Efficiency

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An ITTO project supported the use of residues for the manufacture of wood pellets in Indonesia. The efficient use of timber and other forest resources is crucial for the financial and environmental sustainability of forests and forest industries. Photo: Natural Resources Development Center

Using forest resources efficiently and minimizing waste and residues during the harvesting and processing of timber and other forest products are keys to the financial and environmental sustainability of forests and forest-based industries.
 
Considerable amounts of timber can be salvaged in harvesting operations with proper planning and careful logging practice. In wood-processing mills, residues can be used in the development of “downstream” products such as particleboard, finger-jointing and other engineered wood products, and for generating heat and electricity. Investments in efficient machinery can reduce the volume of residues.

ITTO promotes efficient timber harvesting through forest planning and reduced impact logging. Among other things, ITTO assists members to adopt processes for reducing mill waste and making productive use of mill residues and to develop, publish and disseminate techniques and technologies for the efficient use of non-timber forest products. ITTO projects assist forest communities to manage their resources sustainably and to add value to them through efficient processing and marketing.

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