The Transform Agenda – Agenda for the digital transformation of forest value chains, which brings together 59 stakeholders in the forest value chain, is one of 18 mobilising agendas and green agendas with the Government signed a funding contract in mid-September under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP).

In general, according to the Government, the entities representing these Mobilisation Agendas and Green Agendas for Business Innovation will “generate 9077 jobs, 6230 of which will be highly qualified”.

On the agenda is an associated investment of 1.3 billion euros in areas as diverse as health, automotive, aeronautics and space, economy of the sea or additive manufacturing. All investments foreseen in these mobilising agendas have to be concluded and with results achieved by the end of 2025.

In the forest area, ForestWISE is the technical-scientific coordinator of Agenda Transform – agenda for the digital transformation of forest value chains into a more resilient and low-carbon Portuguese economy. It brings together 59 entities from the entire forestry value chain, from forest producers, companies, territorial management entities and universities and research centres.

Interviewed by “Vida Económica”, Alexandra Marques, member of the coordination team of Agenda Transform, does not hide her enthusiasm. “Yes, we are very motivated and committed to this Agenda”, which, she says, “fits fully into the mission of our coLAB concerning the co-generation and transfer of knowledge and technology on integrated forest and fire management”.

The Transform Agenda, Alexandra Marques reinforces, “is a truly mobilising effort and has the potential to transform of the national forestry sector”.

She guarantees that the consortium, led by Altri and with scientific coordination by ForestWISE, is “very strong”, and the projects that make up the Agenda were “prepared with the sector’s agents, to respond to real needs”.

This is “an ambitious and unprecedented collaborative effort in our country”, says Alexandra Marques. The next steps are the “mobilisation of multidisciplinary teams” for the implementation of the Agenda’s projects”, being, at this stage, “finalising the procedures for management and monitoring of the work and structuring the project’s communication component”.

For the coLAB ForestWISE’s coordinators, “forests and the forestry sector are driving forces for reindustrialisation and socio-economic development, supported by the sustainable use of natural resources and the mitigation of climate change impacts”. And this Transform Agenda that is now being formalised “drives structural and urgent transformations for an effective response to current societal challenges”, such as digitalisation and carbon neutrality.

All the entities in the forestry value chains are represented, namely forestry producers – represented by their federations Forestis and UNAC, forest certification groups – represented by 2BForest, plant producers and providers of forestry operations – represented by ANEFA and Florecha, Forestry industries – Navigator, Altri, Sonae Arauco Portugal, energy companies – REN and E-REDES, pinewood, chestnut, honey and other non-wood products – represented by Unimadeiras, the market and consumers – such as IKEA and Natura XXI and the public sector – represented by ICNF and DGT.

Vida Económica