Substance flow analysis in Finland : Four case studies on N and P flows

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are essential elements for all living organisms. However, in excess, they contribute to several environmental problems such as aquatic and terrestrial eutrophication. Globally, human action has multiplied the volume of N and P cycling since the onset of industrialization. The multiplication is a result of intensified agriculture, increased energy consumption and population growth. Industrial ecology (IE) is a discipline, in which human interaction with the ecosystems is investigated using a systems analytical approach. The main idea behind IE is that industrial systems resemble ecosystems, and, like them, industrial systems can then be described using material, energy and information flows and stocks. Industrial systems are dependent on the resources provided by the biosphere, and these two cannot be separated from each other. When studying substance flows, the aims of the research from the viewpoint of IE can be, for instance, to elucidate the ways how the cycles of a certain substance could be more closed and how the flows of a certain substance could be decreased per unit of production (= dematerialization). In Finland, N and P are studied widely in different ecosystems and environmental emissions. A holistic picture comparing different societal systems is, however, lacking. In this thesis, flows of N and P were examined in Finland using substance flow analysis (SFA) in the following four subsystems: I) forest industry and use of wood fuels, II) food production and consumption, III) energy, and IV) municipal waste. A detailed analysis at the end of the 1990s was performed. Furthermore, historical development of the N and P flows was investigated in the energy system (III) and the municipal waste system (IV). The main research sources were official statistics, literature, monitoring data, and expert knowledge. The aim was to identify and quantify the main flows of N and P in Finland in the four subsystems studied. Furthermore, the aim was to elucidate whether the nutrient systems are cyclic or linear, and to identify how these systems could be more efficient in the use and cycling of N and P. A final aim was to discuss how this type of an analysis can be used to support decision-making on environmental problems and solutions. Of the four subsystems, the food production and consumption system and the energy system created the largest N flows in Finland. For the creation of P flows, the food production and consumption system (Paper II) was clearly the largest, followed by the forest industry and use of wood fuels and the energy system. The contribution of Finland to N and P flows on a global scale is low, but when compared on a per capita basis, we are one of the largest producers of these flows, with relatively high energy and meat consumption being the main reasons. Analysis revealed the openness of all four systems. The openness is due to the high degree of internationality of the Finnish markets, the large-scale use of synthetic fertilizers and energy resources and the low recycling rate of many waste fractions. Reduction in the use of fuels and synthetic fertilizers, reorganization of the structure of energy production, reduced human intake of nutrients and technological development are crucial in diminishing the N and P flows. To enhance nutrient recycling and replace inorganic fertilizers, recycling of such wastes as wood ash and sludge could be promoted. SFA is not usually sufficiently detailed to allow specific recommendations for decision-making to be made, but it does yield useful information about the relative magnitude of the flows and may reveal unexpected losses. Sustainable development is a widely accepted target for all human action. SFA is one method that can help to analyse how effective different efforts are in leading to a more sustainable society. SFA's strength is that it allows a holistic picture of different natural and societal systems to be drawn. Furthermore, when the environmental impact of a certain flow is known, the method can be used to prioritize environmental policy efforts.

Finnish and Austrian Wood Markets in a Changing Environment

At present the operating environment of sawmills in Europe is changing and there are uncertainties related in raw material supply in many countries. The changes in the operating environment of roundwood markets and the effects followed by these changes have brought up several interesting issues from the viewpoint of research. Lately new factors have been influencing the roundwood markets, such as increasing interest towards wood-based energy and implementation of new energy policies as well as changes in wood trade flows that affect the domestic markets in many countries. This Master’s thesis studies the adaptation ability of Finnish roundwood markets in a changing operating environment, aiming to produce an up-to-date analysis considering new development trends. The study concentrates on the roundwood markets from the viewpoint of sawmill industry since the industry is dependent on the functioning of the markets and sawmills are highly affected by the changes on the roundwood markets. To facilitate international comparison, the study is implemented by comparing Finnish and Austrian roundwood markets and analysing changes happening in the two countries. Finland and Austria share rather similar characteristics in the roundwood market structures, forest resources and forest ownership as well as production of roundwood and sawnwood. In addition they both are big exporters of forest industry products. In this study changes in the operating environment of sawmill industry both in Finland as well as in Austria are compared to each other aiming to recognise the main similarities and differences between the countries. In addition both development possibilities as well as challenges followed by the changes are discussed. The aim of the study is to define the main challenges and possibilities confronted by the actors on the markets and also to find new perspectives to approach these. The study is implemented as a qualitative study. The theoretical framework of the study describes the operating environment of wood markets from the viewpoint of the sawmill industry and represents the effects of supply and demand on the wood markets. The primary research material of the study was gathered by interviewing high level experts of forestry and sawmill industry in both Finland and Austria. The aim was to receive as extensive country specific viewpoint from the markets as possible, hence interviewees represented different parties of the markets. After creating country-specific profiles based on the theoretical framework a cross-country comparison was implemented. As a consequence the main similarities and differences in the operating environment and on the roundwood markets of Finland and Austria were recognized. In addition the main challenges and possibilites were identified. The results of the study offer a wide analysis regarding the main similarities and differences of the wood markets of Finland and Austria and their operating environments as well as concerning challenges and possibilities faced on the markets.

Discursive (de)legitimation of a contested Finnish greenfield investment project in Latin America

Despite the central role of legitimacy in corporate social responsibility debate, little is known of subtle meaning-making processes through which social actors attempt to establish or de-establish legitimacy for socially contested corporate undertakings, and through which they, at the same time, struggle to define the proper social role and responsibility of corporations. We investigated these processes in the context of the intense socio-political conflict around the Finnish forest industry company Metsa¨-Botnia’s world-scale pulp mill in Uruguay. A critical discursive analysis of Finnish media texts highlights three types of struggle that characterized the media coverage: legalistic argumentation, truth fights, and political battles. Interestingly, this case illustrates how the corporate representatives — with the help of the national media — tend to frame the issue in legalistic terms, emphasize their expert knowledge in technical and environmental evaluations, and distance themselves from political disputes. We argue that similar tendencies are likely to characterize corporate social responsibility debates more generally.

Turvemaan männyn (Pinus sylvestris L.) ja kuusen (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) kanto- ja juuripuun ominaisuudet ja asetoniliukoisten uuteaineiden määrä

Tutkimus on osa Metsäklusteri Oy:n Future Biorefinery –tutkimusohjelmaa, jossa kartoitetaan mahdollisuuksia hyödyntää metsäteollisuuden raaka-aineita aiempaa tarkemmin ja uusissa tuotteissa. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on selvittää männyn (Pinus sylvestris L.) ja kuusen (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) juurten ja kantopuun rakenne ja ominaisuudet. Tutkimuksessa selvitetään löytyykö männyn ja kuusen juurista reaktiopuuta ja määritetään asetoniliukoisten uuteaineiden osuus kantoja juuripuussa. Tutkimusaineistona oli viisi eri-ikäistä mäntyä ja viisi eri-ikäistä kuusta. Juuri- ja kantoaineisto kerättiin Metsäntutkimuslaitoksen toimesta Parkanon seudulta (62.017°N, 23.017°E) hakkuun jälkeen. Maanalaisista juurista otettiin näytteet kolmelta eri etäisyydeltä juurenniskaan nähden. Kummankaan lajin juurista ei löytynyt varsinaista reaktiopuuta, mutta joissakin näytteissä havaittiin lievää reaktiopuuta. Lievää reaktiopuuta löytyi enemmän männyn kuin kuusen juurista, eikä sitä löytynyt lainkaan kaikkein ohuimmista, noin 2 cm paksuisista juurenosista. Männyn kannoissa uuteaineprosentti oli korkeampi kuin kuusen. Männyn juurissa uuteaineprosentti kasvoi edettäessä kohti juuren kärkeä. Kuusella uuteaineprosentti laski aluksi, mutta lähellä juuren kärkeä taas kasvoi. Kuoren uuteainepitoisuus oli molemmilla puulajeilla korkeampi kuin puuaineen. Tutkimusaineisto oli suppea, eikä tutkimuksessa pyritty tilastolliseen yleistettävyyteen. Laajemmasta aineistosta tehdylle tutkimukselle on tarvetta, sillä turvekankailta saatavan puun tarjonta on Suomessa kasvussa, mutta juurten uuteaine- ja reaktiopuututkimuksia on tehty vain kivennäismailta kerätyistä aineistoista.

Biomassan energia-arvon nostaminen sekundäärilämmöllä kuivaamalla

Viime aikoina ilmastonmuutos, fossiilisten polttoaineiden väheneminen ja niiden hinnan nousu ovat lisänneet merkittävästi maailmanlaajuista kiinnostusta uusiutuviin energiavaroihin. Suomessa uusiutuvien energialähteiden käytössä on jo pitkään panostettu metsäteollisuuden sivutuotevirtana tuottamaan puuperäiseen biomassaan, jota metsäteollisuus käyttää energiantuotantoonsa. Metsäteollisuuden jätevesien käsittelyssä syntyy erilaisia lietteitä, jotka joko uusiokäytetään tai hävitetään polttamalla tai sijoittamalla kaatopaikalle. Erityisesti biolietteiden uusiokäyttö on hankalaa ja kaatopaikkasijoitus tulevaisuudessa mahdotonta tai ainakin kustannuksiltaan kohtuutonta. Käytännössä liete hävitetään polttamalla ja kuivaamalla siitä tulee polttoaine. Lietteiden energiakäyttö on järkevin tapa hävittää jäteliete. Lietteiden korkean vesipitoisuuden vuoksi ne tulee kuitenkin kuivata ennen polttoa. Lietteen kuivaaminen sekundäärienergiavirralla eli metsäteollisuusprosesseissa sivutuotteena muodostuvalla ns. hukkalämmöllä lisää lietteen poltosta saatavaa energiamäärää ja korvaa fossiilisten polttoaineiden käyttöä. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää lietteen kuivaukseen optimaalisin kuoren ja lietteen seossuhde eri kuivausparametrejä vaihdellen. Kokeellinen työ aloitettiin rakentamalla energiatekniikan koehalliin laboratoriokokoluokan kiintopetikuivuri, jossa kuivumista tutkittiin puhaltamalla polttoainepedin läpi lämmitettyä ilmaa. Kuivattavina polttoaineina olivat kuoren ja lietteen seos tai pelkkä kuori ja liete erilaisilla massoilla ja erilaisilla prosenttisilla suhteilla ja erilaisissa lämpötiloissa. Kuivumiskäyrien määritys perustui massanmuutokseen. Koelaitteessa olivat anturit lämpötilan mittausta varten, jotta lämpötila saatiin säädettyä ja seurattua kokeen edellyttämällä tavalla. Lämpötilat ja painonmuutokset tallentuivat koetta tehdessä tietokoneelle. Kuivauskokeet osoittivat, että liete-kuori seos kuivuu hyvin kiintopedissä kun lietteen massaosuus seoksessa on korkeintaan 50 %. Lietteen massaosuuden ollessa tätä suurempi kuivaaminen ei enää ole tehokasta, mikä johtuu luultavasti ilman suuresta kanavoitumisesta kuivauspedissä. Kuorta kuivatessa lämpötilan nosto 50 °C:stä 70 °C:een oli huomattavasti tehokkaampaa kuin 70 °C:stä 90 °C:een, ajallisesti ero oli noin kaksinkertainen.

Kymmenen teollisesti merkittävän puulajin kuoriuutteiden mahdollisuudet tuholaistorjunnassa

Metsäteollisuudesta kertyy vuosittain suuria määriä ylijäämämateriaalia, kuten puun kuorta ja oksia.Ylimääräinen aines käytetään pääasiassa energiantuotantoon, mutta uusia soveltamismahdollisuuksia kaivataan. Kuoren on havaittu olevan potentiaalinen lähde monille bioaktiivisille yhdisteille, joille olisi käyttöä esimerkiksi lääke- ja kemianteollisuudessa sekä maa-, metsä- ja puutarhatuotannon tuholaistorjunnassa. Tutkimus on osa Euroopan Unionin rahoittamaa ForestSpeCs-projektia, jonka tarkoituksena on selvittää metsäteollisuuden ylijäämämateriaalien vaihtoehtoisia käyttötapoja. Valittujen kymmenen teollisesti merkittävän pohjoisen puulajin (Abies nephrolepis, Betula pendula, Larix decidua, L. gmelinii, L. sibirica, Picea abies, P. ajanensis, P. pumila, Pinus sylvestris, Populus tremula) kuoresta uutettujen aineiden soveltuvuutta syönninestoaineeksi testattiin kaaliperhosen (Pieris brassicae L.) ja krysanteemiyökkösen (Spodoptera littoralis Boisduval) toukilla sekä osittain sinappikuoriaisella (Phaedon cochloreae Fabricius) ja idänlehtikuoriaisella (Agelastica alni L.). Uutteet valmistettiin yhteistyössä projektin ryhmien avulla tai itsenäisesti erilaisin menetelmin. Testaukset tehtiin laboratorio-oloissa käyttäen lehtikiekkojen valintabiotestiä sekä karkeilla uutteilla että niistä erotelluilla yksittäisillä yhdisteillä. Tehdyistä mittauksista laskettiin syönninestoindeksit (FDI). Tulosten perusteella lähes kaikki testatut uutteet vaikuttivat ainakin jossain määrin kohdehyönteisen syöntikäyttäytymiseen. Hieman yli puolet kaaliperhosella testatuista 46 uutteesta aiheuttivat yli 50 % syönnineston eli kaaliperhonen suosi kontrollilehtiä uutteella käsiteltyjä todennäköisemmin. Krysanteemiyökkösellä yli 50 %:n syönnineston aiheuttivat vain seitsemän testatuista 56 uutteesta. Lisäksi kolme uutetta lisäsi käsiteltyjen kiekkojen syöntiä merkittävästi. Idänlehtikuoriaistoukat ja -aikuiset karttoivat erityisesti abietiinihapolla käsiteltyjä lehtiä. Sinappikuoriaisella testatut uutteet toimivat myös lupaavasti. Testattujen puulajien kuoresta on mahdollista uuttaa biologisesti aktiivisia yhdisteitä, mutta tuholaistorjunnan kannalta oikeiden pitoisuuksien ja tehokkaiden uuttomenetelmien löytäminen vaatii jatkotutkimuksia. Kuoren sisältämien yhdisteiden laatu ja määrä vaihtelevat monien tekijöiden, kuten ympäristön ja genetiikan vaikutuksesta. Hyönteisten sietokyky vaihtelee myös paljon lajeittain ja yksilöidenkin välillä on eroja. Uutteista valmistettavia torjunta-aineita olisi kuitenkin mahdollista sisällyttää esimerkiksi integroituun torjuntaan muiden menetelmien rinnalle tulevaisuudessa.

Emerging bioenergy business at Finnish independent industrial sawmills

Finnish forest industry is in the middle of a radical change. Deepening recession and the falling demand of woodworking industry´s traditional products have forced also sawmilling industry to find new and more fertile solutions to improve their operational preconditions. In recent years, the role of bioenergy production has often been highlighted as a part of sawmills´ business repertoire. Sawmilling produces naturally a lot of by-products (e.g. bark, sawdust, chips) which could be exploited more effectively in energy production, and this would bring more incomes or maybe even create new business opportunities for sawmills. Production of bioenergy is also supported by government´s climate and energy policies favouring renewable energy sources, public financial subsidies, and soaring prices of fossil fuels. Also the decreasing production of domestic pulp and paper industry releases a fair amount of sawmills´ by-products for other uses. However, bioenergy production as a part of sawmills´ by-product utilization has been so far researched very little from a managerial point of view. The purpose of this study was to explore the relative significance of the main bioenergy-related processes, resources and factors at Finnish independent industrial sawmills including partnerships, cooperation, customers relationships and investments, and also the future perspectives of bioenergy business at these sawmills with the help of two resource-based approaches (resource-based view, natural-resource-based view). Data of the study comprised of secondary data (e.g. literature), and primary data which was attracted from interviews directed to sawmill managers (or equivalent persons in charge of decisions regarding bioenergy production at sawmill). While a literature review and the Delphi method with two questionnaires were utilized as the methods of the study. According to the results of the study, the most significant processes related to the value chain of bioenergy business are connected to raw material availability and procurement, and customer relationships management. In addition to raw material and services, the most significant resources included factory and machinery, personnel, collaboration, and geographic location. Long-term cooperation deals were clearly valued as the most significant form of collaboration, and especially in processes connected to raw material procurement. Study results also revealed that factors related to demand, subsidies and prices had highest importance in connection with sawmills´ future bioenergy business. However, majority of the respondents required that certain preconditions connected to the above-mentioned factors should be fulfilled before they will continue their bioenergy-related investments. Generally, the answers showed a wide divergence of opinions among the respondents which may refer to sawmills´ different emphases and expectations concerning bioenergy. In other words, bioenergy is still perceived as a quite novel and risky area of business at Finnish independent industrial sawmills. These results indicate that the massive expansion of bioenergy business at private sawmills in Finland is not a self-evident truth. The blocking barriers seem to be connected mainly to demand of bioenergy and money. Respondents´ answers disseminated a growing dissatisfaction towards the policies of authorities, which don´t treat equally sawmill-based bioenergy compared to other forms of bioenergy. This proposition was boiled down in a sawmill manager´s comment: “There is a lot of bioenergy available, if they just want to make use of it.” It seems that the positive effects of government´s policies favouring the renewables are not taking effect at private sawmills. However, as there anyway seems to be a lot of potential connected to emerging bioenergy business at Finnish independent industrial sawmills, there is also a clear need for more profound future studies over this topic.

Integrated climatic impacts of forestry and fibre-based packaging

The purpose of this study was to examine the integrated climatic impacts of forestry and the use fibre-based packaging materials. The responsible use of forest resources plays an integral role in mitigating climate change. Forests offer three generic mitigation strategies; conservation, sequestration and substitution. By conserving carbon reservoirs, increasing the carbon sequestration in the forest or substituting fossil fuel intensive materials and energy, it is possible to lower the amount of carbon in the atmosphere through the use of forest resources. The Finnish forest industry consumed some 78 million m3 of wood in 2009, while total of 2.4 million tons of different packaging materials were consumed that same year in Finland. Nearly half of the domestically consumed packaging materials were wood-based. Globally the world packaging material market is valued worth annually some €400 billion, of which the fibre-based packaging materials account for 40 %. The methodology and the theoretical framework of this study are based on a stand-level, steady-state analysis of forestry and wood yields. The forest stand data used for this study were obtained from Metla, and consisted of 14 forest stands located in Southern and Central Finland. The forest growth and wood yields were first optimized with the help of Stand Management Assistant software, and then simulated in Motti for forest carbon pools. The basic idea was to examine the climatic impacts of fibre-based packaging material production and consumption through different forest management and end-use scenarios. Economically optimal forest management practices were chosen as the baseline (1) for the study. In the alternative scenarios, the amount of fibre-based packaging material on the market decreased from the baseline. The reduced pulpwood demand (RPD) scenario (2) follows economically optimal management practices under reduced pulpwood price conditions, while the sawlog scenario (3) also changed the product mix from packaging to sawnwood products. The energy scenario (4) examines the impacts of pulpwood demand shift from packaging to energy use. The final scenario follows the silvicultural guidelines developed by the Forestry Development Centre Tapio (5). The baseline forest and forest product carbon pools and the avoided emissions from wood use were compared to those under alternative forest management regimes and end-use scenarios. The comparison of the climatic impacts between scenarios gave an insight into the sustainability of fibre-based packaging materials, and the impacts of decreased material supply and substitution. The results show that the use of wood for fibre-based packaging purposes is favorable, when considering climate change mitigation aspects of forestry and wood use. Fibre-based packaging materials efficiently displace fossil carbon emissions by substituting more energy intensive materials, and they delay biogenic carbon re-emissions to the atmosphere for several months up to years. The RPD and the sawlog scenarios both fared well in the scenario comparison. These scenarios produced relatively more sawnwood, which can displace high amounts of emissions and has high carbon storing potential due to the long lifecycle. The results indicate the possibility that win-win scenarios exist by shifting production from pulpwood to sawlogs; on some of the stands in the RPD and sawlog scenarios, both carbon pools and avoided emissions increased from the baseline simultaneously. On the opposite, the shift from packaging material to energy use caused the carbon pools and the avoided emissions to diminish from the baseline. Hence the use of virgin fibres for energy purposes, rather than forest industry feedstock biomass, should be critically judged if optional to each other. Managing the stands according to the silvicultural guidelines developed by the Forestry Development Centre Tapio provided the least climatic benefits, showing considerably lower carbon pools and avoided emissions. This seems interesting and worth noting, as the guidelines are the current basis for the forest management practices in Finland.

Burnout as a predictor of all-cause mortality among industrial employees: A 10-year prospective register-linkage study

Objective: Burnout, a psychological consequence of prolonged work stress, has been shown to coexist with physical and mental disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate whether burnout is related to all-cause mortality among employees. Methods: In 1996, of 15,466 Finnish forest industry employees, 9705 participated in the 'Still Working' study and 8371 were subsequently identified from the National Population Register. Those who had been treated in a hospital for the most common causes of death prior to the assessment of burnout were excluded on the basis of the Hospital Discharge Register, resulting in a final study population of 7396 people. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey. Dates of death from 1996 to 2006 were extracted from the National Mortality Register. Mortality was predicted with Cox hazard regression models, controlling for baseline sociodemographic factors and register-based health status according to entitled medical reimbursement and prescribed medication for mental health problems, cardiac risk factors, and pain problems. Results: During the 10-year 10-month follow-up, a total of 199 employees had died. The risk of mortality per one-unit increase in burnout was 35% higher (95% CI 1.07-1.71) for total score and 26% higher (0.99-1.60) for exhaustion, 29% higher for cynicism (1.03-1.62), and 22% higher for diminished professional efficacy (0.96-1.55) in participants who had been under 45 at baseline. After adjustments, only the associations regarding burnout and exhaustion were statistically significant. Burnout was not related to mortality among the older employees. Conclusion: Burnout, especially work-related exhaustion, may be a risk for overall survival. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Planification de la récolte et allocation des produits aux usines

L’industrie forestière est un secteur qui, même s’il est en déclin, se trouve au cœur du débat sur la mondialisation et le développement durable. Pour de nombreux pays tels que le Canada, la Suède et le Chili, les objectifs sont de maintenir un secteur florissant sans nuire à l’environnement et en réalisant le caractère fini des ressources. Il devient important d’être compétitif et d’exploiter de manière efficace les territoires forestiers, de la récolte jusqu’à la fabrication des produits aux usines, en passant par le transport, dont les coûts augmentent rapidement. L’objectif de ce mémoire est de développer un modèle de planification tactique/opérationnelle qui permet d’ordonnancer les activités pour une année de récolte de façon à satisfaire les demandes des usines, sans perdre de vue le transport des quantités récoltées et la gestion des inventaires en usine. L’année se divise en 26 périodes de deux semaines. Nous cherchons à obtenir les horaires et l’affectation des équipes de récolte aux blocs de coupe pour une année. Le modèle mathématique développé est un problème linéaire mixte en nombres entiers dont la structure est basée sur chaque étape de la chaine d’approvisionnement forestière. Nous choisissons de le résoudre par une méthode exacte, le branch-and-bound. Nous avons pu évaluer combien la résolution directe de notre problème de planification était difficile pour les instances avec un grand nombre de périodes. Cependant l’approche des horizons roulants s’est avérée fructueuse. Grâce à elle en une journée, il est possible de planifier les activités de récolte des blocs pour l’année entière (26 périodes).

Les licenciements collectifs au Québec : portée et efficacité de la règle de droit

Au cours des dernières années, le Québec fut durement touché par des vagues massives de licenciements collectifs. Après l’industrie du textile et du vêtement, c’est maintenant au tour de l’industrie forestière de subir, de plein fouet, les contrecoups d’une économie en pleine mutation. Les résultats des entrevues réalisées au printemps 2008, auprès des travailleurs de la Louisiana-Pacific de Saint-Michel-des-Saints, attestent de l’incapacité des dispositions sur le licenciement collectif à prendre adéquatement en charge les travailleurs victimes de ces fermetures d’usines. Pour évaluer le degré d’efficacité des dispositions sur le licenciement collectif, nous partons d’une étude empirique visant le processus de restructuration d’une grande entreprise papetière, qui conduit à la fermeture de son usine de traitement du bois à St-Michel-des-Saints. Des entretiens conduits auprès des travailleurs, des acteurs locaux comme des dirigeants du syndicat et de la communauté locale, et d’autres acteurs syndicaux et gouvernementaux permettent de reconstruire les étapes conduisant aux licenciements collectifs et à leur suite. Seule la mobilisation syndicale (blocus de l’usine) a permis de bonifier les faibles mesures palliatives prévues initialement par la loi. Cette mobilisation n’a toutefois pas empêché de constater des effets négatifs marqués (appauvrissement, sentiment d’exclusion, tensions familiales, etc.) chez les travailleurs victimes de ce licenciement massif.

Estudo comparativo de métodos para determinação da densidade básica de cavacos e discos de madeira

Pós-graduação em Ciência Florestal - FCA

Empresas madeireiras com certificação florestal e marketing verde: estratégias comunicacionais do grupo Cikel

A partir dos anos 90, a política de gestão de florestas no Brasil passa a se pautar pelo discurso hegemônico do desenvolvimento sustentável. Pressionadas por ambientalistas e outros agentes sociais, as empresas são orientadas, via mecanismos de mercado, a praticarem ações menos predatórias ao meio ambiente. Com isso, as ONGs associam-se ao setor madeireiro para o desenvolvimento de um esquema de certificação florestal conhecido como Forest Stewardship Council FSC, ou Conselho de Manejo Florestal, destinado a melhorar as práticas florestais em todo o mundo. Nesse contexto, empresas com áreas certificadas passam a preconizar o aspecto diferenciado de suas atividades, adotando o marketing verde como estratégia comunicacional na busca pela construção de uma imagem sustentável e, paralelamente, pela cooptação de um novo mercado consumidor. Este trabalho tem o objetivo de analisar como se processa a comunicação em empresas que declaram adotar práticas de Manejo Florestal Sustentável (MFS) na Amazônia. Sob o recorte do estudo de caso único, é analisada a atuação da Cikel Brasil Verde Madeira LTDA., empresa que vem sendo apontada em diversos enunciados como verdadeiro exemplo a ser seguido. Pareceu-nos, pois, pertinente analisar algumas das operações vigentes, investigando as elaborações ideológicas acerca do discurso em torno do é possível preservar, produzindo. A escolha pelo Grupo Cikel deve-se por ser esta a maior e mais antiga empresa madeireira em atividade da Amazônia e também por ser uma das pioneiras no Brasil a ter suas florestas certificadas pelo FSC. Amparado pelo arcabouço teórico-metodológico da Análise do Discurso, o trabalho busca compreender o discurso formulado e propagado pelo Grupo Cikel, delineando sua identidade institucional. Na interdiscursividade materializada nos enunciados, identifica-se como se posicionam os diferentes sujeitos atuantes e como se relacionam as componentes políticas, econômicas e ideológicas que instituem e mantêm as parcerias institucionais da empresa. Ao final, é feita uma reflexão crítica em torno da visão naturalizada de que a certificação florestal seria a forma mais legítima de se alcançar o uso sustentável da floresta, revelando a debilidade do aspecto social nas políticas do FSC e das empresas como a Cikel.

Rotary peeling yield of Schizolobium amazonicum (Leguminosae - Caesalpinioideae)

The tropical tree Schizolobium amazonicum is native from the Amazonian forest, naturally occurring in Brazil, Peru and Colombia. This work aimed to study the veneer yield made from this species. For this purpose, 50 logs from S. amazonicum were rotary peeled in a plywood industry installed in Brazilian Amazon region. The results indicated that S. amazonicum had a peeling yield similar or even higher than those usually obtained for species traditionally used for this purpose in Brazil, like those of Pinus and Eucalyptus. It was also observed that the dendrometric parameters of the log can be used to estimate the peeling yield in this species.

Interactions between calcium and heavy metals in Norway spruce : Accumulation and binding of metals in wood and bark

Waste products from the forest industry are to be spread in forests in Sweden to counteract nutrient depletion due to whole tree harvesting. This may increase the bioavailability of calcium (Ca) and heavy metals, such as cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in forest soils. Heavy metals, like Cd, have already been enriched in forest soils in Sweden, due to deposition of air pollutions, and acidification of forest soils has increased the bioavailability of toxic metals for plant uptake. Changes in the bioavailability of metals may be reflected in altered accumulation of Ca and heavy metals in forest trees, changes in tree growth, including wood formation, and altered tree species composition. This thesis aims at examining: A) if inter- or intra- specific differences in sensitivity to Cd occur in the most common tree species of Sweden, and if so, to study if these can be explained by the uptake and distribution of Cd within the plant: B) how elevated levels of Ca, Cd, Cu and Zn affect the accumulation and attachment of metals in bark and wood, and growth of young Norway spruce (Picea abies): C) how waste products from the forest industry, such as wood ash, influence the contents of Ca, Cd, Cu and Zn in wood and bark of young Norway spruce. Sensitivity to Cd, and its uptake and distribution, in seedlings of Picea abies, Pinus sylvestris and Betula pendula from three regions (southern, central and northern parts) of Sweden, treated with varying concentrations of Cd, were compared. Differences in root sensitivity to Cd both among and within woody species were found and the differences could to some extent be explained by differences in uptake and translocation of Cd. The root sensitivity assays revealed that birch was the least, and spruce the most, sensitive species, both to the external and to tissue levels of Cd. The central ecotype of the species tested tended to be most Cd resistant. The radial distribution, accumulation and attachment of, and interactions between Ca and heavy metals in stems of two-year-old Norway spruce trees treated with elevated levels of Cd, Cu, Zn and/or Ca, were investigated. Further, the influence of these metals on growth, and on root metal content, was examined. Accumulation of the metals was enhanced in wood, bark and/or roots at elevated levels of the metal in question. Even at low levels of the metals, similar to after application of wood ash, an enhanced accumulation was apparent in wood and/or bark, except for Cd. The increased accumulation of Zn and Cu in the stem did not affect the growth. However, Cu decreased the accumulation of Ca in wood. Higher levels of Cu and Cd reduced the stem diameter and the toxic effect was associated with a reduced Ca content in wood. Copper and Cd also decreased the accumulation of Zn in the stem. On the other hand, elevated levels of Ca increased the stem diameter and reduced the accumulation of Cd, Cu, Zn and Mn in wood and/or bark. When metals interacted with each other the firmly bound fraction of the metal reduced was in almost all cases not affected. As an exception, Cd decreased the firmly bound fraction of Zn in the stem. The influence of pellets of wood ash (ash) or a mixture of wood ash and green liquor dregs (ash+GLD), in the amount of 3000 kg ha-1, on the contents of Ca, Cd, Cu and Zn in wood and bark of young Norway spruce in the field was examined. The effect of the treatments on the metal content of bark and wood was larger after 3 years than after 6 years. Treatment with ash+GLD had less effect on the heavy metal content of bark and wood than treatment with ash alone. The ash treatment increased the Cu and Zn content in bark and wood, respectively, after 3 years, and decreased the Ca content of the wood after 6 years. The ash+GLD treatment increased the Ca content of the bark and decreased the Zn content of bark and wood after 3 years. Both treatments reduced, or tended to decrease, the Cd content in wood and bark at both times. To conclude, small changes in the bioavailability of Ca, Cu, Cd and Zn in forest soils, such as after spreading pellets of wood ash or a mixture of wood ash and green liquor dregs from the forest industry, will be reflected in an altered accumulation of metals in wood and bark of Norway spruce. It will not only be reflected in changed accumulation of those metals in which bioavailability in the soil has been enhanced, but also of other metals, probably partly due to interactions between metals. When metals interact the exchangeable bound fraction of the metal reduced is suggested to be the main fraction affected. The small alterations in accumulation of metals should not affect the growth of Norway spruce, especially since the changes in accumulation of metals are low, and further since these decrease over time. However, as an exception, one positive and maybe persistent effect of the waste products is that these may decrease the accumulation of Cd in Norway spruce, which partly may be explained by competition with Ca for uptake, translocation and binding. A decreased accumulation of Cd in Norway spruce will probably affect the trees positively, since Norway spruce is one of the most sensitive species to Cd of the forest trees in Sweden. Thus, spreading of waste products from the forest industry may be a solution to decrease the accumulation of Cd in Norway spruce. In a longer perspective, this will decrease the risk of Cd altering the tree species composition of the forest ecosystem. An elevated bioavailability of Ca in forest soils will, in addition to Cd, probably also decrease the accumulation of other less competitive heavy metals, like Zn and Mn, in the stem.