Sopron, January 17, 2023 – ForestPress

In Hungary, the University of Sopron is the center of wood industry and forestry education and research

At the end of November, the Into the Woods conference was organized in Finland within the framework of the New European Bauhaus initiative, which deals with sustainable wood use practices in Europe, especially in Northern Europe. The event was attended by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, as well as Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, as well as Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch. All this indicates that forestry, the wood industry and wood itself as a sustainable raw material are becoming more and more important in the economic policy of the European Union.

In Hungary, the University of Sopron is traditionally the center of wood industry and forestry education and research. Those interested can learn about the institution's sustainability training at the open day on January 18. It is already a well-known fact that "due to climate change, our lives will change, our travel and packing habits will change, i.e. our everyday life will slowly transform", explains the significance of the conference dr. Endre Magoss, Dean of the Faculty of Wood Engineering and Creative Industries of the University of Sopron. – "So the question is not whether we need to change, but what we need to do." However, the promotion of renewable raw materials, such as wood, requires a change of attitude on the part of both processors and consumers. Professor Magoss suggests that the organization of the Into the Woods conference has a political intention to speed up this process. With the conference in Finland, the Nordic countries are successfully defining themselves as the standard bearers of the sustainable wood industry. "These countries have a higher forest cover and have a greater tradition of using wood in the construction industry," says Magoss. "Hungary mainly has deciduous wood, so it is possible to widen the applications in the construction industry through appropriate research." The research is not only focused on processing and product trials of new wood species, but also on the by-products of wood processing or even the technological possibilities of 3D printing. "The full processing of wood as one of the most valuable renewable raw materials predicts the expansion of research," Magoss adds optimistically, "so the near future will bring many innovations in wood processing." The long-term carbon sequestration of wood as an architectural raw material lasts for decades, so the wood industry, together with sustainable forest management, is a key element in ensuring the carbon balance.

New procedures, scientific and technological development, and the application of digitalization in forestry make it possible to forecast the amount of wood that can be harvested, thereby making the operation of the wood industry predictable. "The wood of the Hungarian forests is a national treasure," adds Magoss, "so processing it with as much added value as possible is also in the interest of the national economy." The University of Sopron plays a key role in this. Thanks to its educational units - forestry, wood industry, economics - you can research the entire wood product chain within the framework of one institution, creating unique synergies. "Furthermore, the mentioned change in consumer attitudes", concludes the dean, "through the faculty of pedagogy, the university can start in the most receptive age group, in early childhood education. Our faculty, the Faculty of Wood Engineering and Creative Industries, conducts research on the various industrial applications of those wood species, which are the focus of our investigations through the activities of the University's Institute of Forestry Sciences and the Faculty of Forestry Engineering. These range from material research, the development of new composite materials, the operational optimization of the wood industry to product innovation, and the art courses at the University of Sopron deal with the design and design side of products, while the architecture courses integrate the research taking place at the institution into a new sustainable building. All of this, i.e. the modern sustainability training and research of the University of Sopron, will be available to those who are about to choose a career on January 18, the institution's open day. Press contact Benedek Vasák This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +36 20 995 6330