“COLOR CIRCLE is a transnational project, financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the INTERREG EUROPE program, which aims to enable local authorities to play their key role in promoting the circular economy, thanks to their increased contact and collaboration with research centers and universities. To this end, the partner entities organize interregional learning workshops, in which a transnational exchange of experiences is carried out, so that each partner can identify at least one of them that can be transferred to its territory, for which the corresponding action plan will be established.

On November 23 and 24, 2021, the Burgundy – Franche-Comté Region (France) has organized one of these workshops, where Professor Antolino Gallego (UGR) as coordinator of the LIFE Wood for Future project has presented the basic ideas of this project. This invitation has been extended by the Diputación de Granada, an entity participating in both the Color Circle project and in “LIFE Wood for Future”.

During his presentation, Professor Antolino explained how fast-growing forest plantations can contribute to promote a circular and sustainable economy, thanks to their transformation into structural technical wood, a product increasingly demanded by the construction sector on its way to reduce carbon emissions. Mr. Gallego then presented the activities that “LIFE Wood for Future” is going to develop in this sense, taking advantage of the resource represented by the poplar groves of the Vega de Granada, whose decline must be reversed, also through the reforestation of the banks of its rivers.

This intervention took place within the framework of a thematic workshop entitled “Recovery of local wood”, in which Louis Denaud, from the French entity ENSAM, located in Cluny and linked to the technological school “Arts et Métiers”, which has a collaboration with the University of Granada, also participated with a similar experience.