Forestry Hub of Catalonia
The Forestry Hub of Catalonia is an initiative supporting innovation in forestry value chains. Its facilities for research, development, transfer, facilitation and training focus on using wood for: construction, textiles and biochemistry, aromatic and medicinal plants for pharma and cosmetics, and truffles and other non-wood forest products (NWFP) for food.
The Forestry Hub of Catalonia is an initiative supporting innovation in forestry value chains. Its facilities for research, development, transfer, facilitation and training focus on using wood for: a) construction, b) textiles and biochemistry, c) aromatic and medicinal plants for pharma and cosmetics, and d) truffles and other non-wood forest products (NWFP) for food.
The objective is to boost the sustainable use of forest resources by enabling innovation for higher-value-added products. Promoting the sustainable use of forest resources will facilitate the transformation of vulnerable landscapes into environmentally and socio-economically sustainable areas that are resilient to natural disturbances, such as wildfires.
Part of the facilities focuses on innovation in laminated engineered wood products for construction, including an industrial-scale process line available for manufacturing and testing. There’s also a biorefinery pilot plant for extracting and producing added-value products from Mediterranean agroforest biomass for use in food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The laboratory for aromatic and medicinal plants and mycology can dry and distil plants, and there’s a showroom with a cooking demonstration area.
The Forestry Hub supports scaling up innovation through its:
- Technical office with a catalogue of services, including promoting best practices in the whole value chain.
- Diversified and high-quality training programmes to acquire skills and knowledge.
- Promotion of the development and implementation of new technologies, practices, and solutions to improve the sector’s competitiveness.
- Facilities for the required testing for the launch of emerging projects that have the potential to generate a significant impact on a large scale.
- Investment advice and comprehensive support to all stakeholders.
Key enablers that contribute to developing the Hub are:
- Environmental drivers: Climate change impacts, biomass growth, industrial R&D needs, and scientific knowledge (e.g. CTFC).
- Strategic vision: Promoting resilient landscapes to curb natural‐disturbance risk.
- Funding: Public funding via the Catalan Government’s Climate Fund.
- Policy framework: Alignment with the Catalan Bioeconomy Strategy, the EU Green Deal, and circular‐economy goals.
- Collaboration: Involving public bodies and the private sector.
The main barriers faced during the initial phases of the Forestry Hub were:
- Workforce limitations: Need to attract outside expertise.
- Regulatory and bureaucratic delays: A public entity faces slow and restrictive procurement systems.
- High initial capital costs: Need to select products and equipment carefully.
- Lack of flexibility to adapt: Equipment is expensive and not easily replaceable.
- Challenging technical planning: Need to exchange with industry experts and foresee future needs.
Contact information
Pau Brunet Navarro
Project manager, Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC)
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