WHAT’S GOING ON

Here you will find our views and opinions, articles by experts and researchers, as well as information on news, events, activities and initiatives by our members.

15
Sep

Poplar in Italy: advances and sustainable cultivation

ProPopulus Team The poplar tree, known as the “tree of the people,” has been appreciated in Italy for its rapid growth, adaptability to different environmental…

28
Aug

The EU investigates birch plywood imports

ProPopulus Team The European Commission has taken a significant step in the ongoing effort to ensure fair trade practices by initiating an investigation into the…

04
Aug

Russian birch plywood keeps flowing into the EU despite sanctions

ProPopulus Team Despite sanctions on the imports of Russian and Belarusian, wood products, birch plywood and other wood products from Russia keep finding their way…

28
Jul

Populus3D: Digital innovation in the forestry industry

ProPopulus Team In an effort to drive innovation in the forestry sector and enhance productivity in poplar cultivation, the University of León (ULE) has established…

30
Jun

Two essential events

ProPopulus Team Two essential events will take place in the coming months: the Conference on “Global challenges and innovative management of bark and wood borers…

06
Jun

Biopoptech: a project to improve the competitiveness of the poplar sector

ProPopulus Team With the aim of improving the competitiveness of the poplar sector by promoting poplar cultivation and the cascade use of its wood for…

30
May

Introducing AppPopuli, a new application for poplar damage management

ProPopulus Team On June 9 in Valencia de Don Juan (León, Spain), within the framework of the training session “Detection and Monitoring of Damages in…

05
May

Populiculture, a profitable venture in Europe

ProPopulus Team Poplar farming is an increasingly attractive investment opportunity in European countries, as demand for wood products continues to grow. With the right resources…

21
Apr

Why is populiculture a good investment?

ProPopulus Team Poplar plantations have become increasingly popular in recent years due to their many advantages and the potential they represent for sustainable and profitable…

31
Mar

European poplar plywood manufacturers:
Skill, know-how, adaptation

ProPopulus Team European plywood manufacturers have a significant advantage when it comes to meeting the specific requirements of their customers. The experience they have gained…

17
Mar

European poplar plywood to meet market demands

ProPopulus Team More than a year has passed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, supported by Belarus. Since then, more than 30 countries have imposed…

17
Feb

European poplar, a local, sustainable, efficient choice

ProPopulus Team The ban on Russian and Belarusian birch and birch plywood, as well as on all other timber and forestry by-products from these countries,…

01
Feb

In search of an alternative to Russian birch

ProPopulus Team With Russian and Belarusian birch plywood banned across Europe, the need for an alternative is on the rise. European poplar wood from sustainably…

20
Jan

Poplar, an exceptional tree

Propopulus Team One of the goals of ProPopulus is to inform society about why poplar is an exceptional tree, and the role played by poplar…

03
Jan

Upcoming events in 2023

ProPopulus Team The first semester of 2023 is packed with forestry and forestry industry related events. Here are some of the most relevant upcoming events…

23
Dec

ProPopulus wishes you a happy 2023

ProPopulus team

29
Nov

The Marais Poitevin Regional Nature Park launches an action plan to boost poplar plantations

ProPopulus Team The Marais Poitevin Regional Nature Park (MPRNP), located in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, western France,  has launched an action programme to promote poplar plantations. It…

04
Nov

Poplar: an alternative to cotton?

ProPopulus Team A team of Swedish researchers is proposing poplar as an alternative to cotton. Their research aims at replacing cotton fibre for textiles with…

21
Oct

The French CNPF encourages forests owners
in Burgundy to grow and replant poplar groves

ProPopulus Team The Burgundy Franche-Comté National Center for Forest Property (CNPF) is encouraging the plantation of poplar groves as well as the replanting after harvesting…

07
Oct

The poplar sector also advances toward the circular economy

ProPopulus Team Moving toward a more circular economy is one of the challenges of the European Union for the next decade. Succeeding in replacing the…

16
Sep

The poplar shines in the architecture festival TAC!

ProPopulus Team The project ‘Chopo Activo’, by the architects Ignacio de Teresa, Lucía de Molina, Xianjun Zhou and Ignacio Hornillos, endorsed by LIFE Wood for…

31
Aug

SFM, climate change, and the demographic challenge

ProPopulus Team Although there is a widespread opinion that defends that intervention in forests and mountains is not compatible with the preservation of biodiversity, the…

16
Aug

New opportunities for the forestry sector

ProPopulus Team Is it possible to continue innovating in the wood industry? Juan Picos, professor and researcher at the University of Vigo, is blunt: Yes,…

22
Jul

The poplar, a pillar of the bioeconomy

ProPopulus Team Wood products are a key resource for the bioeconomy. The development of new modified wooden products represents a great opportunity to promote the…

13
Jul

The forestry sector is key in promoting a sustainable economy

Treeconomics. Wood in a sustainable economy – Press Release The Treeconomics event. Wood in a sustainable economy, organized by ProPopulus and sponsored by ING Spain,…

14
Jun

Wood is key to reaching a sustainable economy

ProPopulus Team Wood is a renewable, sustainable, and inexhaustible resource if forest masses are properly managed, replanting those trees that are harvested and preventing pests…

09
Jun

ProPopulus organises the conference Treeconomics. Wood in a sustainable economy

ProPopulus Team On 22nd June, 2022, the Treeconomics Wood in a sustainable economy conference will be held in the Espacio CÓMO in Madrid (C/ Pradillo…

25
May

Marjal Chopo de Granada, a brand born to gather Andalusian poplar producers

Propopulus Team A total of 73 Andalusian landowners, most of them from Granada, signed on 14th May, the founding act of the Granada Chopo Marjal…

10
May

The “Thanks to Poplar” initiative has been launched in Spain

ProPopulus Team As of 1st May, the “Thanks to Poplar” (Gracias al Chopo, in Spanish) agreement promoted by the Spanish Association of Plywood Manufacturers (AEFCON)…

29
Apr

Sustainably managing forests and plantations will guarantee wood supply

ProPopulus Team We are committed to think about how to be more efficient in the production of timber as a raw material. Firstly, natural forests…

13
Apr

Environmental benefits of managed poplar forests and plantations

ProPopulus Team Poplar trees constitute a fundamental part of the European landscape. Historic evidence shows that native poplars in the Po Valley were heavily exploited…

01
Apr

Upcoming events related to forests

ProPopulus Team Following the International Day of Forests, some events related to forests and forest-related policy issues will take place in the next two months….

21
Mar

Celebrating forests

ProPopulus Team Today we are celebrating forests. Ten years ago, in 2012 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21st March the International Day of Forests…

09
Mar

Poplar plywood: a good choice for the construction industry

ProPopulus Team In the last ten years, the demand for poplar plywood has increased notably, and the forecast for demand in the coming years is…

15
Feb

Granada, home to the first Spanish poplar eco-producer association

ProPopulus Team A group of poplar producers in Granada is taking the first steps towards the creation of an association for poplar eco-producers. It will…

28
Jan

All you wanted to know about poplar wood, but didn’t

ProPopulus Team Poplar trees are among the fastest growing trees in Europe as they can be harvested after 10 to 20 years, also during their…

18
Jan

The reception of abstracts for the Eighth International Poplar Symposium is open

ProPopulus Team The Institute of Lowland Forestry and Environment (ILFE) (formerly known as the Poplar Research Institute) from Novi Sad, Serbia, will host the IUFRO Eighth International Poplar…

14
Dec

Building with poplar is a reality

ProPopulus Team Two Mediterranean countries, Italy and Spain, are at the forefront of using poplar for the construction industry in Europe. In Italy, the PoplyHouse…

30
Nov

Wood, the building choice for technology giants

ProPopulus Team Technology giants Microsoft and Google are turning to wood as the base material for the construction of their new campuses, in Silicon Valley,…

19
Nov

A new web app to improve poplar production

ProPopulus Team A new digital tool to help poplar producers (developed jointly by Propopulus’ sponsor Bosques y Rios and the University of León (Spain)) was…

05
Nov

Poplar, a key element to develop a bioeconomy

ProPopulus Team “Poplars are a key element for the development of bioeconomy, not only in the production of bioenergy but also, and above all, in…

19
Oct

Populus 360, an event to encourage innovation and collaboration in the poplar sector

ProPopulus Team On October 21st and 22nd, the International Conference ‘Populus 360. Innovation, collaboration and challenges in the poplar sector’, will take place in Ponferrada…

28
Sep

Five upcoming wood and timber related events will take place in October in Europe and the UK

ProPopulus team October will we a month full of events related to wood and timber. The first one, the Timber Expo, will be held from…

14
Sep

The HUMAP project, led by Garnica, ends successfully

ProPopulus Team The Spanish company Garnica, a founding member of ProPopulus, has led a research project co-financed by the CDTI (Center for Industrial Technological Development)…

27
Aug

Poplar based technical wood for structural uses

ProPopulus team Within the framework of the activities of the COMPOP Timber Project, the IDIE Group (Research and Development in Building Engineering) and the Departments…

13
Aug

Peupliers de France launches a new website

ProPopulus Team After nine months of hard work, and with the support of France Bois Forêt and CODIFAB, the French Poplar National Council (Consel National…

30
Jul

The tall wooden buildings boom reaches Spain

ProPopulus Team The boom in tall wooden buildings has reached Spain with two cities, Barcelona (Catalunya) and Pamplona (Navarra), heading the race. In Barcelona, the…

16
Jul

The European Commission awards the LIFE grant to a project to recover poplars in Vega de Granada, Spain

ProPopulus Team The European Commission in its 2020 call, within its Action for Climate program and the Climate Change Mitigation sub-program, has recently awarded the…

06
Jul

ProPopulus launches a directory of the poplar industry players available to all

ProPopulus Team Aiming to be a connection hub for poplar industry players in Europe and, at the same time, to make it easier for anyone…

18
Jun

Helsinki and Dubai will host major forestry conferences in July 2021

ProPopulus Team Two major events with forestry as the main theme will take place next July. One in Helsinki, Finland, and the other in Dubai,…

28
May

Researchers patent a new method to synthesize paracetamol from poplar

ProPopulus Team As the world moves towards a cleaner green bioeconomy, new research on the uses of poplar bark and leaves, and its potential phytochemicals…

18
May

Wood, a material for the future

ProPopulus Team The possibilities that wood offers never cease to amaze. It is a renewable, recyclable and sustainable material that not only has many and…

30
Apr

Planet Wood a new Spanish initiative to raise awareness on the benefits of wood

ProPopulus Team Planeta Madera (Planet Wood) is the new initiative launched on Earth Day, April 22nd, by the Spanish Wood and Furniture Business Union, UNEmadera,…

16
Apr

IPC’s 26th Session will be hold virtually for the first time

ProPopulus Team The International Commission on Poplars and Other Fast-Growing Trees Sustaining People and the Environment (IPC) 26th session will be hold virtually for the…

31
Mar

EFI presents a new study aiming to tackle key questions on European forests

ProPopulus Team The European Forest Institute (EFI) released a new study that compiles key research findings to answer 12 important questions about forests in the…

16
Mar

Celebrating the International Day of Forests

ProPopulus Team In 2012 the United Nations declared 21 March as the International Day of Forests to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of…

02
Mar

The future of clean energy is wooden wind power turbines

ProPopulus Team Going higher to produce more power is a goal for Europe in its quest to become carbon neutral by 2050 as high-altitude wind…

16
Feb

Industrial applications of poplar wood

ProPopulus Team In recent years, the growing demand of wood and wood-based products has stimulated an increasing interest in poplar cultivation due, among other reasons,…

29
Jan

Populiculture, a crop aligned with UN’s SDG 2030

ProPopulus Team In 2015, the United Nations approved the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, that included 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the blueprint for achieving a…

20
Jan

The EU’s upcoming new Forest Strategy: a great opportunity for populiculture

ProPopulus Team The first quarter of 2021 will be decisive for the future of European forests. The European Commission is expected to present the New…

22
Dec

A new year? Yes, please!

Wishing you a healthy and sutainable 2021

15
Dec

Fôret pro Bos publishes a new document on poplar trees and their impact on environment and climate

ProPopulus Team “Peuplier, Environnement & Climat” (Poplar, Environment and Climate) is the latest publication by Forêt pro Bos. The brochure, which is free to download…

27
Nov

Wood buildings, potential major carbon sinks

ProPopulus Team Switching to wood on a wide scale as primary construction material for buildings in Europe could sequester 420 million tons of carbon dioxide…

17
Nov

FCBA foresees a good outlook for poplar cultivation in France

ProPopulus Team According to FCBA, L’institut Technologique Forêt Cellulose Bois-Construction Ameublement (the Cellulose Wood- Furniture Construction Technological Institute) there is a positive perspective for poplar…

30
Oct

Poplar is a fundamental resource for France’s rural life

ProPopulus Team France is Europe’s first poplar producer. Poplar cultivation in France began in the 1760’s, and although the areas planted with poplar have been…

20
Oct

Poplar, vital for building a bioeconomy in Spain

ProPopulus Team The importance of poplar cultivation in the construction of a bioeconomy in Spain, its potential for  generating rural employment, its environmental advantages and…

30
Sep

Agroforestry, a suitable solution SDG oriented

ProPopulus Team From the European Green Deal to the Farm to Fork Strategy, agroforestry is becoming a great solution to climate change mitigation, adaptation, resilience…

18
Sep

Spain announces that the blockchain solution for traceability in the timber sector “a success”

ProPopulus team Spain’s blockchain project for forestry has taken a major step forward. One of the partners of ChainWood, the consortium responsible for the development,…

28
Aug

Benefits of plantation forests

ProPopulus Team Developing an innovative, sustainable bioeconomy is one of Europe’s key strategies in the global quest of tackling climate change and complying with the…

14
Aug

EU’s public consultation on Climate Change open until August 20th

ProPopulus Team The public consultation on the EU’s strategy for climate change, Adapting to climate change – EU strategy, will be open until August 20th….

31
Jul

A new construction material made of poplar wood is in the market

Lignumstrand, the new wood-based building material made of PEFC certified local (Spain) poplar wood, obteined the CE marking

17
Jul

Forestry agenda for the upcoming months

ProPopulus Team Due to the coronavirus outbreak many events programmed for 2020 have been postponed or suspended, like the 26th IPC Session and study tours,…

30
Jun

A forest bioeconomy is in the making, but more purposeful action is required

ProPopulus Moving towards a green circular bioeconomy is no longer an option but an obligation to help people and the plant tackle global challenges, stretching…

19
Jun

Bioeconomy, a game-changing opportunity

ProPopulus Team No doubt Covid-19 has struck hard on the economy, leaving millions of people jobless around the world. But the pandemic is also a…

29
May

The forest bioeconomy, a missing link in Europe’s Green Deal?

ProPopulus Team On May 20th, the same day the European Commission (EC) released its new Biodiversity Strategy and a Farm to Fork Strategy for a…

21
May

The impact of COVID-19 on the European forest industry

ProPopulus Team The pandemic and, consequently, the lockdown in most of the European Union member countries has led to a slowdown in the forestry industry…

30
Apr

IPC’s 26th Session, call for paper abstracts extended

ProPopulus team Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the International Commission on Poplars and Other Fast-Growing Trees Sustaining People and the Environment (IPC) has extended until…

17
Apr

The benefits of a poplar plantation bioeconomy in Granada

ProPopulus Team The Social Council of the University of Granada, Spain, has recently published a study on how poplar benefits bioeconomy in the province of…

31
Mar

Poplar and the economy of the future

ProPopulus Team To counteract global warming and the subsequent climate change there is an urgent need to transform our production and consumption models and become…

17
Mar

Tropical forests are losing their capacity to absorb C02

ProPopulus Team Tropical forests in Africa and Amazonia will stop absorbing carbon dioxide of the atmosphere by 2035, according to a new research published by…

28
Feb

Wood, an unbeatable building material

ProPopulus Team Protecting forests from changes in land use, increasing planted forests, improving sustainable forest management and using certified wood to build high-rise buildings can…

18
Feb

Planted forests are increasing worldwide

ProPopulus Team Offsetting carbon is one of the main objectives of countries that want to meet the goals set by the Paris Agreement. This is…

30
Jan

A great opportunity for the forestry industry

ProPopulus Team The European Green Deal poses a great opportunity for the forestry industry. The document draws the main lines of a strategy aiming to…

17
Jan

The Green Deal means a great deal

ProPopulus Team The European Commission’s Green Deal presents a great opportunity for the forestry industry, and it is time to seize the momentum. This was…

27
Dec

Assopannelli launches a long-term project to strengthen the Italian poplar market

ProPopulus Team Assopannelli, the Italian Association of Panel and Semi-finished Wood Products Manufacturers, announced a long-term project aiming at improving defining strategies to strengthen and…

29
Nov

Andalucía destina 60 millones de euros a proyectos forestales de licitación pública

Equipo ProPopulus La dirección general de Medio Ambiente Natural, Biodiversidad y Espacios Protegidos de la Consejería de Agricultura, Ganadería Pesca y Desarrollo Sostenible de la…

29
Nov

Andalusia allocates 60 million euros to public tender forestry projects

ProPopulus Team The General Directorate of Natural Environment, Biodiversity and Protected Areas of the Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development Department of the Andalusian Government…

22
Nov

Agroforestry systems, a way to boost bio-economy

ProPopulus Team In early December Madrid will be hosting the XXV Conference of the Partiesof the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. With regard to…

31
Oct

Brussels will host EFI’s conference on “The Future of Plantation Forests”

ProPopulus Team With the aim of providing a better science-policy understanding of the policy issues facing European planted forests, the European Forest Institute will host…

25
Oct

Italy is using new remote sensing images from satellites to detect poplar plantations

ProPopulus Team Although poplar cultivation is a strategic sector for the forest-wood supply chain in Italy and represents the most significant internal source for primary…

30
Sep

France will monitor poplar plantations using new remote sensing images from satellites

Propopulus Team In collaboration with our sponsors France Bois Forêt and Garnica, amongst others, the French National Poplar Council (CNP) has launched a research programme…

12
Sep

Getting more visible and interacting with other networks at the heart of ProPopulus’ action plan

ProPopulus team Following his appointment as chairman of ProPopulus, Professor Joris Van Acker has outlined his action plan for the association over the next years….

29
Aug

Do you want to know how much a forest contributes beyond the wood it produces?

ProPopulus Team Forests don’t just produce wood. The benefits they bring to the ecosystem are many, but not incalculable. The international NGO FSC has developed…

19
Aug

The European Forest Institute (EFI) will hold the International Workshop on Forest Fires in Madrid

ProPopulus Team This year Spain has seen the equivalent of more than 100,000 football fields burn in wildfires. The abandonment of rural areas and traditional…

05
Aug

Professor Joris Van Acker new chairman of ProPopulus

ProPopulus Team On July ProPopulus held its last General Assembly meeting in Paris where Professor Joris Van Acker was appointed new Chairman of the Association,…

25
Jul

Investment, planning and sustainable forest management, keys to avoid forestry fires

ProPopulus Team Almost 100,000 soccer fields. That is the area that has burned in Spain in the first seven months of 2019, according to data…

30
Jun

In trees lays the answer

ProPopulus team It is no secret that too much of what we consume today is made of non-renewable materials, and although we can recycle some…

18
Jun

Madrid will host the UNECE Expert Workshop On Green Forest Jobs

ProPopulus Team Next week, on June 25 to 26, Madrid will host the Expert Workshop on “Green Forest Jobs: Facing challenges, exploring opportunities and increasing…

06
May

What are ecosystem services and why should we care and pay for them

ProPopulus team Ecosystem services are the many benefits that Nature provides to society.  These benefits make human life possible and divide into direct and indirect…

12
Apr

Agropoplar, an initiative promoted by the UG to boost poplar cultivation in the Mediterranean basin

ProPopulus Team Given the steep decline of poplar plantations, not just in Spain, but in Europe, the timber industry in the EU faces a drastic…

15
Mar

Building the future with wood

Although wood is no stranger to the construction industry, over the last century it has remained confined to residential and low-rise buildings. For more than…

01
Mar

The International Day of Forests 2019 will focus on the importance of forestry education

Under the theme “Learn to Love Forests” the International Day of Forests will be celebrated on March 21st. The theme emphasizes the importance of forestry…

15
Feb

Forestry events in Paris and Brussels in the coming weeks

March will be a good month for forests: before the celebration of the International Day of Forests in Geneva on March 21sth, Paris will host…

01
Feb

The wood industry has an essential role in building a circular economy

The recent World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos was the scenario chosen by the impact organization Circle Economy to present The Circularity Gap Report…

Poplar trees
11
Jan

Be prepared to become part of the change

A new year has begun and as the world changes, so does ProPopulus. These are exciting times for us! We have developed a new vision for…

23
Nov

Europe needs a common regulation for populiculture

By Pedro Garnica, Chairman of ProPopulus   Sustainability is becoming a growing claim from society. Several studies show that in the future the demand for…

09
Nov

A handbook for journalists and scientists to understand each other

Developing a society based on moderation, intelligence, sharing, and healthy environments without compromising the future, requires rising awareness about how our collective and individual behavior…

15
Oct

Poplar will take Valladolid and Buenos Aires in October

October will be poplar’s month with two major symposiums taking place around the world: in Valladolid, Spain, (from October 17th to 19th) and in Buenos…

01
Oct

The wood industry has a key role to play in building a bio-economy

As awareness about climate change, ocean pollution and the need to turn towards a bio-economy rise, sustainability is becoming mainstream. But still there is a…

27
Sep

The 8th Hardwood Conference will take place in October

Organized by the University of Sopron, the BOKU University (Vienna) in conjunction with the COST FP1407 – ModWoodLife and FATE (Wood Science Association, Hungary), the…

24
Sep

Beijing hosts the 4th International Congress on Planted Forests

The 4th International Congress on Planted Forests (ICPF), which will take place In Beijing from October 23rd to 27th, aims to investigate the contribution of…

20
Sep

Buenos Aires hosts the 7th Poplar International Symposium

The Argentinian chapter of the non-profit, non-governmental international network of forest research scientists IUFRO (International Union of Forest Research Organizations) will organize the Seventh International…

13
Sep

Science, forest and human wellbeing conference in Bucharest

From September 18th to 21st Bucharest will host the Forest Science for a Sustainable Forestry and Human Wellbeing in a Changing World International Scientific Conference,…

22
Aug

Registration for UNECE workshop on green forest jobs is open

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the FAO Forestry and Timber Section will host the workshop Green Forest Jobs – Exploring opportunities…

24
Jun

Welcome to our new web

We are very proud to present our new website. This new online meeting point is the first step towards boosting our activities in order to…

23
Jun

A new image for ProPopulus

By Pedro Garnica, Chairman of ProPopulus Ten years ago, ProPopulus was founded to gather growers, promoters and users of poplar with the aim of positioning…