The conference had two objectives: to learn about advances in the manufacture of mixed beech-pine CLT and to evaluate forest management adapted to biodiversity and resilience.
The LIFE HAYA project’s Committee of Experts held its sixth and final meeting on 9 July in Legutio and Urkiola (Álava), bringing together forest managers, owners, representatives of the timber industry and experts in bioeconomics for a meeting focused on the secondary processing of beech wood and its link to nature-friendly forestry.
Having addressed the initial processing of timber in previous editions, this conference served as a practical complement, with visits to a state-of-the-art CLT panel manufacturing plant and a demonstration stand managed according to forest conversion and biodiversity criteria.
The day began with a guided tour of the Albertia plant in Egoin, Legutio (Álava), where attendees were able to see first-hand all the stages of the CLT panel manufacturing process, from drying and sorting the wood, through finger-jointing and gluing, to final machining. Special attention was paid to the development of mixed beech-pine CLT, one of the key prototypes of the LIFE HAYA project.
The group then travelled to the demonstration stand in Abadiño (Urkiola) to observe the evolution of a beech forest managed according to near-natural silviculture criteria, discuss the marking carried out and share conclusions on forest management geared towards resilience, biodiversity and profitability.
Main conclusions of the Committee
The group of experts highlighted advances in bioeconomy, forest management and industrial innovation. At the Egoin plant, the energy cycle is closed by using the biomass generated during wood planing for heating and drying, while drying is adapted to the type of wood (sapwood or heartwood) rather than its initial moisture content.
With regard to nature-friendly forestry, initial cautious interventions are being carried out in beech plantations in the Basque Country, favouring trees with greater development potential without epicormic shoots affecting quality in diameters of less than 10 cm. Biodiversity is also integrated as a key management criterion, as in Urkiola, where the protection of the black woodpecker conditions logging.
In the industrial sphere, advanced technologies are used for drying and mechanical sorting of wood, enabling more precise and efficient production, even with small pieces. However, planning presents challenges: the production of beech panels requires full shifts, making it difficult to combine with testing and regular production of pine CLT panels. All of this points towards a more efficient, diversified model of use, aligned with principles of sustainability and circularity.
