Completion of Phase 1 and launch into Phase 2

Project Update March 26, 2026

In the course of the first phase of the project "Developing regional forest and wood value chains", six incubator projects that emerged from a 2020 participatory process were completed by 2025. A research project concurrently investigated transformative, sustainable wood enterprises; the accompanying dissertation was also published in 2025. To conclude the first project phase, an event was held at the Federal Palace in Bern in July 2025, attended by thirty involved participants. Overall, the balance of the first project phase is positive: The project was able to create important foundations for sustainable regional value creation in the field of forest and wood in the canton of Bern. This includes the development of Wood Compass on the topic "Communities use the forest sustainably for their tasks", as well as the launch of the dialogue platform (www.holzkoepfe.ch), which promotes wood as a building material and supports a more cascading use of wood. Building on the findings from the first phase—the six incubators, a dissertation, and a networking trip—the project will continue in a second phase with three new subprojects. The first subproject aims to enable regional competence centers to provide expert support to builders using regional wood. The second subproject "Transformation of the Wood Value Chain" has the goal to strengthen the competitiveness of the Bernese forest and wood industry, promote innovations, and better utilize modern technologies – particularly in the areas of digital production, processing, and circular economy. The project also contributes to sustainable forest management and to reducing dependence on wood imports. The third subproject is an awareness-raising and information project that aims to strengthen understanding of the importance of wood use and the functions forests provide.

Publication on regional innovation systems in the timber sector

Project Update October 15, 2025

Project Update February 17, 2025

Sustainable management of forests and wood has the potential to become the exemplary system linking people and nature in a mutually beneficial relationship. As a renewable raw material, wood is key to a sustainable way of life. In moving toward a climate-friendly society, we must therefore position this resource in a way that will also allow future generations to benefit from it. Wood is versatile: it can be used for heating, as a substitute for plastic, in packaging, to make clothing, and in construction. However, we must use it appropriately, ensuring that this use is sustainable and fair. Building with wood makes sense for several reasons: it sequesters carbon in the long term and can replace reinforced concrete, which is energy- and resource-intensive. The pilot project regions of Oberland-Ost and Emmental, both located in the Canton of Bern, are characterized by a high proportion of forest, but they differ in terms of ownership structure and the proportion of protection forest. In both regions, forest maintenance and use are important to safeguard forest services and the sustainable use of wood as a climate-neutral raw material. This project works with local stakeholders—decision-makers from the forestry and wood sector, government, and civil society—to improve regional forest- and wood-based value creation. Together, we are developing ideas on how to sustainably use the renewable resource of wood in a regional circular economy, and how to initiate the necessary social transformation processes. An accompanying research project is investigating transformative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the wood-processing sector. Using the case study regions of the Canton of Bern and Vorarlberg in Austria, the research examines how SMEs can drive the sector toward sustainable economic practices, and what strategies they employ. Through targeted exchange of information and knowledge, the findings will be incorporated into the “Developing regional forest and wood value chains” implementation project. In 2020, a broad range of stakeholders met at an interregional workshop to discuss initial ideas for possible solutions. These ideas were then prioritized based on a sector-wide survey. Partnerships were formed and six pilot projects—so-called incubators—were implemented along the value chain in the two regions of Oberland-Ost and Emmental. Five of the six projects were completed at the end of 2024. More information: Regionale Wertschöpfung Wald und Holz (Information about the six projects on the website of Lignum Holzwirtschaft Bern, an association of stakeholders in Bern’s wood and timber sector; in German)Abschlussbericht_Innovative-Holzprodukte-aus-schwer-absetzbaren-Rohholzsortimenten_def.pdf BFH_Factsheet_Innovative_Holzprodukte_A4_de_240529.pdf