Forest Potentials and Policy Implications: A Summary of a Study of Eastern and Western European Forest by the IIASA

National timber-assessment studies based on dynamic models are well developed in some European countries, but consistent and dynamic timber assessments for all of Europe are rare and those that exist are not based on formal quantitative models. Because of this lack, a first objective of the IIASA Forest Study was the development of a consistent and formal dynamic model for European forests. Such a model is crucial for formulating relevant forest policies throughout Europe, as well as for calculating long-term timber balance for the region. Finding solutions to the air pollution problem is not easy. Those who design a nd implement solutions to the problem must coordinate local actions to achieve regional goals, regional actions to achieve national goals, and national actions to achieve international goals. We hope that the results of the IIASA Forest Study will play a role in this process

The Forest Resources of the Former European USSR

This book, the second in a series, reports the results of a four-year study of the effects of air pollutants, ineffective silviculture practices and other factors on forests in the European sector of the former Soviet Union. The specific objectives of this book are: to gain an impartial view of potential developments of the forest resources in the European sector of the former USSR; to build alternative and consistent scenarios of the future developments; to illustrate the effects of forest decline from air pollutants; to identify meaningful policy options concerning the forest resources in the area; to support future policy decisions concerning the forest resources of the region

Future Forest Resources of Western and Eastern Europe

This book records the results of a four-year study of the effects of air pollutants, ineffective silviculture practices and other factors such as restrictive legislation and neglect of forests in 24 European countries. The story presented is grim: air pollutants are damaging some 80% of conifers and 45% of deciduous species and annual losses in timber will approach 48 million cubic meters in Western Europe and 35 million cubic meters in Eastern Europe. Annual losses due to air pollution (mainly sulfur and nitrogen) are estimated to be about 29 billion US dollars, compared to a planned investment in reducing air pollution of only 9 billion dollars per year. This estimate is conservative in part because it does not consider all social welfare aspects. A complete cost/benefit analysis of air pollution effects would have to include the impacts on human health, damage to buildings and effects on ecological systems other than forests. The situation is not hopeless: the authors point out that reductions in pollution and improvements in policies could increase timber harvests by a total of 140 million cubic meters per year in Western and Eastern Europe