As part of the national LIGNOMAD conference, two new products being developed under the PRISMA project of the Fundación Biodiversidad were presented.
At the conference, recently held in Granada, the PRISMA project, in which the Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC) participates and which is funded by Fundación Biodiversidad, showcased its latest advances in local wood innovation and circular bioeconomy.
During the first session of the conference, Rayder Leonardo, member of the project team, delivered the presentation “Circular Bioeconomy in Mountain Territories: Advances of the PRISMA Project in Cross-Laminated Timber and Sawmill Residues.” His talk highlighted two new construction products developed within PRISMA.
On one hand, the hybrid CLT panels, made from combinations of beech (Fagus sylvatica) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), two local species representative of the project’s study regions (Catalonia, Navarre, and the Basque Country). On the other hand, he introduced Fustablock, a modular system of wooden blocks manufactured from sawmill residues, designed as a simple, demountable, and low-impact building solution, aligned with the principles of upcycling and design for disassembly.
Both products aim to maximize local added value, reduce waste, and replace conventional materials with high carbon emissions, thus contributing to a circular bioeconomy in mountain areas.
The presentation in Granada focused on the construction-related aspects, but PRISMA adopts a broader and more integrated approach — from forest management to the production of new wood-based products using local species and processing residues, fostering a circular bioeconomy.
During the fifth session of the conference, Pilar Giraldo Forero, researcher at the CTFC, opened the session with the keynote talk “Wood and Fire: The Art of Burning with Predictability,” focusing on the properties of wood in the face of fire and the importance of understanding its behavior to promote safer and more sustainable construction practices.
The PRISMA project aims to boost the use of local timber in rural mountain regions of Catalonia, Navarre, and the Basque Country. The project is coordinated by the Mancomunitat de Municipis Berguedans per a la Biomassa (MMBB) and involves the collaboration of CTFC, Baskegur (Basque Wood Association), Foresna Zurgaia (Navarre Forest Association), and the University of Navarra (UNAV).
PRISMA is supported by the Fundación Biodiversidad of the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) within the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
Last modified: 27 October 2025
