The FUSION research group at the University of Galway would be interested to participate as partners for TOPIC 3 or TOPIC 4. The main research domain where we could contribute knowledge, expertise and models is in the assessment of the sustainability and resilience of future forest-based value chains accounting for:

1. Changes in forest resource productivity and product quality due to changes in forest management practices and disturbance events due to climate change e.g. windthrow, fire, invasive species and pests.
2. Downstream harvested wood product prioritisation and innovation to meet climate mitigation, circularity, biodiversity and rural economic resilience policy objectives.
3. Wood product End-of-Life and next system benefits via reuse, recycling, and BECCS based on cascading wood use and substitution effects.

The FUSION research group has considerable experience in foresight scenario analysis and prospective life cycle assessment for forests and (cascading) wood value chains. We would be interested in partnership with other research groups involved in national forest carbon budget model (e.g. CBM-CFS3) modelling, and/or harvested wood product modelling (e.g. using the Abstract Network Simulation Engine (ANSE) from Natural Resources Canada). Additionally, we would be interested in collaborating with groups focussed on other dimensions of forest management, such as ecology or economic optimisation. We are particularly interested in investigating cascading use and GHG substitution effects of wood products, especially under different (decarbonising, economically uncertain) future contexts linked with Shared Socioeconomic Pathway narratives – and have developed prospective life cycle assessment frameworks to do this. The group can apply existing models to new situations, and develop new decision support tools. We are also well placed to (co-)design scenarios and screen for resilience under uncertain futures.

The FUSION (FUture Sustainable economy Integrated mOdelling Network) research group at the University of Galway is an interdisciplinary team that brings together economists, ecologists, social scientists, and quantitative system modelers to develop integrated modelling insights and tools in the sustainability science field, with a focus on climate change mitigation, land use change, and bioeconomy policy perspectives. The research team is leading several national research projects such as BIO-INSIGHT (BIOeconomy INdicators for foreSIGHT) - which evaluates the sustainability of production systems that utilise biological resources in a cascading and circular way to maximise value – and FORESIGHT – which explores sustainable and resilient future land use scenarios for Ireland under uncertain futures. The research team also has active participation with international research networks such as the International Energy Agency (IEA) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
See more about FUSION research group here: https://fusion-research.eu/pages/about-fusion.html#about-fusion