High-value building products from fire-, storm- and beetle-damaged timber
Forest disturbances such as wildfires, storms, droughts, and bark beetle outbreaks are increasing with climate change. These events produce large volumes of damaged timber in a short time. While deadwood is essential for forest ecosystems and must be retained in forests to support biodiversity, the scale of recent calamities often exceeds ecological needs. Much of the salvageable wood is currently burned for energy or used in low-value products.
The WoodStock project shows that wood from fire-damaged, wind-felled, or beetle-affected trees can be suitable for higher value construction applications This increases carbon stock potential and economic returns for forest owners. In many cases, in the first stages of the various calamities, damage occurs in the sapwood, and changes to mechanical properties are usually negligible. The main challenges are accelerated wood degradation and increased risk of insect and fungal attacks – that’s why time is crucial. Freshly salvaged wood can be suitable for applications such as glue-laminated beams, mass timber panels, wood-based panels, cladding, insulation, and modular building blocks. In WoodStock’s Review of zero-waste product concepts ,examples of such applications were identified, ranging from commercial products (e.g. wood-based panels) and pilot projects (e.g. acoustic panels).
Foresters can increase value from damaged wood by sorting and rapidly supplying salvaged wood for processing instead of directing it only to energy use. Early harvesting and fast logistics reduce quality loss. Cooperation with sawmills, manufacturers, designers and research institutions is essential to develop markets and ideas for potential applications. Highlighting the origin of the salvaged wood can add value in sustainability-focused projects. Using calamity wood in long-lasting products stores carbon and improves economic resilience of forest management.
Additional information
Broader implementation of damaged wood requires careful balancing of ecological and economic goals. Enough deadwood must remain in forests to support biodiversity, while surplus material can be mobilised for use. Key obstacles include limited storage time, the need to counteract accelerated degradation, and lack of established supply chains for calamity wood. Facilitating factors include growing demand for low-carbon building materials and interest in visible sustainability stories. Future actions should focus on clear guidelines for salvage timing, improved communication between foresters and sawmills, and demonstration projects that show the reliability of calamity wood in construction. The key message for stakeholders across the wood value chain and for end users is that damaged wood can still be a valuable and responsible resource when managed correctly.
WoodStock - Empowering climate-smart, circular, and zero-waste use of underutilised wood in the European construction sector to support the New European Bauhaus
Ongoing | 2024-2028
- Main funding source
- Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Belgium, Slovenia, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Finland
Project Keywords
- Circular economy, incl. waste, by-products and residues
- Climate change (incl. GHG reduction, adaptation and mitigation, and other air related issues)
- Competitiveness/new business models
- Digitalisation, incl. data and data technologies
- Forestry
- Social innovation
- Supply chain, marketing and consumption
- Biodiversity and nature
- Landscape/land management