Emerging Potential of Hardwood Resources for Innovative Uses

Dear Colleagues,

The emerging climate changes will lead to a redistribution of existing forest types and a change in their tree species composition, which will also have an impact on the entire forest-wood chain. Model predictions about tree composition in the future are rather vague, but despite everything, experts agree that the ratio between conifers and deciduous trees will change quite strongly in favor of the latter. The decline in the share of spruce in the wood supply of forests has already been observed in the last decade and is mainly due to strong fluctuations in growing conditions, natural damage and bark beetle infestations. According to current forecasts on the development of climate indicators, forest production and wood properties, deciduous tree species are of great importance.

Although the traditional use of the various deciduous tree species is very diverse, it does not exploit their full potential. Due to the chemical-physical and processing properties of wood, hardwoods should be used in new ways based on advanced environmentally friendly (processing) technologies to produce innovative products with great substitution potential and high added value. The criteria of sustainability, circularity and marginal quality must be considered.

Articles addressing the utilization of hardwood potential and focusing on new innovative products and/or new environmentally friendly technologies or improving existing ones will be considered for this Special Issue. Original papers, reviews and short communications are all welcome.

Dr. Dominika Gornik Bučar
Prof. Dr. Manja Kitek Kuzman
Guest Editors

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