Harmonization of Forest Available for Wood Supply (FAWS) in Europe

Abstract

National forest inventories (NFI) are among the most important data providers for national and international forest reporting. Forest available for wood supply (FAWS) is an indicator for the sustainability of timber production. The application of the current FAWS definition is not without uncertainty due to different possible interpretations. A clearly defined and applicable reference definition (RD) for FAWS was proposed and tested using NFI data from five European countries. The RD was established based on questionnaires and country reports including most European countries. The case studies showed that the RD is applicable using NFI data, even though some additional clarifications are still needed for a harmonized reporting on FAWS.