Pro-Populus: an international organization for the promotion of poplar cultivation

One of the most important activities of poplar promotion and environmental protection has officially begun with the first General Meeting held in Santiago de Compostela on 26 June 2009.  Pro-Populus is a new organization which includes Panguaneta, through the Italian Poplar-Growers' Association, together with other European partners. The International Poplar Commission (ICP), a body of the Rome-based UN agency Food and Agriculture Organization, has been one of the first interlocutor of Pro-Populus (IPC activity is mainly based on the experiences acquired in Europe).

Pro-Populus commitment will focus on several national working tables aimed at elaborating local strategic plans to promote poplar cultivation and supply chains. The organization will carry out also an important work of awakening at all institutional levels (from FAO to EC), in order to promote poplar as a strategic raw material in any sustainable development policy. For this purpose, particular attention has been paid to research, the intervention in European technology platforms and more frequent information exchanges with body members.

The founder members of Pro-Populus are:

• Associazione Pioppicoltori Italiani, Milan, Italy
• Centre de populiculture du Hainaut, Ath, Belgium
• Chambre Syndicale du Peuplier de France, Paris, France
• FEDEMAR, Galerie du Centre, Bloc I, Brussels, Belgium
• Fédération nationale des Scieries, Brussels, Belgium
• Federlegno-Arredo, Milan, Italy
• Unie Vlaamse Bosbouw vzw, Gooik, Belgium
• Garnica Pedro Ortiz, Spain

The presence of Panguaneta in the association is particularly prominent: indeed, Nicoletta Azzi, the company Administration Manager, sits on the CEO of the organization.

Technology platforms

The European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois), the Confederation of European Forest Owners (CEPF) and the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) have prepared a project to create a Technology Platform for the forest sector (FTP). FTP is a project supported by the industry that contributes to define the sector of Research & Development for the future of the supply chain. Seven priority researches have been included in the FTP Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) to finally reach the “Vision 2030" of the forest industry. Technology platforms are the main “channels” used to give specific inputs to work programmes and promote cooperation within the European Commission. Besides EFORWOOD, a European consortium research project related to the sustainability of the forest industry, it is possible to highlight the activities of COST (European Co-operation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research), fund by the EC, involving the scientific and academic world and several industrial partners.