We are delighted to announce that the short publishable abstracts and key achievements of the research and innovation projects funded under the ForestValue Joint Call 2021 (JC2021) are now available online!
The JC2021 initiative supported cutting-edge transnational research aimed at transforming the forest-based sector. From sustainable forest management and climate resilience to high-value bio-based material innovations and smart timber construction, these projects demonstrate how multidisciplinary collaboration accelerates Europe’s transition toward a sustainable, climate-neutral bioeconomy.
The newly published abstracts showcase a broad spectrum of breakthrough outcomes that address key ecological, technological, and societal challenges:
Bio-Based Materials & Circular Solutions (BarkBuild): Explored industrial spruce and birch bark side-streams to create eco-friendly wood protection, bio-based water-resistant coatings, and functional treatments capable of removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from indoor air.
Wood in Healthcare & Public Spaces (WOODforHEALTH): Released the first international architectural guideline for using wood in healthcare buildings, alongside developing novel antimicrobial coatings to enhance surface hygiene across hospitals, schools, and public transport.
Smart Construction & Service Life Modeling (WoodLCC): Integrated service life prediction models into Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis tools and BIM software (Revit), helping the construction industry optimize the long-term cost and durability of timber buildings.
Disturbance Recovery & Resilient Forests (FORECO): Enhanced advanced forest modeling (LPJ-GUESS) to simulate forest vulnerability and post-disturbance recovery from droughts, storms, and bark beetle outbreaks, equipping decision-makers with risk-resilient management scenarios.
Forest Governance & Policy Learning (LEARNFORCLIMATE): Combined policy analysis, behavioral insights, and ecosystem service modeling to identify policy coherence gaps and help forest managers balance timber production, biodiversity, and climate objectives.
Tree Breeding & Landscape Optimization (Assess4Est): Evaluated genomic selection, non-destructive wood phenotyping, and continuous cover forestry to accelerate the breeding of resilient trees and balance wood production with landscape-scale biodiversity conservation.
Two more funded project will be uploaded soon (SustMultiBiomass and ForestMap).
Why ForestValue matters – voices from the Project Leaders
The project partners highlighted how ForestValue’s funding mechanism and transnational framework proved instrumental in bringing ideas from the laboratory into real-world policy and industrial applications:
Bridging Fundamental Research & Applied Innovation:
“By funding the BarkBuild project, ForestValue enabled us to bridge fundamental research and applied innovation in bio-based wood protection… The transnational collaboration and industry engagement fostered through ForestValue were instrumental in moving these sustainable solutions closer to real-world application, strengthening Europe’s shift away from fossil-based materials.”
Strengthening Policy Implementation & Science-Policy Dialogue:
“LEARNFORCLIMATE has advanced forest research by combining policy analysis, behavioral insights and ecosystem-service modelling across Europe. We show how climate disturbances drive policy change and turn learning into practical tools for science–policy dialogue. The results strengthen the evidence base for more substantial climate and biodiversity action and support more effective and legitimate implementation of EU forest policy.” — Karin Beland Lindahl, Project Coordinator, LEARNFORCLIMATE
Unlocking Multi-Disciplinary International Networks:
“WOODforHEALTH made possible research that we could not have done without international collaboration. It brought together ecological paints and creative architect office with polymer chemists, wood engineers and microbiologists in a network allowing also comparison and collection of national practices.”
Regional Solutions Through Global Collaboration:
“ForestValue enables international collaboration producing regional solutions for sustainable forestry.” — Assess4Est Team
Smarter Solutions for Industry:
“Advancing timber construction through smarter service life models and sustainable cost solutions.” — WoodLCC Team
Whether you are a researcher, policymaker, forest owner, or industry representative, these results offr valuable insights and practical tools for your work.
You can find full abstarcts here: Funded projects (JC 2021) » ForestValue2