Location: Bolzano, Italy

Value chains usually consider the economic value added, which a sector or a product attains due to its productive performance for a region. The perspective of the social or ecological value added often lacks behind. In terms of climate change and sustainability principles, the IUFRO Symposium thus seeks to put its focus on the social, economic and ecological value added regarding multifunctional forest management, sustainable timber production, the use of non-wood forest products (NWFP) and the downstream timber, paper, and energy industry.

Multifunctional forest value chains are devoted to timber production, protection and/or recreation, reduce CO2 emissions and conserve forest resources for future generations. In addition to these major forest functions, it is besides other ecosystem services increasingly important, to valorise the actors involved, and to become aware of the pride and of the immaterial cultural heritage timber and non-wood forest products cause among the society and for the region. Anyway, operating competitively as a regional value chain in a globally dominated market, demands entrepreneurial courage, capacities and trust from the actors involved. As a supplier of raw materials and as a magnet for relaxation seekers, our forests are interlinking rural and urban interests. This diversity enables a creative environment to stimulate innovative economic cycles, from which sustainable and innovative products emerge that provide a socio-ecological and socio-economic value added to the region.

For the symposium, we are looking for research proposals, project results and conceptual approaches, to demonstrate the economic, but also socio-cultural and ecological value added that multifunctional managed forests and the downstream wood processing industries and industries which are in the focused on purchase, processing and sale of NWFPs generate for a region.

For more information about the event, please contact Christian Hoffmann at Christian.Hoffmann@eurac.edu.