EUBCE 2026 - Arthur JAKOBS - Climate Implications of Different Forest Management and Wood Utilisation Scenarios: A Holistic Assessment of the Case of Switzerland.

Climate Implications of Different Forest Management and Wood Utilisation Scenarios: A Holistic Assessment of the Case of Switzerland.

Short Introductive summary

Assessing the climate impact of wood products (including bioenergy) is complex due to interconnected factors—forest growth, management, wood use, and carbon storage—requiring a comprehensive, long-term, and time-explicit framework. In this work, we developed a dynamic, time-explicit life cycle assessment (LCA) model for Switzerland that integrates forest growth data, material flow analysis, energy system modelling, and prospective LCA databases. We use Swiss forest scenarios, dynamic material flow analysis, and a Swiss energy system model to track “biogenic carbon” from forest to final release, accounting for substitution effects and opportunity costs. We present results for different forest management and wood utilization scenarios, including the cascading use of wood, and compare them to reveal the added value of this holistic approach, especially in capturing time-dependent trade-offs and dynamic carbon flows.

A. Jakobs, Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, Villigen PSI, SWITZERLAND
M. Maliverno, EMPA, St. Gallen, SWITZERLAND
K. Vogel, EMPA, St Gallen, SWITZERLAND
R. Flury, WSL, Birmensdorf, SWITZERLAND
G. Stadelmann, WSL, Birmensdorf, SWITZERLAND
B. Price, WSL, Birmensdorf, SWITZERLAND
N. Chabouni, Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, Villigen PSI, SWITZERLAND
A. Han, Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, Villigen PSI, SWITZERLAND
E. Panos, Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, Villigen PSI, SWITZERLAND
E. Thuerig, WSL, Birmensdorf, SWITZERLAND
C. Som, EMPA, St Gallen, SWITZERLAND
C. Bauer, Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, Villigen PSI, SWITZERLAND