Yesterday, October 10, the coordinator of the LIFE Wood for the Future project participated in the Forest Bioeconomy round table at the Territorial Innovation Center of Jaén in Siles (Sierra de Segura). The aim of these tables is to specify actions, agents and resources of the territory to develop specific projects, in this case of forest bioeconomy and enhancement of the value of forest resources through the use of wood, resin, aromatic, energy biomass, etc.

The Territorial Innovation Center of the province of Jaén, located in Beas de Segura, is part of the strategy to fight depopulation and face the demographic challenge promoted by the Provincial Council of Jaén with the support of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. From this municipality of the Sierra, the aim is to provide these rural areas with a space for innovation, development and participation capable of promoting and making visible the initiatives to revitalize our rural municipalities.

Professor Gallego of the University of Granada presented the developments made in the LIFE Wood for Future project on new structural products of technical wood, which can give a boost to the use of Pinus laricio and Pinus pinaster in this area. This requires progress in key aspects such as the association of private and public forest owners, the promotion of sawmills in the area and other forest management companies, as well as the promotion of sustainable forest certification through certification groups.

The potential of Pinus pinaster resin was highlighted using new extraction techniques that are positive for the tree itself and that can have an important impact on the economy of the area, a high quality product highly demanded in international markets.

Other issues regarding public awareness, training, creation of forestry fairs in the region, etc., were also put on the table as elements of support and encouragement to generate a forest bioeconomy maintained over time as a basis for the fight against depopulation and conservation of the forest in this mountainous region.

This action serves as replicability of the actions of the LIFE Wood for Future project in other regions, creating synergies and joining efforts to generate a local industry of construction with technical wood.

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