Bioeconomy this week: wildfire events, wood construction and innovation
In this bioeconomy week’s edition, learn more about the wildfire events increasing across Europe, open surveys seeking feedback, publications delving into wood construction and exciting upcoming events to attend.
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Adapting to climate change
A recent study evaluated all fires that occurred 2007–2017 in Italy and the most relevant drivers of fire regimes such as climate, weather conditions, socioeconomic conditions, and land use change, showing that areas where active management has been implemented in recent years have experienced reduced fire impacts.
It’s crucial to understand wildfire connections to climate change and take includes taking action. The Association of Independent Firefighting Experts (SNEP in Polish) organised this year a forest camp. Fire management and capacity-building experts provided participants with hands-on experience managing wildfire events.
Science, civil society and policymakers, so how is Brussels getting ready? In this article, fire experts explain the danger of leaving forests unmanaged, and even though the EU has committed to improving wildfire prevention and monitoring, legislation to support management activities has been delayed.
Earlier this summer, the European Forest Institute (EFI) published the report “Key recommendations on wildfire prevention in the Mediterranean.” This report focuses on planning, developing sustainable financial mechanisms to ensure the implementation and continuation of wildfire management measures and understanding the complex reality of wildfires and international cooperation.
Raise your voice
The Horizon 2020 RESONATE Project has developed a survey to be carried out with stakeholders from the forest value chain and governing authorities. The survey asks participants’ preferences for climate change adaptation measures along the forest value chains—the survey is available in seven languages.
The FIRE-RES Project is working on a Fire Education Platform, an online tool to share best practices while informing and educating stakeholders about wildfires. To ensure the platform meets the needs of potential users, a survey has been designed to gather feedback from individuals.
Wood for construction
“Innovation dynamics in multi-storey-wood construction in Sweden and Finland” publication aims to reconstruct the processes leading to innovations and breakthroughs in the market. Interviews from a historical overview of some main events and drivers decisive for the industry’s development to more recent developments.
“Circularity concepts in wood construction” publication presents the advantages of wood materials for construction and discusses wood construction practices from the perspective of circularity, sustainability and climate change mitigation.
The study “Consumer housing choices among residents living in wooden multi-storey buildings” tries to understand consumer choices with newly built wooden multi-storey construction (WMC) apartments through thematic interviews of residents and property managers in five cities across Finland and Sweden.
Bioeconomy – Events
The European Bioeconomy Scientific Forum on 6–8 September will focus on promoting the transformation towards a sustainable bioeconomy.
At the Future Forest Forum on 8–9 September 2023, participants will discuss new forest management and innovation methods.
EFI Annual Conference on 20–22 September 2023 will celebrate EFI’s 30th anniversary and discuss the “European forests and forest science: transition to the future.”
Event 1 – Forestry Speed Dating on 21 September 2023 will explore the importance of accommodating diverse participants, from landowners to enterprises, in carbon markets.
See more events here.
Featured image: By Marharyta – stock.adobe.com