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| What are Woodmiles? < Woodmiles of Japan energy consumption in the transportation of timber > |
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■ Woodmiles of Japan
Woodmiles (wood･miles) literally refer to the transportation distance of timber. Woodmileage(m3・km) is a macro-index to refer to the total transportation distance of timber both domestically and world -wide , which is calculated by multiplying the woodmiles figure by the volume of timber transported(m3)
Following is the woodmiles of Japan;
According to the Yearbook of Forest Products of FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization), in 2000, total amount of timber traded in the world was 378 million m3(excluding paper products). Country who imported the most was the U.S.A., with its amount of 63 million m3. Followed by Japan with 50 million m3. Adding Germany who imported the 3rd largest quantity, we would like to compare these 3 countries in terms of the transportation distance of imported timber. (Please note that because statistic data which were based on the bilateral trading matrix shown in the above yearbook of FAO excluded some amount of timber imported from unidentifiable countries, respective amount of timber transported was slightly less than those mentioned in the above). Following is the amount of timber imported and its respective distances of 3 countries.
Timber Importation Volume of Major Importing Countries by Distance from Origin
Fujiwara, T. (2002) “Woodmiles and House Constructed with Local Timber“
Let us categorize the origin of timber into 3 regions---nearby countries: less than 1000km, neighboring countries: between 1000km and 8000km, and far countries: more than 8000km. we can see that Japan imported 60% of timber from neighboring countries and 40% from far countries, whereas the U.S.A and Germany imported most timber from nearby or neighboring countries. Japan is one of a very few countries who import timber from countries more than 10000km away.
<fig02-07 wmf-11>
Comparison of Woodmileage of Imported Timber in Major Timber Importing Countries
The Woodmiles Forum (2004)
Looking at the data again in terms of its woodmileage, we have to say that Japan is a rare case whose woodmileage is 384.4 billion (m3・km), consuming 4.5times larger than the U.S.A and 21 times larger than Germany whose woodmileages are 84.2 billion (m3・km) and 17.8 billion (m3・km) respectively.
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Background of Woodmiles
Global environment issues and timber 