The main objective of the new project is to reduce costs and improve traceability and efficiency in the wood supply chain
Thanks to the initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Spain, a supranational group called ChainWood was formed in that country. According to the official information, the group will apply the advantages of blockchain technology in the Spanish forestry sector.
The official website of the project explains that they will develop software in the cloud that will apply blockchain, in addition to sensory, big data and machine learning to the supply chain of wood in Spain, with the aim to reduce costs and improve its traceability and efficiency.
The Technological Corporation of Andalusia (CTA) participates in the ChainWood operating group. Its objective is to add capacities of the timber and forestry sector, with the help of companies and technology centers to develop the software that will apply blockchain technology to the wood supply chain in Spain.
According to a recent publication, the main objective of the development is to reduce costs by applying blockchain technology along the wood supply chain. In this way, blockchain would be used from the forest to the industry to improve the efficiency and traceability, in order to follow up all the stages of the process.
The aim of ChainWood is to solve some of the limitations presented by the different supply chains of wood in Spain. One of the stages that seeks to improve is the segment of the supply chain between the forest and the industry of first transformation.
Three Pilot Experiences
To fulfill this goal and observe the possible results, it is expected that once the software is developed, three pilot experiences will be conducted in Castilla León (poplar), Asturias (chestnut) and Galicia (oak).
The official article specifies: “ChainWood is a supranational operative group, created with funding from the call for operating groups of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, with a subsidy of 93,530 euros co-financed by 80% with EAFRD Funds, applied through the General Directorate of Rural Development and Forest Policy, and 20 percent by the General State Administration”.
Currently, the group is working on the design and drafting of the innovation project, which will subsequently be eligible for funding for its execution through a second call for the program. This is possible because the Ministry of Agriculture managed to gather collaborations and take the first step after a first call.
The ChainWood group brings together eight partners from Andalusia, Galicia, the Community of Madrid, Castilla León and Asturias, among which are from forest associations to technological centers specialized in wood, as well as companies of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and companies in the processing industry.
ChainWood has the subcontracting of Indra Sistemas, a Spanish multinational company that offers consulting services on transport, energy, telecommunications, services to the public sector and others. Also, it has the support of the Finnish company Risutec, specialized in machinery for forestry exploitation, in order to fulfill the objectives of managing forest work with care and efficiency.
By María Rodríguez
