WoodPoP’s Study Tour and 5th Expert Group Meeting in Brumunddal, Norway

Successful Study Tour and Expert Group Meeting Drive Important Wood Policy Discussions Forward

Brumunddal, Norway — The Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food, in collaboration with NIBIO and with support from Innovation Norway, hosted a Study Tour showcasing the country’s wood industry innovations.

The tour included visits to notable wood structures, such as the HasleTre Office in the greater Oslo region and the tallest all-timber building, the Wood Hotel, with presentations by Moelven Ringsaker Vegg- og Takelementer AS on the timber construction process, as well as a visit to Hunton Fibre production facilities.

As part of the Study Tour, the 5th WoodPoP Expert Group Meeting took place on 11 September in hybrid form, bringing around 45 industry experts and stakeholder representatives from 13 countries.

The meeting started with presentations on the Norwegian strategies to enhance wood building, with a focus on circularity. Espen Stokke, Senior Adviser to the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and Lone Ross, Head of Research at the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO).

This was followed by updates from the co-leads of the Platform’s Technical Working Groups (TWGs) and the Platform’s Secretariat. The highlight of this meeting was the in-depth discussions on the draft WoodPoP Policy Paper, which were enriched by the diverse insights of experts and country representatives.

Further presentations covered international initiatives in which WoodPoP is involved: Erika Di Girolami, Forest Policy and Governance Specialist at the FAO, presented the Outcome Statement of the High-Level Dialogue “WOOD for GLOBE: Leading pathways to carbon neutrality and resilience” which took place on 19 July 2024. Lisa Lehner, Policy officer at the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management, concluded the meeting with a presentation on the envisaged Country and Organisation-Led Initiative on the forest-based bioeconomy.

The event has successfully highlighted Norway’s innovative approaches in the wood industry, brought together representatives from different governments and the wood-based industry, and the rich discussions among experts improved the messages enshrined within the current draft of the WoodPoP Policy Paper.