Line of action:

Terrestrial ecosystems

Status:

En ejecución

Location:

Lugo, A Coruña (Galicia), Girona, Barcelona, Lleida (Catalonia)

Geographic scope:

España

Execution date:

2024

Duration:

01/01/2024 - 31/12/2025

Typology:

Development and diversification of forestry uses and harvests

Total budget:

1,536,426.94 euros

Amount of aid from the Biodiversity Foundation:

1,459,605.60 euros

To achieve the decarbonization of the building sector, it is necessary to substantially increase the use of structural wood in Spain. Wood, as a renewable resource with low environmental impact, has the potential to replace more polluting conventional materials such as concrete and steel. By promoting building with industrialized structural timber, it contributes to the decarbonization of the sector and supports the transition to a greener and more sustainable economy.

The project emphasizes sustainable forest management and the harvesting of high value-added timber, as this is essential to preserve forests and their biodiversity throughout Spain, seeking to obtain a higher value-added and geographically distributed timber to promote a bioeconomy of proximity. The initiative highlights the importance of diversification of species used in building to promote forest biodiversity. Rather than relying solely on a few dominant species, we seek to identify and exploit the potential of additional native species, such as oak, birch, chestnut, Aleppo pine and beech. This will not only promote the conservation of forest diversity, but will also allow for a wider variety of wood products and uses in construction, which in turn will promote the green economy and rural job creation.

The main objective of the proposal is to establish links between the quality of forest management, the diversity of tree species and their applicability in the transformation of the building sector:

• Characterization of forest stands (101,570 ha) with inventories of 77 ha in Galicia (3 areas) and 60 ha in Catalonia (3 areas), analysis of current management, market study of 5 species (oak, chestnut, birch, beech, Aleppo pine) and 5 reports of improvement proposals and silvicultural models for each species.
• Development of forest timber harvesting in 6 performance stands (120 tons), with impact assessment and economic analysis, to optimize management by model and species. Transformation of wood to obtain a minimum of 93 constructive/structural solutions, and a minimum of 10 samples and prototypes at 1:1 scale, a minimum of 5 innovative products for building, and work with cross-laminated timber and glued laminated timber for characterization (physical-mechanical examination, 4 products), durability (3 products) and thermal (2 products). 10 entrepreneurship training workshops (250 people) and 1 traveling exhibition (3 locations).

• Characterization of forest management, ecosystems and socioeconomic context in the areas of interest of the project.
• Analysis and evaluation of forest management and proposals for improvement.
• Development of forest harvesting (within the framework of resource sustainability).
• Transformation of wood extracted from the study areas into prototypes of structural components for the building.
• Transformation of wood extracted from the study areas into innovative experimental prototypes for building.
• Materials analysis and experimentation: physical-mechanical tests, durability, and thermal behavior.
• Impact assessment, drafting of recommendations and analysis of the proposal’s potential in the different territories.
• Conducting workshops and training courses in the project’s areas of influence.
• Communication and Marketing.
• Documentary feature films and audiovisual pieces.
• Traveling exhibition.
• Project management and coordination.