Forests cover nearly 40% of the EU’s land, generating about 80.7 million tonnes of forestry residues annually. These residues, such as small branches, bark, treetops, are rich in fibres, lignin, and bioactive compounds with high-value potential, but only 3% are utilized.

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Their management varies across regions, highlighting the need for site-specific removal thresholds supported by robust ecological assessments, due to a mix of technical, economic, logistical and policy-related barriers. ReTREEaSURE will develop a forestry-specific ecological assessment framework to define sustainable residue removal threshold, deploy a modular, mobile on-site collection and preprocessing system with optimize local logistics strategies to reduce transport costs and emissions, and develop a machine learning-powered valorisation tool to guide forest owners in sustainable biomass harvesting and reforestation.

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ReTREEaSURE will pioneer integrated biorefinery approaches to convert residues into high-value products including PHB/PHBV biopolymers, bioleather, biopigments, bioactive compounds, lignin-based platform chemicals and epoxy, biobased and biodegradable packaging, cloth hangers, and substrates for mushroom cultivation. Five innovative business models are co-developed and validated with relevant industrial partners, aligning valorisation pathways with market needs to ensure economic viability and scalability.

 

ReTREEaSURE will foster inclusive stakeholder engagement by activating regional hubs, dynamic knowledge-sharing platforms, and collaborative multi-actor events that accelerate the uptake of sustainable forestry residual valorisation. By integrating ecological assessments, advanced processing, and market-oriented strategies, the project aims to transform underutilized forestry residues into valuable bio-based materials, supporting a circular bioeconomy, climate resilience, and sustainable forest management across Europe.