Despite the considerable extension of Italian forests, about 11 million hectares equal to about 36.5% of the national surface, only a small part of the forest areas is currently planned, and less than 10% is covered by sustainable forest management certifications. The challenge with which the wood-furniture supply chain is measured is therefore that of enhancing the Italian forest by promoting sustainable and active management, in full respect of the environment, hoping that the share of wood that we are currently forced to import from abroad will be reduced in favor of the Italian wood made available. This was discussed during the conference organized by FederlegnoArredo in collaboration with the Emilia Romagna Region ‘State of the art and possible perspectives of the wood supply chain. Life CO2Pes&Pef – A Life to provide operational tools’, which was held at the FederlegnoArredo headquarters in Milan as part of the Life CO2Pes&Pef project.
The event saw companies in the wood-furniture supply chain dialogue with the Parks and Forestry Department of the Emilia-Romagna Region, the Directorate of the Forest Service and the Forestry Corps of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa, the University of Milan, Legambiente, Crea, Pefc Italia, with the conclusions entrusted to Alessandra Stefani, director of the General Directorate of the Mountain Economy and Forests – Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests.
The Life CO2Pes&Pef project, of which FederlegnoArredo is a partner, is co-financed by the European Commission and intends to support forest systems in the storage of CO2, in the mitigation of hydrogeological risk and in the prevention of fire and crash risks. FederlegnoArredo participates in the project to analyze and evaluate forest ecosystem services, define methods for accounting for carbon in sawn timber, measure and improve the environmental footprint of wood products and contribute to the definition of a certification standard for ecosystem services.
“The wood-furniture supply chain strongly supports the principle of the cascade use of wood, favoring uses capable of creating greater added value – explains Alessandro Calcaterra, president of Fedecomlegno and FederlegnoArredo delegate for Forestry and Forestry Certifications. Taking care of the woods also represents a great opportunity for economic and social development for communities in mountain and rural areas, with the possibility of rebuilding wood supply chains that have disappeared in Italy for decades to the advantage of other EU countries where instead they represent one of the strength of the national economy. We must favor forms of short supply chains and this requires a collective effort that allows us to affect a plurality of figures, public and private”.
FederlegnoArredo has been involved for some time on the theme of the cascading use of wood. Italy is in fact the first country that has made itself virtuous in its ability to reuse wood, with innovative technologies: today 95% of the national production of chipboard panels is made from 100% recycled chipboard panels. Wood recycling in Italy reaches peaks of excellence, with 2.6 million tons of wood waste recycled per year, and allows to further extend the life of the product.
Source-www.adnkronos.com