The Austrian forest industry consumed about 14.5 million m3/u.b. industrial roundwood in 1980 to compare with a total domestic cutting of 13 million m3/u.b. The dominating primary manufacturer is the sawmilling industry which in 1980 consumed about 70% of the total industrial wood consumption. About 65% of the sawnwood production is exported.
In this paper, four scenarios are presented for the Austrian saw mills. These scenarios show that future problems such as (i) overcapacity; (ii) insufficient supply of wood raw material and (iii) low profitability -- may arise. These problems could be solved by (1) intensified marketing, (2) intensified domestic cutting, (3) long-term import agreements for wood, and (4) a continued modernization of the industry
