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Timber industry situation in Europe

Resolution 609 (1976)

Author(s):
Parliamentary Assembly
Origin
Assembly debate on 27 January 1976 (21st Sitting) (see Doc. 3695, report of the Committee on Agriculture). Text adopted by the Assembly on 27 January 1976 (21st Sitting).
Thesaurus

The Assembly,

1. Recalling its Recommendation 579 (1970), on the state of forestry in Europe, which excluded the situation of the timber industry ;
2. Considering that the forest is a common heritage contributing towards the ecological equilibrium of the natural environment, and in certain circumstances considerably increases national revenue ;
3. Having regard to the increasing industrial consumption of timber which is required for a wide variety of purposes ;
4. Whereas it is necessary to balance supply and demand in the medium and long term, in particular with regard to the fact that consumption at present outstrips production, giving rise to difficulties of supply ;
5. Considering that all wastage and excessive use of timber as raw material should be avoided, in order to guarantee adequate supplies at all times, even for future generations ;
6. Noting that considerable disparities exist between the member states with regard to production capacity and the amount of timber used ;
7. Considering that the timber industry, if brought into less highly developed industrial regions, can create employment possibilities and thus help to check the flight from the land,
8. Invites the governments of the member states of the Council of Europe :
a to promote forestation and reafforestation not only for production reasons, but also so as to maintain an ecological equilibrium and create more recreation areas ;
b to promote the production of fast-rotating timber, bearing in mind, however, the ecological advantages of the mixed "deciduous-coniferous" forest, depending on regions and soil ;
c to take all necessary steps to avoid losses of timber through forest fires, and through wastage during processing in industry, as well as in forestry itself and in transportation ;
d to encourage long-term supply agreements between timber producers and consumers ;
e to encourage among other things the salvaging of used paper for recycling, thus reducing timber consumption and the dependence of the paper industry on imports in many member states ;
f to make all efforts to obtain the necessary knowledge of the countries' forest resources by country-wide forest surveys, thereby furnishing a basis for reliable timber balances and forecasts not only for the countries themselves but for Europe as a whole ;
g to make forecasts of the future pattern of timber consumption in the medium and long term in order to guarantee adequate supplies ;
h to introduce a policy for the exploitation of woodlands based on actual capacity, without jeopardising the continuity of productive capital ;
i to initiate studies on the possibilities to increase forest production and the means to obtain this.