Formosa Forest Forever 與林共生

The Story of Resource Maximization in Thinned Wood

A forestry policy implemented in 1990 created a significant crisis in Taiwan's forest management and development. Long-term inadequate management led to poor tree growth, while thinned wood—originally intended as an economic output in forest management—was treated as waste due to its low utilization rate. Consequently, timber harvested from plantations at 1,800 meters altitude was left to decay.

CHUNLYN, which had previously relied on imported timber, recognized this situation as an opportunity to discover new industrial value in local thinned wood. In 2015, the company began utilizing locally thinned wood to produce its eco-friendly building material: DIACRETE®wood wool slabs series, offering solutions for thermal insulation, acoustic solutions, and comfort in construction.

To maximize resource utilization, CHUNLYN has developed three main product lines from various grades of thinned wood: forest products, green building materials, and circular materials. These serve as comprehensive solutions for soil health management, low-carbon construction methods, and building materials with low embodied carbon. The ultimate goal is to achieve corporate carbon neutrality.

Medium to large-diameter-thinned wood produces DIACRETE®, a green building material featuring thermal insulation, sound absorption, and fire resistance properties. Through our unique bio-mimetic mineralization technology, naturally flammable wood is transformed into a fire-resistant material without the use of chemical agents.

Small—to medium-diameter-thinned wood is processed into forest products under the brand name mini®. The main products include wood chips and wood wool. Wood chips are soil moisture retention and humus formation agents, promoting micro-ecology. They are primarily applied in gardening and soil health enhancement as a mulching material. Wood wool, a highly compatible and biodegradable natural material, is a cushioning material that replaces excessive plastic packaging. It finds its main applications in the agricultural and packaging industries.

Production residuals have been redeveloped under the brand name DiaX™. After processing into various particle sizes, it serves as lightweight aggregate, primarily used as a substitute for mineral inorganic fillers, reducing the need for natural resource extraction.

All raw materials and products are traceable. Local thinned wood is sourced from FSC-certified forests, and origin certificates prove its legality. DIACRETE® has obtained green building material certifications in Taiwan and Singapore. Both DIACRETE® and DiaX™ are currently undergoing Cradle to Cradle certification.

For profit, the ability to generate sustainable consumption through products and services is a crucial driving force for maintaining this vision. CHUNLYN has been manufacturing DIACRETE®, a green building material using local thinned wood, for seven years since 2017. Our forest product line, mini®, launched in 2022, provides soil health management products and services, while our circular material DiaX®, also introduced in 2022, focuses on low embodied carbon solutions for buildings.

For our planet and environment, proper forest economic activities maintain forests in a healthy metabolic system, creating positive and lasting impacts on environmental ecology, soil and water conservation, climate regulation, and carbon storage. This strengthens the forest's operational system, generating a positive feedback loop. As trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air to grow, thinned wood—a product of forest metabolism during cultivation and management—becomes a natural resource bestowed upon humanity. Through value-added utilization of thinned wood, we can preserve the absorbed carbon dioxide within products, thereby extending their carbon sequestration function for the benefit of our planet and environment.

From a circular economy perspective for people,CHUNLYN has redefined the raw material value of thinned wood. Through hierarchical utilization and eco-innovative approaches, we maximize resource productivity to create products that meet market demands and customer needs, generating sustainable sales that translate into economic activities. When thinned wood is no longer viewed as low-value waste but as a valuable raw material, it enters the ecosystem of commercial activities. For example, since 2017, several stakeholders have benefited from the revitalized economic activities surrounding thinned wood:
(1) Several logging companies that had previously contemplated closure—small enterprises whose families have lived near forestry areas for generations, traditionally depending on government or forest owners' logging contracts for their livelihood.
(2) The emergence of new sales networks: Forest products now provide stable local supply sources and attract like-minded individuals to join, forming a new ecosystem. This has also elevated the significance of more vulnerable stakeholders within the ecosystem.

#Forest Circular Economic #Eco-innovation #Maximum Resource Productivity

www.chunlyn.com.tw
www.diacrete.com.tw
www.miniwoodwool.com.tw

We transform thinned wood—previously considered useless waste—into green building materials that meet national and international standards, enabling our customers to create healthy, safe green buildings and living environments. Thinned wood is timber harvested during forest cultivation and management processes. We maximize the utilization of what the forest doesn't need. We have now incorporated the government's annual thinned wood harvest as a formal raw material source, producing green building materials, forest products, and low-carbon circular materials, establishing a regular and stable sales network.

With the circulation of thinned wood, primary forest economic activities have begun to revitalize. We are delighted and proud to say that by reviving the value of thinned wood, the upstream and downstream forestry practitioners who depend on logging can continue serving nature while sustaining the mountain village economy.

The ongoing thinning activities make crucial contributions to stable forest growth and ecological health. Moreover, the value-added thinned wood products continue to serve their purpose in urban areas, protecting soil and land while promoting ecological health.

We are delighted and excited that our work has drawn increased attention to forest conservation and management activities. Many of Taiwan's forests are located in high-altitude areas, creating unique forest economic activities due to geographical conditions.

Before understanding forest cultivation and management, many people and customers considered tree cutting environmentally unfriendly. This misconception became deeply rooted after a 1990 forestry policy severely limited mountain forest activities and led to scarce forest-related information. Ironically, while Taiwan consumes 6 million cubic meters of timber annually, 98% relies on imports, with only 2% sourced locally.

We continue to make forest activities more accessible to daily life, enabling more Taiwanese to understand forests through user-friendly wood materials. By communicating the environmental benefits of forest economic activities, we gradually establish correct perceptions about forest ecological management.