. A player can make a strategic move of committing to not seeing what another player will demand. Our data show that subjects do, but only after substantial time, learn to make the predicted strategic move. We find only weak evidence of physical timing effects.strategic moves; commitment; bargaining; strategic value of information; physical timing effects; endogenous timing; experiment

SHOULD WE DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN BUSINESS AND PRIVATE CUSTOMERS?

The literature on how customers make their service-provider choices largely distinguishes between private and business customers, and companies’ offerings have been separated accordingly. This study takes a closer look at the possible differences between these two customer categories. The results are explorative and based on both qualitative and quantitative studies focusing on customers’ actual behavior. The findings show that it is not only job-related aspects such as “being able to work” that influence business travel, and that private matters such as “time with the family” are clearly of equal significance in the choice situation. Price perception is important, but only when it is set against the appropriate social costs. The contradiction appears in the airlines’ offers to these customers, which are generally specifically job related. The results of the present study show that most business customers are, in fact, “private customers”.air travel, customer relationships, business-to-business relationships, preferences, choice, service

Citizens' knowledge of and perceptions of multi-storey wood buildings in seven European countries

This study examined public attitudes towards multi-storey wood buildings (MSWBs) in seven European countries. A questionnaire was distributed to online panellists in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Results from 7007 complete questionnaires indicate that respondents knew less about MSWBs in countries where brick, stone and concrete are the most commonly used house frame elements in construction (United Kingdom, Germany and Denmark) compared to countries with a stronger wood building tradition (Austria, Finland, Norway and Sweden). Respondents in Finland and Sweden had the most positive attitudes towards MSWB. The number of respondents, who considered a prospective apartment in an MSWB appealing, was approximately equal to the number that considered it an unappealing alternative. The factors most influencing the respondents' perception of MSWBs as a nice place to live were (i) vulnerability to fire, (ii) material solidity and durability, (iii) healthy indoor environment and (iv) vulnerability to moisture. The results from this study add new knowledge to the understanding of cross-country differences of preferences among the public for living in MSWBs. The results can be used to support the MSWB planning and marketing efforts in the countries involved

Assessing the awareness and adoptability of pellet cookstoves for low-income households in Lusaka, Zambia

Wood fuel, charcoal, and firewood comprise over 70 percent of the national energy consumption in Zambia, as only about 25 percent of the population has access to electricity. Replacing charcoal braziers with cookstoves using sawdust pellets can support sustainable energy provision in urban Zambia while reducing deforestation on the countryside. However, acceptability of pellet cookstoves remains low, while the demand for wood fuel is increasing. The study investigated the acceptability of pellet cookstoves, in view of governmental policies, in the Matero-George compound, Lusaka. Qualitative approaches were applied, and respondents were households, and officers at the Departments of Energy and Forestry, and at Lusaka City Council. Factors shaping the stoves’ acceptability included their convenience, possibility of reusing pellets, their long-term cost advantages, and the perceived health benefits of pellets. The barriers included limited supply of pellets, combustible pellet cookstoves, stove size, maintenance costs, cooking traditions, and government policies for dissemination, sensitisation, and communication about pellet stoves. This study demonstrated that implementation of pellet cookstoves at the local level depends on a multitude of contextual factors, and confirms the need for relevant policy instruments if such energy consumption is to be accepted

Real-time tacit bargaining, payoff focality, and coordination complexity: Experimental evidence

We conduct a bargaining experiment where interaction is tacit and payoffs are earned and cumulated in real time. We test hypotheses about the interaction between the focal properties of payoffs and the complexity of coordinating on an intertemporal behavior that achieves them. The general finding is that when a payoff focal outcome requires a complicated coordination scheme bargainers tend to settle on a simpler and sometimes inefficient behavior

The role of harvester measurement in the wood supply chain

Forest industries manage their wood supply chains for sustainability, efficiency, and value creation. Roundwood measuring is a crucial part of wood procurement to achieve the best total value and sharing of benefits between business partners in the supply chain. Industrial measurement is the dominant measuring technique used in Sweden, but the use of harvester measurement has gained increasing interest over the last decade. In this study, we analyzed how harvester measurement affects the wood procurement process regarding operations, supplier relationships, and total costs. The data was gathered through interviews with the analysis being supported by theoretical frameworks of lean thinking, supplier relationship management, and total cost of ownership. Harvester measurement has the potential to increase incentives for the purchaser to preserve the value created and improve control of the supply chain, thus leading to more efficient resource use. It also improves supplier relationships due to a simpler price list, which ultimately increases transparency. Lastly, forest industries may increase their profitability levels and competitiveness due to increased supply chain surplus and reduced total costs. Further research on quantitative measures is required to assess the significance of these effects, as well as the entire sustainability impact on the wood supply chain

Communicating Added Value in Wooden Multistorey Construction

Climate changes point to the needs to find sustainable materials for residential multistorey housing as a growing proportion of populations across the world live in urban areas. Despite positive environmental effects, wood has a limited use in multistorey constructions even in countries with a strong tradition to use wood in residential housing, such as Sweden. As new materials, techniques were developed and studies of properties of wood as a construction material were communicated, and legislation was altered in Sweden in the mid-1990s, allowing for the use of wood in multistorey housing. The expected market growth was slow and uneven even when incentivizing programs were developed. This chapter explains consumer perspectives in a town, Växjö, where the tradition of using wood in multistorey construction is strong. It points to the needs of knowing more about consumers’ perspectives—in order to communicate added values, that is, environmental benefits, in suitable market channels

Charcoal Trade in Niger—Product Flows and Business Models

Charcoal is used in Africa for household energy, and the sector involves different actors with specific business strategies. Based on theories on sustainable business models and livelihoods, charcoal traders in five cities in Niger were surveyed about supply chains and strategies. Most charcoal is imported from Nigeria, and smaller quantities come from Benin and Burkina Faso or domestically. Men dominate the trade. Customers value charcoal quality, tree species, packaging, and low prices. Three groups of traders and their business models were identified: small-scale retailers, large-scale retailers, and wholesalers. The charcoal trade is typically combined with trade in other products and is frequently conducted with family members or friends; laborers are employed for loading and unloading. The charcoal business provides a complementary income for the traders’ livelihoods. Most respondents believed that trade would increase in the future; wholesalers expected promising future business opportunities. This study concludes that improvements should focus on quality, better marketing skills, and more sustainable charcoal sourcing. Charcoal use in the Sahel region of Africa should also be studied further to enable the development of effective policies in the West African bioenergy sector. The cross-border charcoal trade creates a need for coordinated policies for a sustainable charcoal sector in the Sahel region

Effects of charcoal ban on value chains and livelihoods in Kenyan Coast – stakeholders’ perceptions

Charcoal production in Africa has been seen by experts and authorities as a driver of forest degradation and deforestation; hence, governments are implementing measures to address this problem, including banning of charcoal production and trade. The effectiveness of these policies is uncertain, and stakeholders’ reactions to, and perceptions of, the regulations are unknown. This study analyzed impacts, perceptions, and feedback reactions among stakeholders after the charcoal ban was introduced in Kenya in February 2018. The conceptual framework refers to the theories on sustainability transitions, and data was collected through key informant interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), individual interviews, workshops, and surveys among value chain actors, organizations, and government agencies in Kwale, Taita Taveta and Mombasa counties in Kenya. Several economic, behavioral, attitudinal, and institutional consequences of the ban were identified. The policy showed characteristics of a negative feedback loop, meaning the policy may not succeed in reaching its purpose because of adverse side effects. Possible “policy mix” approaches and advancement of alternative charcoal sources such as briquettes could in the long-term, promote sustainable development of the Kenyan charcoal sector hence supporting the policy implementation