IIS Valbowal

By bringing together all the players in the wood sector – scientists, foresters, industrialists, federations and civil society – Valbowal aims to make the Walloon forest more resilient and diversified, to develop the Walloon wood sector in a sustainable and circular manner, and to strengthen a Walloon decarbonized, social and circular economy contributing to the well-being of future generations by proposing new avenues at all levels, from the forest to construction materials, by integrating training and digitalization. The main areas of work are: > The resilient and diverse forest: wood is by nature a renewable resource allowing carbon storage. Faced with climate change and the desirable development of uses of wood in construction, reasoned and diversified management of the forest is an essential link to increase its productivity and industrialization of wood. Axis led by Confederation belge du Bois > Wood processing: wood is a resource allowing the extraction and transformation of numerous chemical compounds. The development of new extraction, fragmentation and purification processes from new species or co-products from the wood industry will allow the emergence of new biobased products with high added value. Axis managed by Filière Bois Wallonie > Circular construction products allowing prolonged carbon storage: wood, as a construction material, has a range of variedapplications. Innovative products with reasoned and optimized performance as well as new production and construction methods will contribute to the expansion of uses. In the interest of reuse, recycling and recovery, we must further push the sustainability and circularity of wood applications. Research must be developed into technical reversibility and its reintroduction into new production cycles (upcycling). Axis driven by Buildwise > Training and digitalization: this axis is transversal to the first three. Axis managed by Forem – Wallonie Bois.