March 15, 2018

Governments from northern Spain involved in the forestry sector met in Santander to discuss the fast-growing species they possess, which distinguish them from the rest of Spain according to the National Forest Inventory (NFI) . They also participated in the meeting with the Cantabrian Association of Wood and Furniture Traders and representatives of the National Forest Inventory (NFI) from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food, and the Environment (MAPAMA) .

The workshop was divided into three sections. The first began with the opening address by José Manuel Jaquotot, Deputy Director General of Forest Policy, followed by two presentations on the IFN's new approach to inventorying productive stands and the forest and biodiversity characteristics of these types of forests and woodlands in the northern Iberian Peninsula.

In the second section, representatives from the forestry administrations of the different autonomous communities involved—Galician, Asturian, Cantabrian, and the Basque Country—explained various cases of the productive species they possess, their surface area and numerical production values, as well as other directly related aspects, such as the structure of land ownership, fires, and the social acceptance of these productive stands.

The final part concluded with presentations on the quality of wood from the main productive species ( Pinus pinaster, Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus globulus ) and new applications of wood, such as natural fibers for the textile sector or the use of cross-laminated timber for construction.

The workshop, organized by the National Rural Network, provided an opportunity to present IFN work in the northern peninsula and review the role of productive species in the forestry world, including the controversies that have arisen over the use of Eucalyptus nitens .

This initiative is expected to be followed by other initiatives from the National Forest Inventory, specifically the inventory of poplar groves, which will likely be presented during the Second Symposium on Poplar in Castile and León, to be held in Valladolid in October.