OptiForValue

Wood use is increasing globally, with demand estimated to significantly surpass supply, increasing the pressure to increase forest areas and growth. Forests play an important role in in the fight against climate change and are crucial for biodiversity and the bioeconomy. However, climate change is also causing direct challenges to forests and the bioeconomy, due to increasing biotic and abiotic threats affecting forest health and causing severe economic losses. Better forest management is needed to make forests more resistant to the cross-border threats of pests, droughts and wildfires that are exacerbated by climate change, to strengthen their resilience and capacity and to enable new economic opportunities for forest-based value chains. Objectives: i) develop and upgrade non-invasive solutions for forest health monitoring and wood quality control, ii) develop forest management methods to restore and enhance forest health and increase biodiversity, iii) develop operational capability for agile value management, iv) gain a deep understanding of the environmental and social impacts of the forestry solutions and their economic feasibility, v) demonstrate possibilities for forest value chain optimisation via local multi-actor studies and data analysis across entire value chains, from forest inventory and operations to transport, storage and processing, vi) increase co-creation with knowledge exchange between regional and local forestry actors to develop innovation capacity, encourage deployment of solutions & maximise uptake of new opportunities. SLU is a leading international university providing research, education and environmental assessment within the sciences for sustainable life. The SLU Faculty of Forest Sciences’ Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology bring a wealth of forest logistics expertise to OptiForValue. SLU are leading WP3 OptiAgile: Agile value management and contributing to all objectives.

OptiForValue, a Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) research project, coordinated by Luke, addresses these challenges by optimising forest-based value chains for high-value applications and enhancing forest management. OptiForValue’s ultimate goal is to foster a transition to more sustainable and resilient forest-based value chains. This will be achieved by using a unique, interconnected modelling framework that involves strong participative engagement and innovative scientific approaches. 

The project consortium, led by Luke, comprises 17 partners with multi-disciplinary complementary expertise. It includes 7 industry partners (5 of which are SMEs), 5 university partners, and 5 research institutes from across 7 European countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Sweden).

Lead Partner

• Luonnonvarakeskus (LUKE)

Project Partners

• Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas CSIC
• Arbonaut Oy Ltd
• Creative Optimization Sweden AB
• ERINN Innovation Ltd
• Fundacion Centro de Servicios y Promocion Forestal y de su Industria de Castilla y Leon CESEFOR
• Helsingin Yliopisto
• Kompetenzzentrum Holz GmbH
• Linnéuniversitetet
• Metsäteho Oy
• Ponsse Oyj
• Stiftelsen Skogsbrukets Forskningsinstitut Skogforsk
• Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet SLU
• Technische Universität München TUM
• Universität für Bodenkultur Wien BOKU