Clusterstudie Wald, Forst- und Holzwirtschaft Stadt Arnsberg : Clusteranalyse und Handlungsempfehlungen für ein Clustermanagement auf der lokalen Ebene

Multi-purpose forestry and wood-processing industry of the City of Arnsberg. Cluster analysis and recommendations for cluster management at the local level

Alfeld

2006

1 Abb., 16 Lit. Ang.

Artikel aus einer ZeitschriftUnselbständiges Werk

4354

200132523

Municipal forestry provides various timber and non-timber forest products and services (NTFPS) to the citizens of the corresponding municipalities. Whereas the perception of forests at the municipal level is often dominated by issues such as ecological services, nature conservation and recreation, the socioeconomic importance forest management and timber utilization is mostly underestimated. Cluster organization in forestry - the integrated view of all branches of forest and wood-processing industries as well as business related to NTFPS - can provide relevant information on the socioeconomic importance of this sector and support industry and policy decision-making. Within the presented case study for the City of Arnsberg in the State North-Rhine/Westphalia, Germany, for the first time in Germany the cluster concept was applied at the local level and including NTFPS (e.g. hunting, tourism, outdoor education). In addition to the review of industry databases, the study followed a participatory research approach and was mostly based on expert interviews and workshops with forestry stakeholders. The forestry cluster of the City of Arnsberg is characterized by a high concentration of almost all branches of forest and wood-processing industries as well as various businesses related to NRFPS. With about 240 companies, almost 2,480 employees and annual sales of around 475 million Euro, the socioeconomic importance of this sector is significanctly larger than generally anticipated. Among many recommendations for action plans, the need for a stronger support of the small woodlot owners and of the small and medium sized companies of the wood-processing industry was identified. Furthermore, investments for new technologies such as commercial wood energy use should be supported and the management and marketing for forest-related tourism should be improved. Most important, the establishment of an institution for cluster management was recommended. The study on the forestry cluster of the City of Arnsberg showed that cluster analysis can reveal the socioeconomic importance of multi-purpose forestry at the municipal leven and provide relevant information for various aspects of cluster management. Therefore, the cluster concept can support municipal forestry and the sustainable development of municipalities in rural areas.