The regions of Oberland East and Emmental are both characterized by a high proportion of forest. However, the two regions differ in terms of ownership structure and the proportion of forest serving as protection. The aim of this project is to use both regions as pilots and work on improving regional forest- and wood-related value creation together with local decision-makers from the forestry and timber sectors as well as policymaking and wider society. In collaboration with these actors, ideas and solutions will be developed as to how renewable wood resources can be used sustainably in a regional circular economy, and how the societal transformation process needed for this can be set in motion.
In parallel, a research project has been launched to study transformative small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the wood-processing sector. Drawing on the case study regions of the canton of Bern and Austria’s Voralberg, the project is investigating the extent to which such SMEs can steer development of the entire sector in the direction of sustainable business practices, and the corresponding strategies they pursue. Through targeted information and knowledge exchange, relevant research results will flow into a practice-oriented project on wood- and forest-related value creation.
In 2020, the first supra-regional workshop with broad stakeholder participation was held and initial ideas for possible solutions were discussed. The resulting industry survey enabled a prioritization of ideas. In the near future, funding partnerships will be established and the first incubator projects will be launched in the two regions of Oberland East and Emmental.