Rhönholzveredler cooperation

Rhön Administration

Numerous forestry companies, carpenters, sawmills, and environmentai NGOs.

Goal: marketing of furniture and floors made of solid regional old growth beech wood

Ecological aspects: conservation of sustainably managed broad leaf woodland promoting a higher percentage of old growth trees; creation and conservation of habitats for numerous wild plants and animals which depend on old growth forests/trees.

Typically beech trees are harvested when less than 100 years old because of change of wood colours (inside the stem) as a matter of age. This kind of wood is however not suitable for industrial wood processing but only for small scale carpenting; no use of pesticides or chemicals; with the use of solid wood/timber only, no laminate wood, no future waste problems will occur as it is a fully recyclable or burnable product; no long transportation of raw material required to factory required.

Economic aspects: solid wood furniture production creates and secures highly qualified jobs in small businesses (carpenters. sawmills); Forestry companies benefit from higher price for timber (alternative use would be for firewood); the customer should recognize and identify the Rhön as a region of high quality products and services.

Social aspects: creation and safeguarding of jobs in the region.

Indicators: marketed products (furniture, wooden floors, staircases, kitchens and offices etc.); number of jobs; sales figures.

Goals: public forestry administration should be furnitured with these products as an example, more expensive than other similar products but higher quality.

Further goals: all public offices should follow this example.

Reporting: exhibitions; presentations; website; participation on fairs; excursions.

The project was initiated by a consulting and capacitiy building/training project within the agriculture/forestry administration.

Financial resources: no public money except little financial support by the biosphere reserve administration for creating a brochure and exhibition material.

Technology transfer: extraordinarily high number of apprencticeships for young people in each of the joint businesses.

Long term goal: foundation of a marketing cooperative (Ltd.) for a centralised marketing products to adjacent urban areas.

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