The use of wood in construction has been promoted due to the renewability, carbon storage potential of wood, and instability of the supply of fossil resources. However, if wood resources (e.g. wood products, second-life wood) were used irresponsibly, the increasing use of wood could hamper the supply of it from the forest to market. One way to tackle this issue is to use wood in an efficient and sustainable manner. Cascading of wood from buildings could contribute to it through prioritizing reuse and recycling of wood from buildings over energy recovery. It also contributes to climate change mitigation by storing carbon in wood building elements for a long period of time. However, reuse and recycling of wood is not currently a common waste management practice. Many reasons range from outdated regulations to financial values hindering the reuse and recycling of wood from buildings. Also, there is not a good understanding of wood that can be reused and recycled. That enables planning for efficient and sustainable material recovery. My doctoral research under the title, ‘Potential cascading of wood from the built environment contributes to the aforementioned research theme. The goal of my doctoral project is to determine the product mixes, time availability, and condition of wood that could be recovered and reused from current buildings. So far, I have had great progress in both theoretical studies and research. I have published my first publication of my doctoral dissertation in a peer-review journal, called Waste Management, and won the best departmental paper award in 2021 in the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems. The ultimate goal of my doctoral project is to determine the product mixes, time availability, and condition of wood that could be recovered and reused from current buildings. The financial support by the Kaute Foundation provides me a great opportunity to continue developing my research under the circular economy and sustainable buildings research themes in collaboration with research experts at NTNU university.

2022