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WSE 2026 conference
The 22nd Annual Meeting of the Northern European Network for Wood Science and Engineering (WSE 2026) will be held on September 15-16, 2026 in Riga, Latvia. It will be organized by the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry and co-organized by the Riga Technical University.
In conjunction with the WSE 2026 conference, a training school for students and early career researchers will be available one day prior to the conference on the September 14th, 2026 in Riga. It will be organized together with Latvian State Forest Research Institute "Silava".
Conferences organized by the WSE network are annual with the aim of promoting the professional development of early career researchers and establishing contacts between research groups working on wood science and engineering.
To express interest in supporting the WSE 2026 conference or for any other questions, please, contact the organisers by e-mail wse2026@kki.lv.
The main theme of the WSE 2026 conference is:
“The life of wood in an ever-changing world”
The focus is on how we can adapt the growth, the use, and the end-of-life of wood to be prepared, to manage, and to mitigate the challenges and unpredictable events introduced by climate change. The initial stages of “life” can affect the characteristics (strength, structure, interaction with moisture quality, etc.) of wood, but in the later stages we have to adapt to them or even change them to obtain desired properties (bio-durability, surface properties, moisture resistance, etc.), which can meet the current and future service conditions. The final stages of "life" should not come early. It is crucial that, at this point, the wood is managed according to the principles of the circular bioeconomy (reuse, recycling, etc.). However, challenges persist because the wood has accumulated "contributions" from all previous stages of its "life". In light of the challenges introduced by climate change, the three main topics of the WSE 2026 conference will be:
Growth of wood – The climate-induced problems in the forests and their effect on wood technology: adaptation of forest management practices to the unpredictable climate change challenges (floods, wildfires, storms, insects, etc.), wood properties of resilient species and new species in the region, dataintensive methods, biodiversity protection, and wood resources.
Use of wood – Changes in wood properties and use patterns due to climate change: adapting the use of wood to the new conditions (extreme weather, flood, wind) in everyday lives, water and moisture resistance, wood biodurability (fungi and insects) and protection, wood as a sustainable alternative to other materials for climate change mitigation, wood in construction, biorefinery products, durable and long-lasting wood products, maintenance, weathering resistance and coatings.
End-of-life of wood – R-strategies (reuse, recycle, etc.) for a circular economy, resource efficiency, design for disassembly concept, service life, carbon storage, reclaimed wood, wood waste management LCA.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The conference is focused on wood science and engineering, therefore your contribution must include clear connection with wood as a material.
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