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Team of Specialists on Wood Energy

 

The Team of Specialists on Wood Energy was established by the UNECE Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry (COFFI) and the FAO European Forestry Commission (EFC) at their Joint Session Metsä2013 held in December 2013. The UNECE Committee and the FAO Commission have jointly adopted the Integrated Programme of Work for 2014-2017 (IPoW), which opened a new cycle of work and included guidelines for Teams of Specialists (ToS) on how to support the implementation of IPoW.  The Team was renewed for the Integrated Programme of Work for 2018-2021 and then discontinued. The statistical work of the Team was merged into a new Team on Forest Products and Wood Energy Statistics for 2022-2023.

Teams of Specialists report annually to the Working Party on Forest Statistics, Economics and Management. The procedures, the role and responsibilities of the Team of Specialists on Wood Energy, of team leaders, members as well as of the secretariat are clarified in the Guidelines and Terms of Reference (ToR), attached here:  

Guidelines  PDF

Terms of reference  PDF

Meetings of the Team

The main objectives of the work of ToS on Wood Energy are to:

 
  • Advise and support the joint ECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section’s activities in work areas: 1. Data, monitoring and assessment and 2. Policy advice and dialogue on the methodology for, the implementation of and the follow-up on the Joint Wood Energy Enquiry and specific studies related to wood energy, of the Integrated Programme of Work;
  • Contribute to a better understanding of wood energy statistics as a basis for sound policy making.
 

The UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section initiated the new cycle of work by the first meeting of the ToS on Wood Energy. The objective of the first meeting was to set the framework for future cooperation and coordination, including the election of the leader and deputy leader. The meeting took place on 16 July 2014. Fifteen national delegates and experts participated.

 

The meeting identified possible priorities for the work of the ToS:

 
  • work on the conversion factors and methodology of JWEE;
  • raising awareness on the importance of wood energy in the overall renewable energy portfolio;

  • preparation of a wood energy publication in the region covered by UNECE and FAO.
 

The second meeting of the joint UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Wood Energy was held on 11 – 12 March in Vienna, Austria. During the meeting, participants discussed the Joint Wood Energy Enquiry results and methodology as well as the role of conversion factors applied for it. They also brainstormed about the content of the possible publication on wood energy in the UNECE and FAO region. The meeting was followed by a field trip showcasing the wood energy production and use in Austria, on 13 March.

 

Following the results of the second meeting the secretariat with support of a consultant initiated the work to coordinate the preparation of the draft outline of the publication. It was presented and discussed at the third ToS meeting in June 2016. The meeting also featured the results of the JWEE13.

 

In addition, the ToS has been exchanging good practice on improving the quality of the submitted data and shared experience from filling out the Joint Wood Energy Enquiry (JWEE). A possibility of organisation of capacity building events on data collection and methodology of JWEE has also been discussed.

 

The experts of the Wood Energy Team will continue to provide the forest sector with up-to-date information and knowledge in the region on wood energy to ensure the forest sector contribution to the transition towards a green economy.

 

For more information please contact the ToS secretary, Florian Steierer.

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