Sustainable characteristics of wood construction and benefits for people’s health: some of the topics addressed in the CMPC – UC Chair

The second gathering of a project promoted by CMPC together with the Catholic University included an exhibition of projects from different faculties and study centers that work on research related to the forestry industry, biodiversity and sustainability.

The second workshop of the Chair of Biodiversity and Sustainable Development was held jointly by the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and CMPC using a hybrid modality at the Superior Council Room in the main building. The initiative promotes research, training and scientific dissemination to effect positive growth around biodiversity matters.

This second meeting presented the conclusions of the one held in May of this year, wherein the company’s main sustainability-related challenges were identified. During the opening session, academics from the Catholic University and various research centers presented projects that they have carried out in which synergies with the challenges that CMPC is facing may be achievable.  

One of the presented research projects aimed to evaluate the colonization of microorganisms on wooden surfaces and those of other materials, ventilation methods and environmental characteristics as determinants of people’s health and well-being conditions at home. This is Torre Experimental Peñuelas, in the Valparaíso Region. Along with discussing the sustainability of this material, Director of Research and Postgraduate Studies at the School of Architecture in this educational institution Magdalena Vicuña described the results that are expected from this initiative. She said they seek to obtain data on the diversity and abundance of microorganisms, in wood and other materials with different ventilation methods and environmental conditions to determine their influence on wood preservation and the risk of pathogenic microorganism growth.  Director of the Department of Ecosystems and Environment of the School of Agronomy and Forest Engineering Horacio Gilabert presented different areas of research related to the CMPC-UC Chair, as well as projects focused on forest health, plantations, ecological intensification, and others.  

Outreach Director at the Center for Applied Ecology and Sustainability – CAPES UC Francisca Boher presented research papers from the Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability that involved issues associated with pine plantations, native forest and vegetation, among other topics.  

Lastly, Deputy Director of Applied Research at the UC Center for Public Policies [CPP UC] Cristian Crespo made a presentation in which he explained how his organization can contribute to the Chair through the way in which it functions as well as projects that may be of interest in areas of rural development, culture, and childhood and education.

The meeting was also attended by the Prorector of UC Institutional Management Patricio Donoso, CMPC Companies Chairman Francisco Ruiz-Tagle, Director of the CMPC-UC Chair Rodrigo Arriagada, paper company Sustainability Manager Nicolás Gordon, and the Coordinator of the Forest Sustainability Line of the Center for Innovation in Wood María Paulina Fernández, and other academics and experts in forestry, architecture, natural resource management and sustainability.  

Francisco Ruiz-Tagle positively appraised the future work that can now take place after this second meeting. “I think this Chair is a necessity for a developing industry marked by many challenges. The remarkable thing is the number of projects that were shown here from different professors and research centers, which I found to be quite motivating. I think we will be able to ally with many of the studies carried out by the university. I also think that CMPC will be a great contribution to the research carried out here, especially in terms of wood, forestry and cellulose.”

Rodrigo Arriagada pointed out that, “Under a scenario wherein the socio-environmental problems that the world is facing are growing increasingly complex, the solutions must necessarily also be complex. Therefore, this complexity is obtained precisely by bringing together the visions of the private and public world, so that the actions taken are always synergistic. There must be a correlation between both sectors, what they can do, and especially regarding the private sector, which is called upon to play a central role. Public-private partnerships are needed in order to comprehensively respond to the problems at hand, meeting the needs of all the sectors involved.”  

Another gathering is planned for the end of 2022, and the CMPC-UC Chair of Biodiversity and Sustainable Development should be extended for the next 10 years. Both the company and the educational institution will continue promoting the education of students and collaborators, creating places for community outreach on sustainability issues and promoting joint work between academia and the forestry industry.