LIFE HFH

Hardwood for the home

THE PROJECT​

The LIFE Haya project aims to improve the climate change mitigation capacity in Spain’s beech forests through a silvicultural model based on CLOSE TO NATURE FORESTRY. It will focus on adaptation to climate change and the promotion of biodiversity in 10 demonstration stands in 4 regions of Spain, generating 250 tons of wood used for innovative products and the construction of a sustainable pilot building called “Hayabitat”, certified under the standards PEFC for sustainable forest management and “Passivhaus”.

GOALS

• Improve knowledge of Fagus sylvatica forests​
  Improve knowledge of Fagus sylvatica forests and especially; the evolution of their surfaces, their forest dynamics, state of conservation, associated biodiversity, risks, vulnerabilities and their capacity as natural carbon sinks, which serves as a technical background for the establishment of the management model close to nature.
• Test and validate the application of management models with forestry​
  Test and validate the application of management models with closer to nature forestry in demonstrative stands of beech forests that become the axis for developing the fagus labs and a lever for their extension to the rest of the beech forests in the northern third. from Spain.
• Articulate a new value chain for the cascading use of wood​
  Articulate a new value chain for the cascade use of beech forest wood in construction, through the creation of new technological products, under criteria that imply a longer carbon storage time in wood products for construction, in concrete glued laminated wood and cross-laminated pinohaya board.
• Integrate and value existing knowledge and technology for beech forests​​
  Integrate and value the existing knowledge and technology for beech forests and beech wood in order to facilitate the improvement of the competitiveness of its forest-industry value chain.
• Build a demonstration pilot building
  Build a demonstrative pilot building, which will serve to promote the new wood products developed in the project, as well as as an inspiration, motivation and learning mechanism for architects and engineers.
• Evaluate the global climate change mitigation capacity of beech forests under different scenarios.​
  Evaluate under different scenarios the global climate change mitigation capacity of beech forests managed under the close-to-nature management model, through analysis of carbon flows (carbon balances) in forests, products and their application in construction.​

ROLE OF ITeC

Development and certification (ETA and CE marking) of new products based on beech wood: glued laminated timber, and beech and pine cross-laminated timber panels.

PROJECT PARTNERS