Sustainable forest for lumber production
The sustainable forest management must keep the balance between three main cornerstones: ecological, economic and sociocultural. Achieving this would benefit everyone, from safeguarding the way of living to the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems, reduction of rural poverty and mitigation of some effects of global warming, which is supported by scientist who have said that rational management of forest and forest cover will contribute to combat climate change. For example, one hundred and twenty three seedlings of trees cultivated for ten years can absorb the carbon footprint produced by one car during a year.
The implementation of sustainable forest strategies is especially important for developing countries, given that highest volumes of carbon emissions from the forest are produced in the southern hemisphere. This is mainly due the logging of tropical forest to obtain incomes by selling the wood and to give more space for agriculture.
This subject will show the models of predictive growth; planification and development of forestry products; fabrication of sustainable forest products towards timber production; innovative certified forest products, and the peculiarity of native, tropical and fast-growing forests.
Building and environment impact
Every construction work generates a large amount of waste when refining, placing, polishing and assembling construction materials. Therefore, damage to the environment will continue for a long time if appropriate measures are not taken.
Therefore suggestions that show the improvements in sustainable environment of residential timber building will be presented, like: interior quality, comfort and energy efficiency; maintenance methodology; carbon footprint and LCA on timber constructions, besides giving solutions of passive and zero-energy houses.
Policies, implementation and management
This topic will show some of the public policies that have been created to encourage the use of timber in different countries, and other tools that have been developed to make it more efficient, such as: computer timber constructions tools (BIM) for co-design and integrated processes; operations and management of timber buildings; waste disposal on timber constructions.
Seven thematic topics will be presented for four days during August 2020 in Santiago, Chile, where scientific expert of all over the world will arrive to deepen in the different edges of timber as a construction material.
The seven topics offered in the seminars and papers will address the timber from different disciplines like engineering, construction, architecture, design and forestry, specially focusing in the sustainable management of forests, building impact, process innovation and new construction materials, among other subjects. All the presentations will be held in the rooms of the Extension Center on the downtown campus of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
Making the conference in Latin America is expected to have a great local impact, following the international encouragement to use timber as a construction material, in line with the agenda and political commitment to reduce the carbon footprint that many countries have. Therefore, the topics that the members of the timber community are preparing for 2020 are the following.
Wood products and connections
One of the most important parts in the wooden structures are its joints, which is a critical and complex aspect that requires an accurate design and a proper execution. There are different types, but all have the purpose of give continuity to the effort generated in the structure in the least aggressive way. Here will be shown the sustainable forest management to the production of wood; innovation certificates of forest products; the peculiarity of native, tropical and fast-growing forests.
Timber engineering
This subject is design to know the experience of scientists from all over the world that study the industrial process of production for timber and wooden products, and the evaluation of environment impacts of those process, like: codes, practices and new standardization; fire protection and performance; advances in seismic design and protection of timber structures; hybrid structures and high wooden buildings, bridge, long spans and special structures, methods for performance-base design.
Timber architecture
The art of timber architecture is more alive than ever in a world in which technological materials dominate the market. Timber constructions have reached a modern splendor with architects and designers whom have decided to take the risk with this traditional material, but with renovated techniques which enhance the construction,
Some of the possible subjects that goes in this topic are: Intervention in building stock; building physics and building skins; integrated tools for design processes; retrofitting and nondestructive test of historic buildings; cultural Heritage of traditional wooden buildings, design and construction methods for durability.
Education, promotion and future trends
The international trends that are positioning this material as one of the most used thanks to its energy efficiency characteristics, economy and speed. In Chile, the timber is moving forward and thanks to the technology incorporated in the development of new products, it is being used with better results and covering new markets.
New developments in wood science, industrialization of wooden construction, environmentally responsible construction. Education and promotion of wooden construction; development of new professional and techniques skills.
Study Cases
This version has also included the use of Study Cases in any of the seven topics, so people who have been developing knowledge but are not necessary researchers or work in universities can also send their impressions and share their experiences with the rest of the community.