Welcome to the Hardwood Conference official website!
In general, wood utilization in Europe is strongly related to softwoods. Due to specific developments such as the increasing importance of semi-natural forest management, which also favours hardwoods, climatic change etc., the share of broad-leafed trees (generally referred to as hardwoods) within the forest stock is increasing rapidly, reaching a percentage of 25 – 50% of the total forest area. We realize that the increasing stock and the potential harvest of hardwoods does not match the demand on the market. A significant share of harvested hardwoods is not allocated to proper utilization paths but is used as fuel wood. New and improved tracks for a competitive hardwood utilization need to be found based on hardwood research results.
The University of Sopron, the BOKU University (Vienna) in conjunction with the COST FP1407 - ModWoodLife and FATE (Wood Science Association, Hungary) are pleased to announce the call for abstracts for the 8th Hardwood Conference, with the special focus on „New aspects of hardwood utilization - from science to technology”
Discover the city of Sopron in the heart of Europe, and meet scientists, young researchers from all over the world, by accepting the invitation of the organizers!
ORGANIZERS
University of Sopron
The University of Sopron is a higher educational institution made up of four faculties. With campuses in the historical town of Sopron, a jewel city situated in the Fertő region (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and at the foot of the Lower Alps. The university offers up-to-date knowledge to almost 6 thousand students who benefit from the high standards of education and advanced infrastructure. Founded in 1735, University of Sopron is one of the oldest universities among higher education institutions in Hungary. The synergy of long-living traditions and the novel methods in scientific researches and education provides the students cutting edge knowledge, a high standard of education with advanced infrastructure.
The University of Sopron considers itself as “green university” that endeavours to create skills to conserve and improve ecologically, economically and socially adaptable methods to provide sustainable development of life quality for nature and mankind. It cultivates moral and human values, never losing sight of traditions. Its ‘regional centre’ consciousness is determined by its position as a Euro-region centre and by the needs of the over-the-border Hungarian nationality.
The SoE (University of Sopron) is an open-minded institution, inclined to corporate with anyone that could agree on its objectives and targets and would serve the intellectual progress and development of the region as well as the whole country.
The campus of the University of Sopron with four faculties is located in West Transdanubia: a developed, industrialised region at Hungary’s western border, specialised in automotive and machinery industries, characterised by larger-than-the-national-average weight of FDI. Its regional innovation system has been rapidly evolving since 2009 with mobilisation of the region’s endogenous assets like thermal tourism, wood and furniture industries.
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna
The University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, the Alma Mater Viridis, perceives itself as a teaching and research center for renewable resources, which are necessary for human life. It is BOKU's objective to help make a considerable contribution to the conservation and protection of resources for future generations by providing diversity in its fields of study. Connecting natural sciences, engineering and economic sciences, we wish to increase knowledge of the ecologically and economically sustainable use of natural resources, to provide a harmoniously cultivated landscape.
An important feature of BOKU's research lies in its recognition of future problems and our efforts to provide and stimulate practical relevance, internationality and among disciplines. Interdisciplinary cooperation of scientists on an international level should help create comprehensive questions about the future of our planet and lead to innovative problem solving.
BOKU's teaching is designed holistically and in a coordinated manner. It leads graduates to knowledge, understanding and flexibility. From this program, they gain the willingness to face future challenges and the capability to meet them in a competent way. We teach state of the art content and current issues that are based on dynamic research and a high level of practical relevance using modern didactic methods. This motivates students and graduates to develop their own ideas. Our cosmopolitan scientific vocational education and training enables them to understand complex interdisciplinary relationships.
For the public, BOKU is also a competent and self-conscious partner. It combines the willingness to accept criticism with the readiness to take the responsibility of taking a clear position.
ModWoodLife
The forest-based sector can become a leader in achieving the European Commission’s ambitious target of reducing CO2 emissions with innovative production technologies, reduced energy consumption, increased wood products recycling, and reuse. Apart from these undoubted environmental benefits, the use of forest products in long life products, such as built environment applications, allows for the possibility of extended storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Wood modification (chemical, thermal, impregnation) is an assortment of the innovative processes currently being adopted. Though many aspects of these treatments are known, the fundamental influence of the process on product performance, the environment, and end of life scenarios remain unknown. It is essential to integrate interactive assessment of process parameters, developed product properties, and environmental impacts. To optimize modification processing to minimize environmental impacts, much more information must be gathered about all process related factors affecting the environment (VOC, energy use, end of life use, etc.).
This Action will investigate modification processing and products design with emphasis on their environmental impacts. This will require analysis of the whole value chain, from forest through processing, installation, in-service, end of life, second/third life (cascading) and ultimately incineration with energy recovery.
The main aim of this Action is to characterize the relationship between modification processing, product properties, and the associated environmental impacts. This includes the development and optimization of modified processing and quantification of the impacts of emerging treatment technologies compared to traditional processing and alternative materials to maximize sustainability and minimize environmental impacts.
FATE
The Wood Science Association, more commonly known as FATE, since its founding in 1950, is an umbrella organization, discussion forum and professional workshop of woodworking trades. The aim of the Association is to socialize and raise awareness of the scientific tasks of the wood industry, to unite the technical and scientific experts of wood industry in Hungary. Since 1951 he has been publishing the "Faipar" ("Wood Industry") journal. FATE has assisted the development of the profession, the training and security of its employees, and initiated the launch of higher education of timber industry in Hungary, organized wood industry exhibitions, founder of the Wood Science Foundation and the voluntary pension fund for forestry and woodworkers.