Modelling the trade-off between the forest carbon sink and wood harvest in the EU [29.10.26]
Lecture by Paul Rougieux from the Chair of Bioeconomy at the University of Hohenheim in the Research Seminar in Economics, November 4.
Image: Pixabay/Evelina Nowakowska
Paul Rougieux is a forest economist specializing in the interface between forest science, economics, and European policy. He develops demand forecasting models for the bioeconomy and has experience at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC), at the French National Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Research (INRAE) and at the European Forest Institute (EFI). Since 2026, Paul has been working as a postdoctoral researcher in the Bioeconomy group at the University of Hohenheim.
How can Europe’s forests continue to mitigate climate change? The study explores this question through six scenarios for timber harvesting. The model results suggest that harvesting the same volume of wood from a smaller area can improve forests’ carbon uptake in the short term. However, this benefit diminishes over time if wood consumption continues to rise. Conversely, reducing demand for wood could substantially increase the amount of carbon absorbed by forests and help the EU to meet its climate targets beyond 2030.
During the current winter term, outstanding international researchers are visiting the University of Hohenheim as part of the research seminar to present their work. In addition to attending the presentations, office hours often provide a unique opportunity to discuss topics with the visiting scholars.
Master’s students are also welcome to attend the research seminar and engage in conversation with the speakers as well as with doctoral candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and professors from the Department of Economics.
The presentation will take place on November 4, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. in HS 35 (Kavaliershaus).
