Analysis of performance of the forestry sector in the Czech and Slovak Republics

The forestry sector provides several social and economic benefits to the whole economy. It is based on the sustainable management of renewable natural resources and production of raw wood. It is therefore able of sustainable growth. The interest of the European Union is to build economy based on renewable natural resources, resulting in the need to pay increased attention to the development and support of the forestry. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the performance of forestry sector in the Czech and Slovak Republics for a period of five years. System of indicators measuring sectorial performance was set up to reach the goal. Obtained results in indicators have shown that the profitability and value added rate of Slovak and Czech forestry are at a high level and the performance is affected by high investment efficiency.O

Comparative efficiency of wood sources utilisation in selected European countries

Wood belongs among the renewable, ecological resources used in many variants of primary and secondary production. The efficiency and effectiveness of using wood resources is, therefore, one of the important factors of sustainable economic development of the society. Each country should strive to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of the use of raw materials. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the different levels of timber use in international comparison based on the available information of timber resources, production, consumption, import and export in the primary processing in natural and value expressions of wood resources. The results indicate the efficiency of the use of wood resources both for the volume of the total woodworking production and the production value of the woodworking industry in the selected countries.Published Versio

Utilisation of a certified wood in wood processing companies in the Czech Republic

The present business environment offers a wide scale of production and it is increasingly difficult to find a product standard which can distinguish the producer from competitors. The pressure of lobby groups and legislation arrangements force the society to reflect a need for ecologic and sustainable thinking. The current trend and requirements of EU are the implementation of certified systems and production of wooden products from certified wood. This paper focused on the present situation in the supply of products from certified wood and analyses an exercitation of eco-philosophy in the business of wood processors, the rate of manufacturing of certified wooden products, as well as reasons and benefits of certified production. This paper presents selected results of primary research carried out in Czechia which was focused on the investigation of economic impacts of wood products manufacturing from certified raw wood. All presented results emphasise the need for voluntary market tools with ecologic character.Published Versio

Cascade use of wood in the Czech Republic

Research Highlights: One of the priorities of the European Commission is to build up an effective circular economy based on recycling and multiple use of materials. Wood biomass is a renewable raw material and can be used several times in a cascading sequence. Each country has a unique situation regarding the availability and utilization of wood sources. Background and Objectives: The objective of this study was to analyze wood flow in the Czech Republic using the cascading principle of biomass use. The specific situation in the Czech Republic lies in a lack of valid and reliable input data from official statistics. Therefore, the reverse input method was applied. Materials and Methods: Input data analyses of roundwood sources and foreign trade were based on official statistical data. The calculation of raw wood volume consumption in primary processing was performed based on the data after our own correction and recalculation. It was then possible to build up a basic model of multi-stage cascade wood use. The input volume of roundwood was divided among all types of primary processing production using conversion factors. Results: Cascading use of wood (CUW) showed the level of efficiency of the resource. Official statistical input data and the reversed input data regarding raw wood volume entering wood processing revealed differences at a level of 27%. The overall CUW in the Czech Republic indicates a high rate of wood use in primary processing with low added value and in generating energy. Conclusions: The reverse input method reveals the real situation of wood consumption irrespective of the level of official statistical data. It is suitable to apply in an environment of incomplete or incorrect input data. CUW in Czechia showed an opportunity for increasing the efficiency of wood utilization. The structure of wood use needs to be optimized towards creating greater added value.O

Poboljšanje izvedbe i kvalitete procesa proizvodnje namještaja primjenom metodologije Six Sigma

The main aim of this paper is to illustrate the application of selected methods and procedures in the implementation of the Six Sigma Methodology in the furniture manufacturing processes, specifically in the wood veneer pressing, to verify the application and to evaluate the benefits of using selected methods and procedures through a series of step DMAIC process improvement. The application of selected methods and tools within the Six Sigma Methodology, such as DPMO, efficiency and sigma levels, project charter, histogram of mistakes caused by the application of the adhesive, the SIPOC plot mapping process, reaction plans, Ishikawa diagram and control diagrams bring the system and clarity of measurable results into project management for process improvement and process change. The benefits of their use are the cost savings and performance improvement processes.Glavni je cilj ovog rada prikazati provedbu odabranih metoda i postupaka pri primjeni Six Sigma metodologije u proizvodnji namještaja. To se posebice odnosi na provjeru primjene i procjenu prednosti korištenja odabranih metoda i postupaka pri prešanju furnira unutar niz koraka za poboljšanje DMAIC procesa. Primjena odabranih metoda i alata u sklopu metodologije Six Sigma, kao što su DPMO, učinkovitost i sigma razine, projektna povelja, histogram grešaka uzrokovanih primjenom ljepila, proces mapiranja SIPOC, reakcijski planovi, Ishikawa dijagram i kontrolni dijagrami, uvodi sustav i jasnoću mjerljivih rezultata u upravljanje projektima radi poboljšanja i promjene procesa. Prednosti njihove uporabe jesu smanjenje troškova i poboljšanje proizvodnog procesa

Contribution to the methods of information support for development strategy in wood process and furniture management

Uspjeh procesa promjena i restrukturalizacije osobito ovisi o izboru metoda utvrđivanja vanjskih i unutrašnjih relevantnih činitelja. U radu je težište na SWOT analizi koja omogućuje utvrđivanje makroekonomskih početnih točaka restrukturalizacije drvnoindustrij-skih poduzeća. Rezultati SWOT analize potpora su temeljitim informacijama za detaljno označavanje potrebnih promjena u drvnoindustrijskim poduzećima i mogućnostima ostvarenja budućega strateškog razvoja.The success of the change/restructuralisation process particularly depends on the choice of the methods for assessing the exterior and interior relevant factors. The paper is focused on the SWOT analysis, which enables an assessment of macro-economic starting points in the restructuralisation of wood-industrial firms. The results of the SWOT analysis are a support to fundamental information on detailed marking the required changes in wood-industrial firms, and the possibilities of realising a future strategic development

Vrednovanje konkurentnosti drvoprerađivačke industrije

Wood processing industry (WPI) is a sector based on renewable natural resources of wood raw material. It can, therefore, provide sustainable growth and be competitive on the international markets. The interest of the European Union is to build economy based on renewable natural resources, meaning that it is necessary to pay increased attention to the development and support of the WPI. The aim of the article is to evaluate and compare the level and development of competitiveness of WPI in the Czech and Slovak Republics for a ten year period through the establishment of indicators based on foreign trade data of industry using mathematical and statistical methods. To reach the goal, a system of indicators measuring sectoral competitiveness was set up under the hypothesis: in the WPI the potential of competitiveness is used defi ciently. The resulting indicators have confirmed the hypothesis and shown that, despite the fact that the WPI creates active foreign trade balance and contributes to surplus balance of the country, it achieves low values of indicators implying comparative advantage with a negative, decreasing trend, consequently meaning that industry gradually loses its competitive ability. The analysis also showed that the reason for low competitive ability of WPI is low specialization of the country in the commodity group, which was confi rmed by statistical method of correlation analysis.Drvoprerađivačka industrija (WPI) industrijski je sektor koji se temelji na drvnoj sirovini kao obnovljivome prirodnom resursu, zbog čega je moguće ostvariti održivi rast i razvoj te međunarodnu konkurentsku prednost. Interes je Europske unije graditi gospodarstvo utemeljeno na obnovljivim prirodnim resursima, što će rezultirati pojačanom pozornošću prema razvoju i potpori WPI-a. Cilj ovog rada jest vrednovati i usporediti razinu razvijenosti konkurentnosti WPI-a u Češkoj i Slovačkoj Republici u razdoblju od deset godina, i to uspostavom pokazatelja utemeljenih na podacima međunarodne trgovine sektora primjenom matematičkih i statističkih metoda. Kako bi se to postiglo, uspostavili smo sustav pokazatelja kojima se mjeri sektorska konkurentnost. Postavili smo hipotezu da je potencijal konkurentnosti WPI-a nedovoljno iskorišten. Rezultati dobiveni uz pomoć tih pokazatelja potvrdili su hipotezu i pokazali da, usprkos činjenici da WPI ima pozitivnu vanjskotrgovinsku bilancu i unatoč činjenici da znatno pridonosi pozitivnoj bilanci države, još uvijek ima niske vrijednosti pokazatelja, što upućuje na negativne trendove komparativnih prednosti, a posljedica toga je gubitak komparativnih mogućnosti. Analiza je također pokazala da je razlog niske konkurentnosti WPI-a niska specijaliziranost pojedine države u pojedinoj grupaciji proizvoda, što je potvrđeno statističkom metodom korelacijske analize

Willingness to Pay for Forest Existence Value and Sustainability

Uganda is richly endowed with flora and fauna. Until the early 2000s, most of the types of vegetation have remained natural/virgin forests and shrubs until recent years, when human activities have damaged them. Understanding the different ways that people value such endangered forest resources is very important. The main hypothesis in our study is that willingness to pay (WTP) for forest existence value and sustainability depends on the preference for the same values. In addition, we examined socioeconomic characteristics, such as sex, education, and household incomes, which could influence the WTP for forest existence value and sustainability. We carried out field questionnaire interviews with the aim of ascertaining Willingness to Pay (WTP) for forest existence. The WTP values were in a range between 1 and 200 USD based on the contingent valuation method (CVM). A sample with a size of 203 was interviewed in selected towns and villages in Uganda, and the data collected were subjected to statistical analysis. The cross-tabulation of the expressed preferences illustrates that 81.9% of the representative sample are willing to pay for forest existence value and sustainability. We concluded that the willingness to pay for forest existence significantly depends on the preference for forest existence values and sustainability. Our results equally express that the mean WTP in this region is 15 USD per year and that over 60% are willing to pay this amount. The socioeconomic determinants' results demonstrate heterogeneity and that over 90% of the respondents are willing to pay for forest existence, conservation, and sustainability.O

Socioeconomic Impact of Mining in the Atiwa Forest Reserve of Ghana on Fringe Communities and the Achievement of SDGs: Analysis from the Residents' Perspective

The Atiwa forest reserve of Ghana sits upon roughly 150 million tons of bauxite. The Government has decided to mine and use the proceeds for national infrastructure development programs. This article examines the impact of mining on the residents' livelihoods and the achievement of the SDGs from the perspective of the residents. A questionnaire was administered to 197 respondents. Per the findings, the residents around the forest reserve do not consent to the proposed mining project. Although they give credit to its possible job creation opportunities, the irreplaceable nature of the forest reserve urges them not to consent to the initiative. They depend on the rivers and streams for their livelihoods, and the affected districts are also among Ghana's major cocoa producers. These farmers depend on these water bodies for irrigation. It is necessary to preserve them in order to sustain the production of these cash crops that make a direct contribution to the country's GDP.O