EU launches tool to help forestry sector

European Union (EU) researchers have announced the launch of a new tool to encourage the sustainable development of the forestry sector.

Supported by the EU's EFORWOOD (Tools for sustainability impact assessment of the forestry-wood chain) project, the tool for sustainability impact assessment (ToSIA) is intended to highlight the importance of the economic, social and environmental elements of sustainable development.

The programme's research co-ordinator Kaj Rosen of the Forestry Research Institute of Sweden said: "ToSIA helps provide objective answers to what-if questions and to highlight the consequences of various conceivable futures."

ToISA aims to assess information on the changes of the forestry industry and its influencing factors, including biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions.

It is also intended to help the European Commission reach its 2020 goals for sustainable development.

Last week, researchers from the University of Exeter and Brazil's National Institute for Space Research found that forest fires in the Amazon jungle could counteract the benefits of decreasing the amount of carbon emissions by reducing deforestation.

Posted by Joseph Hutton