Obtain Regional-Scale COVID-19 Data for the Grand-Est Wood Crushing Industry

Determine reliable regional-scale production and flow metrics for the Grand-Est wood crushing industry—specifically the pulp and wood panel sectors—during the COVID-19 period (2020–2021), including volumes of roundwood, industrial wood chips, sawdust, and bark utilized, to resolve the data unavailability that prevented direct empirical analysis of pandemic impacts on these sectors.

Background

The study integrates Material Flow Analysis (AF Filières) with a dynamic Wood Product Model (CAT) to assess COVID-19 impacts and prospective adaptations in the Grand-Est regional wood supply chain. While the authors reconciled pre-pandemic data (2014–2018) and analyzed post-pandemic changes for several sectors, they explicitly lacked regional-scale data for the crushing industry (pulp and wood panel sectors) during 2020–2021.

Due to this data gap, the authors relied on conservative assumptions and public information to project rerouting of by-products and potential carbon implications. Resolving the unavailability of COVID-19 period data for the crushing industry is necessary to validate projections, quantify actual shifts in by-product consumption, and accurately assess regional carbon balances under pandemic conditions.