World Wood Day 2023

Symposium

2023 Online World Wood Day Symposium and The Fifth IUFRO Forest Products Culture Colloquium

Theme

Wood in Cultural Heritage

Date

21-22 March, 2023

Overview

The 2023 World Wood Day Online Symposium and The Fifth IUFRO Forest Products Culture Colloquium was held on Zoom for the third time. Approximately 536 participants and audiences from 32 countries and regions attended on Zoom, YouTube and bilibili (Mainland China) from March 21-22. 44 presentations including 3 keynote speeches, which were moderated by 7 session chairs, have well explored the theme Wood in Culture Heritage in ten topics covering a wide range of research fields related to wood and non-wood forest products, including historical utilization/trade and cultural values, challenges and opportunities, wood durability and protection needs for constructions and buildings, musical instruments and furniture, craftsmanship and woodcrafts, education on forest products culture, wood archaeology and wood anatomy, wood products and biotechnology. The discussion and interaction were carried out both orally and in written text at the online platforms.

Rationale

Understanding wood as cultural heritage requires wood science and technology research into the material properties of these wood species (including non-wood counterparts), usually concerning their anatomical, physical and chemical characteristics in comparison with sound counterpart materials. Research also focuses on best material conservation/protection practices to enhance their service life (biological durability, abiotic durability). Furthermore, exploring the relationship between wood cultural heritage and the humanities, social sciences and associated behavioral sciences is crucial to strengthen our appreciation on sustaining interest in conservation of wood and non-wood artefacts. Our history of forest resource exploitation and trade, and rectification of damages to improve resources for the future needs to be considered. Such interdisciplinary studies would also include protecting/reviving/conserving relevant traditional woodworking/non-wood processing skills, securing wood and non-wood resource sustainability (ie. sustainable forests) for material production, and educational requirements for wood cultural knowledge. Overall as forests and long-lived forest products recognizably play crucial roles in climate change mitigation by carbon sequestration benefits, reinforcing wood and non-wood forest-based materials for cultural heritage uses will support the need for increased global forest cover with increased use of sustainable wood products as opposed to greenhouse gas-based materials.

Topics

Historical Utilization/Trade and Cultural Values of Wood and Non-Wood Forest Products
Construction and Buildings Including Wood Durability and Protection Needs
Movable Building Components, Furniture, Musical Instruments, Artifacts and Design
Education in Understanding Forest Products Culture
Challenges and Opportunities for Historical, Contemporary and Future Wood and Non-Wood Forest Products Culture
Relationship Between the Humanities, Social Sciences, Behavioral Sciences and Wood Cultural Heritage
Related Forest Management, Craftsmanship, Traditional Wood Processing/Wood Working Experiences
Forest History and Ancient Forests
Archaeological Wood as a (Pre)Historical Archive
Wood Products and Wood Biotechnology (IAWS Special Session)

This symposium is co-organized by the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), International Association of Wood Anatomists (IAWA), International Academy of Wood Science (IAWS), International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Division 5 (Forest Products) including IUFRO Research Unit 5.15.00 (Forest Products Culture), IUFRO Research Unit 9.03.02 (Forest Culture) of Division 9 (Forest Policy and Economics) aas well as Estonian State Forest Management Centre (RMK), and with the support of International Research Group on Wood Protection (IRGWP), Japan Wood Research Society (JWRS) and International Society of Wood Science and Technology (SWST).