BRANCHES was a H2020 “Coordination Support Action” project, that brought together 12 partners from 5 different countries. The overall objective of BRANCHES was to foster knowledge transfer and innovation in rural areas (agriculture and forestry), enhancing the viability and competitiveness of biomass, supply chains and promoting innovative technologies, rural bioeconomy solutions and sustainable agricultural and forest management. The Practice Abstract presents the story of the Pellerei farm in Italy that was established back in the early 1900s as a dairy and cattle farming and then in the 1980s moved to corn and cereals. In 2006, Pellerei developed their traditional logging business into the specialised production of woodchips to meet the growing demand for this new product. They soon realized that the potential of the local woodland far exceeded the diminutive local demand and that the profits accrued from selling raw fuel were very small compared with those they may have obtained from selling energy directly to the final user. Furthermore, as their skill and industrial capacity improved, so did the distance they had to cover to reach suitable buyers, leading to increased transportation costs that eroded profit.
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An infographic providing a compact overview on Polish company approach to recycle organic waste and by-products.
This factsheet explores how managing forests to be used as spiritual forests and forest kindergartens could benefit both the forest and the forest owner. The core impact of the case study is to raise awareness of the importance of cultural ecosystem services and to motivate forest actors to manage forests appropriately.
This innovation case is strengthening the link between forests and water with the overall aim of diversifying financing sources for forest management by integrating ecosystem service provision into the economic balance sheet. Work includes integration in the Urban Masterplan for the Rialb Reservoir where different local stakeholders (economic, tourism, water and others) are already working together. The aim is for written recognition in a legal document of the role of forestry in water and landscape conservation, and the recognition of forestry as a potentially relevant economic activity in the area that can be promoted along with tourism. The innovation action also works with the public Segre-Rialb Consortium to assess the suitability of a payment for ecosystem services scheme in relation to water in the area.