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New publications: Handbook for wood mobilisation in Europe and Policy Brief!

The newly published Handbook for wood mobilisation in Europe aims to raise awareness of the challenges and opportunities of wood mobilisation from managed forests by increasing the sustainable harvesting of wood. Based on a survey of initiatives and pilot projects in several European countries, the main barriers impeding wood mobilisation are presented along with a set of corresponding measures and interventions that are considered capable of lifting these barriers. It provides a thorough overview of the topic from a European perspective and is aimed at practitioners and policy makers in the forest-based sector. It is also useful as an introduction for readers interested in wood and biomass who have a different background, for example in biochemistry, new materials or renewable energies.

The policy brief presents the SIMWOOD pilot projects and other key outcomes of the project: the SIMWOOD Information System and the Handbook of wood mobilisation. It is aimed at policy- and decision-makers at various levels, including regional forest administrations, forest owner associations, and other stakeholders, such as hunting associations and conservation groups.

SIMWOOD Information System is now online!

Solutions for Sustainable Innovative Mobilisation of Wood in Europe are now just a click away! The SIMWOOD Information System is a web information service that will provide access to the main results of the SIMWOOD project and much more!

The SIMWOOD Information System is a knowledge base which compiles resources for practitioners, policy makers, forest administrations, forest owner associations, and other stakeholders. Check the service out here.

 

Solutions for Wood Mobilisation in Europe

The Final Conference of the SIMWOOD project was held on 12-13 October 2017 in Paris! The presentations are available here.

 

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Forests are a major natural resource, covering 159 million hectares or 37% of Europe's land area (Eurostat 2013). They have multiple ecological, economic and social functions - preserving diverse landscapes, ecosystems, natural cycles and biological diversity and providing a multitude of forest products, employment and services.

Forecasts for the coming decades predict an increasing demand for wood - wood energy plays a critical role in Europe’s future renewable energy supply and the achievement of climate protection objectives.

How can we ensure we meet this demand?

There is lots of unused wood potential in European forests. Most of this is 'locked' in forests that belong to an estimated 16 million private forest owners.

The SIMWOOD project aimed to mobilise these owners, promote collaborative forest management and ensure sustainable forest functions.

Find out more about the project, its objectives and the project partners.

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