NEWS
COP26
REPORT FROM WOOD FOR GOOD
Attracting around 90,000 visitors to Glasgow, the 26th gathering of the 197 member nations of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) took place from 31 October to 12 November. Sarah Virgo reports on key discussions and events around forestry and wood. Timber and trees at COP26 There were several key hubs of activity at COP26 that housed events and exhibitions related to the timber and forestry sector. I attended a selection of the events and exhibitions that took place during the two weeks. Ahead of COP26, Wood for Good pulled together an interactive map of all the activity and exhibitions involving wood.
CONFOR.ORG.UK
The map also showed where existing timber buildings were situated in and around the Glasgow area, so that visitors to the city would know when they were passing a low-carbon home! I was not lucky enough to obtain a pass to the elusive COP26 Blue Zone, but I did enjoy spending time over the two weeks visiting the public Green Zone area and fringe events in and outside of Glasgow. Inside the Blue Zone, there were several exhibitors that featured timber structures in their stands and discussed the benefits of wood in construction and sustainable forestry practices including the Eden Project, a bamboo gridshell and a variety of events from organisations such as the Timber Trade Federation, Stora Enso and the Nordic Council. The Green Zone also featured some timber structures and exhibitions, I particularly loved the interactive WWF greeneryfilled space. Many of the spaces featured chipboard and wooden panels, which got me wondering: Did these exhibitors make a conscious choice to use a naturally lowcarbon, renewable material or was it just what was available to them? In addition to the official Blue and Green zones, there were a range of ‘fringe’ hubs around Glasgow including the Sustainable Landing Hub, which featured the COP26 House, the New York Times Climate Hub which housed a beautiful forest-filled art exhibit; and the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) in South Lanarkshire which was the host of a variety of day conferences, talks and tours.
KEY MESSAGE
HOW FORESTRY FIGHTS CLIMATE CHANGE Trees are a natural carbon capture and storage facility, sequestering harmful CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it as carbon in its wood. Sustainable forestry practices and the wood products produced contribute to a growing carbon store in increased tree planting, whilst displacing emissions from other CO2-intensive materials by replacing them with wood products, and storing carbon captured by trees in wood products for their lifetime.
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS Wood for Good conference Wood for Good sponsored an actionpacked day conference at the CSIC in South Lanarkshire on 2 November. It was the perfect way to kick off COP26 - we heard from a range of engaging speakers on forestry and timber construction, spoke to visitors from around the world about forestry and timber in their own nations, and had a factory tour of the CSIC’s best projects and innovations. One of the highlights for me was hearing about the link between the built environment and forestry. In the setting of the CSIC, with all of its beautiful timber buildings and demonstrators, it felt fitting to hear from Scott Francisco of Cities4Forests and Confor’s own Deputy CEO, Andy >>
FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • December 2021 15
