Nazionale

Knowledge transfer for climate sensitive forest management
Continuous education efforts, awareness rising, workshops for practitioners and interested people to convince them for an actively managed forest especially focused on the climate change items.
First of all small-scale private forest owners (about 70.000 in A with less than 5 ha) and new forest owners (not directly connected to farms and farmland) shall be informed about an active sustainable forest management (harvest).
On the other side consumers will be encouraged to use wood and wood products as much as possible

Small-scale private forest owners may be re-interested in forest management when they are properly informed about the challenges of climate change and adaptation.
Dissemination of knowledge has to address a broad public at its needs on a general level to raise awareness significantly
Top down initiatives always have to be supplemented with bottom up approaches to raise their effectiveness

National campaign 20126 - 2021
“The use of wood is good for the climate – we make forests climate fit”
Central messages – climate change creates new realities
#1
Climate Change is a fact – and it affects forests
#2
Paris Agreement enforces the signatories to move from talking to doing
#3
In Austria, temperatures increased by an average of 1,8 Deg C in the 20th century, with increases being recorded at all altitudes
#4
A crucial factor to make forests fit for climate change is adaptive forest management
#5
The forest- and wood-based sector plays a key role in climate change
#6
The efficient use of wood as a renewable raw material and energy carrier includes a considerable reduction in anthropogenic carbon
#7
Mitigation: the harvesting potential should be fully utilized considering general sustainable conditions to mitigate climate change
#8
Adaption: it needs active sustainable forest management practices in order to create stable and vital forest stands which withstand climate change induced disturbances, e.g. storms, diseases and droughts

The project aims to develop new models of prefabricated ultra-lightweight panels consisting of a combination of solid wood products, wood-based products and the use of thermal and acoustic insulation. The application of a tongue and groove system to assemble panels to each other and solid pieces of traditional heavy wooden framework, emulating a semi-heavy framework, will allow the development of a new innovative construction system aimed at modular construction, quick assembly and with enormous versatility and adaptation to different designs and types of construction.

Just started

The structural characterisation of the panels will be carried out by means of mechanical laboratory tests, as well as thermal, acoustic and watertightness characterisation by analytical means.

The aim of the project is to develop a construction system known as High Efficiency Light Panel (HELP). Consists of a set of innovative solutions based on a mixture of lightweight timber framing and cross laminated timber (CLT), for the manufacture of "Zero Emission" walls, slabs and roofs.

There is an improvement of the structural capacity of the construction system that allows more height (3-4 floors) than with the traditional lightweight building. The positioning of a three-layer or CLT board on the inside of the walls acts directly as a vapour barrier, saving the cost of installation.

The new building solutions are based on wooden or wood-base panels which will be subjected to tests, analytical calculations and numerical approximations for their structural, thermal, acoustic, watertight and fire resistance characterization. In addition, its environmental characterization (CO2, reutilization) will be carried out.
A solution with the new construction system has been defined for use in slabs, walls and roofs. Spreadsheets have been developed to obtain thermal transmissivity, surface and interstitial condensations, sound absorption and structural capacity.

Search for pilot areas, biomass sampling and extraction preparation
Extraction of essential oils and hydrolysis of biomass
Characterization of compounds present in essential oils and residual hydrolyzed biomass

In progress

(Expected results)
Development of innovative biofuels and bioproducts from forest biomass with little or no use as bushes and forest treatment residues through state-of-the-art techniques applied throughout the value chain.
To define the best management, harvesting techniques and forestry treatments for rockrose, juniper, rosemary, pine and eucalyptus. Selection of pilot action areas.
To develop a prototype of continuous extraction of essential oils using microwave technology.
Production, analysis and testing of products in the laboratory and in the field: biocides, solid biofuels (pellets) and liquid biofuels (ethanol).

The objectives of the plan are:
- Increase the number of employments related to forest activity.
- Improve the incomes of the working people in the forest sector.
- Improve life conditions of rural area residents linked to forest activity.
- Increase the number of ordered and managed forest holdings.
- Increase the size of the forest property and attain economically efficient surfaces for a sustainable forest management.
- Contribute to a rise in the added value of forest products.
- Increase the demand for forest products.

In progress

From the study of the collected information and as a consequence of a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis, 85 specific measures or actions have been defined (identifying at the end of each one of them the organisations implied in the execution of the same).
Because of their relevance, regarding the consecution of the objectives of the Plan, those measures that contribute to these four fundamental axes have to be prioritised:
- Compromise a minimum of the FEADER schedule to forest measures and define them in a useful way for the achievement of the objectives of the Plan for Socioeconomic Activation of the Forest Sector.
- Support the energetic valuation of biomass.
- Support associativism and producer organisations for the mobilisation of forest products.
- Support transformation, differentiation and diversification of use of forest resources.

Structural sawn timber intended for construction must offer similar guarantees to those offered by other materials and products intended for the structural construction sector. For this purpose, it is necessary to develop classification tools that allow manufacturers and marketers to certify the strength and stiffness values of all the wood that is placed on the market (adjusted to the species and origin that corresponds).
It is, in addition to being a legal obligation, a tool for the valuation of wood that is enabling a competitive improvement of its industrial network.

Technological development of structural sawn timber not only enables it to be directly promoted in the construction sector as a construction element, but also to be incorporated into the manufacture of technological products with high added value, such as glued laminated timber, duos, trios, CLT, prefabricated panels... These are high value-added products that require high levels of competitiveness that cannot be achieved without their main raw material, structural sawn timber, increasing its competitiveness, optimising its manufacturing times and its declared mechanical properties

Visual classification tools have been developed for the main commercial wood species found in Spanish forest stands, such as Pinus sylvestris, Pinus insigne, Pinus nigra, Pinus pinaster, Abies alba, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Quercus rubra, Castanea sativa and Eucalyptus globulus. Tools that in many cases enable the possibility of classifying structural sawn timber into three structural qualities, which allows the different qualities of wood that the timber industry places on the construction market to be classified and valued.
Mechanical classification systems are currently being developed for the main species of the Pinus genus. This is one more step in the competitive improvement of this type of wood, as it improves the classification times and the classifying performance in the different mechanical qualities.
Both developments have enhanced the value of the wood of the different wood species characterized, and have promoted its use in construction.

Many forests that could generate income are not really managed and forest-owners don´t take care of them. The causes are very often the low profitability of wood exploitation and the complexity of its management. Forest owners are not usually specialists and are not engaged in forestry activities. This leads to no incomes and to an increased risk of fires and pests. Faced with this situation, Agresta proposes specific contracts to forest-owners, making it possible a professional sustainable management allowing revenues, forest planning, wood mobilization, and infrastructure and silvicultural operations.

Forest management is not enough to get many forests out of abandonment. It is important to be in contact with main stakeholders and the reality of the markets, something that a forestry company can assure.
It is necessary to work with professionalism, entrepreneurial vision and long-term commitment, in a collaborative relationship and win-win with the owner.
The specialization in turnkey forest management by a company allows improving and making profitable the management since it increases the innovation capacity, including the technological one (management software, forest inventories with remote sensing...)

Taking into account environmental and heritage issues of sustainable management