Strengthening research, technological development and innovation
Promoting innovation capacities for a more competitive area
The general objective is to give indigenous coniferous woods and swamp straws such durability to make their use sustainable and compatible with the conservation of environment and with the safeguard of the Wood cultural Heritage. In this way there will be an economic impact on businesses both direct (production and marketing of products) and indirect (promotion of fishing, agriculture, maritime and tourist transport).
In the Italian lagoons and in the Slovene highlands, the fishing and agro-pastoral activities have produced over millennia, unique types of wooden housing with also wooden infrastructures such as piers, moorings, piles and fences. The existence of these structures and of the related cultural background, however, is subject to constant maintenance. Maintenance is no longer economic sustainable in humid and coastal environments where wood degradation is massive and fast. As a consequence, in the last century impacting protection techniques and use of unsuitable materials had been adopted. The project aims to test some innovative techniques and products, developed by project partners to increase the durability of traditional wood species. Treated wood will be used in traditional buildings in socio-ecologically sensitive environments. This use will be economically and environmentally sustainable for the whole Alpine-Maritime Adriatic area. The environmental compatibility of these techniques will be evaluated in light of the most recent scientific knowledge within protocols among partners and will be transferable to the entire programme area.
The expected results are punctual although high interdisciplinary expertise is required to achieve them. On one hand, it is about giving new qualities to traditional materials to improve their performance and, on the other, to produce new materials through chemical modification of wood. Making wood or straw resistant to biological attack in wet environment, likewise exotic woods or plastics, opens up a considerable amount of possible applications and new market niches and businesses opportunities. The projects starts from the traditional use and the conservation of cultural heritage as important elements for the Upper Adriatic civilizations, taking up the environmental challenge to propose environmentally friendly products to be used in delicate environments. The use of biocides in the aquatic environment poses particular challenges as water dilates and conveys most of the traditional impregnating agents. Producing a product which binds to coniferous wood making it resistant to the aggression of aquatic organisms and at the same time not impacting on environment means offering fishermen and farmers, small house -builders and environmental engineers the possibility to continue using wood without turning to other materials, and obtaining it "at zero kilometer" directly from the Alps and the Karst. Getting Phragmites degrading very slowly means offering the possibility of returning to cover traditional houses, Casoni and Koce and Kozolci with reed roofs in sustainable way, recovering traditional professionalism and rare ancient activities which could still remain alive in some lagoon enclaves and in the Danube Delta.
Lead Partner
Project partner 1
Project partner 2
Project partner 3
Project partner 4
Project partner 5
Project partner 6
KEY PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The general objective is to give indigenous coniferous woods and swamp straws such durability to make their use sustainable and compatible with the conservation of environment and with the safeguard of the Wood cultural Heritage. In this way there will be an economic impact on businesses both direct (production and marketing of products) and indirect (promotion of fishing, agriculture, maritime and tourist transport).
CURRENT STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION
The Project started on 1/3/2020.