LIFE HAYA: we’re showcasing a unique species that helps us to build, decorate and protect the environment
Companies that make a living from forests are more interested in protecting and preserving them. The LIFE HAYA project is the joint effort to mitigate the effects of climate change by finding out more about beech forests and learning to make even more sustainable use of their excellent wood.
Grupo Gámiz began in a forest. It was in 1942, in Kanpezu, the heart of the Alava mountains. Since then, quality sawn wood has been the driving force for the successive generations that have led our company.
Today, Grupo Gámiz, the humble dream of five siblings, is, among other things, the top world manufacturer of hardwood glulams.
This would not have been possible if we hadn’t been concerned about protecting our forests all this time. To the extent that today, in a world threatened by environmental disasters and climate change, the companies that make a living from wood dedicate a large part of our resources to innovation, with the aim of manufacturing sustainable materials, bringing our processes closer to the circular economy and, like the project we’re presenting today, making a commitment to forestry models with as little intervention as possible.
The LIFE HAYA project: Hardwood for the Home. Building with beech
The LIFE HAYA project aims to help Spanish beech forests combat climate change using forestry methods that better respect nature (Close to Nature Forestry).
The idea is to help these forests better adapt to climate change and increase the variety of plants and animals that live there. In four regions of Spain, the project will demonstrate how to do this in 10 different areas.
In addition, 250 tonnes of wood from these forests will be used to make innovative products and construct an ecological building called the “Hayabitat”, which will be designed to be highly efficient and respectful of the environment, following strict sustainable construction standards (PEFC and Passivhaus).
Project goals
At Grupo Gámiz we’ve been working on this project since 1 September 2023. Alongside the other participating entities, we’ll be undertaking different actions until August 2028.
Over these five years we’ll try to meet the following main objectives:
1. Better understand beech forests:
We want to find out more about how beech forests grow and change, their current situation, the variety of life they host, the problems they face and how they help absorb the carbon dioxide from the air.
2. Test new forestry methods:
We’re going to use techniques that better respect the natural surroundings (Close to Nature Forestry). If the results are good, we could use these methods in more forests in northern Spain.
3. Create a new way of using wood:
We seek to innovate in how we use the wood from beech forests for construction, making products that store carbon for longer, such as glulams and special boards.
4. Improve the use of knowledge and technology for beech forests:
We want to ensure we’re using everything we know about beech forests and beech timber to make the industry more competitive from the forest to the factory.
5. Construct an illustrative building:
We’re going to construct a pilot building using the new wood products we develop. We hope this building will be an example and source of inspiration for architects and engineers.
6. Evaluate how beech forests can combat climate change:
We’ll analyse how much carbon the beech forests managed using these new techniques can absorb in different conditions, to really see how much they can help against climate change.
Union builds sustainability: who is participating in LIFE HAYA?
LIFE HAYA is funded by the EC through the 2023 edition of the LIFE Programme with grant agreement no. 101114227.
This project has brought together various companies and organisations concerned about our forests and the environment. At Grupo Gámiz we’re proud to participate in this project, alongside Cesefor, Egoin, Hazi, iTec, Nasuvinsa, PEFC and Tecnalia.
If you’d like more information on LIFE HAYA, consult the website https://lifehaya.pefc.es/. To contact the project team, click on this link.
And if you’d like to be kept up to date with what we’re doing, you can follow LIFE HAYA news on LinkedIn or X.
At Grupo Gámiz we protect forests every day
This is one of the various projects we’re participating in, because at Grupo Gámiz we’ve always been sure that only with action and innovation will we make a more sustainable world.
We act every day, bringing maximum energy efficiency to our processes at our Kanpezu factory.
The process results in primary and secondary processed wood products of maximum quality, efficiency and sustainability.
Products that are ideal for the development of industrial enterprises that use wood with a sustainable view of life.
Follow this link to find out more.
