Lithuanian wood processors were dependent on raw materials from Russia and Belarus and are now looking for alternative sources of raw materials. Reed fiber and its biomass can be used for structural panels, furniture panels. Common reed plant (Phragmites australis) is a broadly distributed wetland grass growing nearly 6 metres tall. Common reed forms extensive, yellow-brown reedbeds in wetlands. These reedbeds are important habitats for birds. According to the data of the Lithuanian Fund for Nature the resources of the marshes in the Baltic countries together reach as much as 21,000 km2 , but more than half of this territory is damaged. The restoration of wetlands would allow to effectively achieve the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the improvement of surface water quality, strategic goals of biodiversity protection, and the use of reeds as raw material in the wood industry.
Keywords: reed plant, natural materials, wood material, wood chipboard
Authors
Vaida Jonaitienė
Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania
Giedrius Pilkis
Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania
Sigitas Girdziušas
Estonian University of Life Sciences, Estonia
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