The farming landscape of the Province of Cuneo in the early 1800s had vast areas of chestnut trees bordering on cultivated land that represented the majority of high-growing trees.

Life sciences, biotechnology and biochemistry for sustainable non-food products and processes: improved crops and forest resources, feed-stocks, marine products and biomass (including marine resources) for energy, environment, and products with high added value such as materials and chemicals (including biological resources utilisable in pharmaceutical industry and medicine), including novel farming systems, bio-processes and bio-refinery concepts; bio-catalysis; new and improved micro-organisms and enzymes; forestry and forest based products and processes; environmental bio-remediation and cleaner bio-processing, the utilisation of agro-industrial wastes and by-pr ...[+++]oducts.

Some countries, particularly the Baltic States, specialise in textiles and wooden products, but the industrial structure of most of these countries has been gradually reoriented towards intermediate or high-tech sectors, thus initiating a process of convergence.

Three funded projects deal with the management of natural spaces: the Inter-Départements Organisation for the control of nuisance mosquito in Mediterranean natural spaces will experiment a new environment friendly treatment in an area of birds protection; the Council of Vaucluse will implement a new Arboretum for the restoration of the usual nature in the Mediterranean environment, and the Forestry Society of Franche-Comté will demonstrate a methodology for the sustainable management of deciduous non-even-aged high forests.

Other issues are research and development, the promulgation of the latest in forestry products and engineered lumber, and, finally, changes to building codes and those buildings which can be constructed out of wood.

Today's engineered lumber with thin veneers of cross-lamination can be used for all parts of framing larger members.