The Sust Forest project developed between 2010 and 2013 laid the foundations for a common strategy for European natural resin, and the current SustForest Plus, which will be developed from 2018 to 2021, will be available under the same website www.sust-forest. eu
The project SustForest Plus SOE2/P5/E0598 "Strategy and collaborative networks for multifunctionality, conservation and employment in Southern Europe through the extraction of resin" is developed from 2018 to 2021, is co-financed by the Interreg Sudoe Program through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union and aims to improve the joint management methods of natural resin sources in the Sudoe territory as a strategic and preferential resource for the industry, job creation and the rational use of natural resources.
Sust Forest Plus is an initiative promoted by the main agents of the value chain of natural resin of Spain, France and Portugal to boost the economic activity of the sector with three objectives:
The beneficiary partners of the project are the following entities: Fundación Centro de Servicios y Promoción Forestal y de su Industria de Castilla y León (Cesefor), Centre Nacional de la Propriété Forestière (CNPF), European Forest Institute (EFI), Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV), Municipio de Penela, Municipio de Proença-a-Nova y Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM).
The project has also been supported by other entities related to the sector of natural resins and belonging to the SUDOE territory (Tunisia, Greece and Italy) that participate as associate partners of the project, which are: Asociación Nacional de Resineros (ANR), Associação das Indústrias de Madeira e Mobiliário de Portugal (AIMMP), Associação Florestal do Vale do Douro Norte (Aflorodounorte), Certis – Controlo e Certificação, Lda., Decentraliced Administration of Epirus-Western Macedonia, Diputación Provincial de Soria, Essência Química – Resinas e Derivados, Eurorègion Nouvelle Aquitaine-Euskadi-Navarre, Federación de Asociaciones Forestales de Castilla y León (FAFCYLE), Groupement de Producteurs Forestiers du sud Gironde (CPFA), Holiste Laboratoires et Developpement, Industrial Resinera Valcan, S. A. (IRV), Instituto de Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas (ICNF), National Institute for Research in Rural Engineering Water and Forestry (INRGREF), Junta de Castilla y León, Luresa Resinas, S. L., Pôle de compétitivité Xylofutur, Quercus - Associação Nacional de Conservação da Natureza, Resipinus - Associação de Destiladores e Exploradores de Resina, Rincón de la Vega S.A.L., Sociedad de Resinas Naturales, S.A., Unione Di Comuni Valdarno E Valdisieve y United Ressins – Produção de Resinas S.A.
Background
After the crisis suffered since the mid-twentieth century, which led to the disappearance of the sector of European natural resins extraction, it was evident that the European natural resin was competing with extra-community sources, more efficient in wages and productive capacity.
After a period of stagnation, contacts were made between institutions and companies in Spain, France and Portugal in the middle of the past decade, which resulted in collaboration through the transnational project Sust Forest (2010 - 2013). The II International Symposium on Natural Resins (2013) held within the framework of Sust Forest, laid the foundations of the transnational cooperation: defence of prices, improvement of competitiveness, product promotion, R + D + i, common positioning before the European policies forming a common strategy and structure in Europe.
Sust Forest Plus proposes the collaboration in the medium and long term between the three countries (Spain, France and Portugal) based on the sum of efforts through a consensual strategy to work for the common interests of the sector in Europe.
