On 5 February 2026, the Regione Piemonte hosted the first Focus Lab organized within the framework of the European project DIVERSE at its headquarters in Torino. The event brought together 39 key stakeholders, including institutions, supply-chain operators, forest managers, and environmental experts, to initiate a structured regional dialogue on the sustainable use of woody biomass. This meeting served as a strategic milestone, designed to accompany regional policy reflection with robust data and inclusive stakeholder engagement.
The session was opened by the Director of the Sustainable Energy Department of Regione Piemonte, who framed the discussion within the broader evolution of European and national bioenergy frameworks. The introduction highlighted that while woody biomass remains a vital component of the regional renewable energy mix, its use must be balanced against critical environmental, climatic, and ecological dimensions. Particular emphasis was placed on the risk of imbalance between demand and locally sustainable supply. To address this, the discourse underlined that regional strategy cannot rely solely on increasing production but must prioritize the cascade use principle, energy efficiency in end-use systems, and the systematic analysis of sourcing strategies, including the role of imports.
To establish a shared evidence base, the first part of the Focus Lab featured three impulse presentations detailing the potential supply from forests and agricultural residues, current and projected energy demand across residential and district heating systems, and a synthetic balance identifying emerging pressures and future scenarios. This data-driven overview proved essential in grounding the subsequent debate and avoiding abstract or sector-specific perspectives.
Following the presentations, participants engaged in a constructive discussion across three thematic working tables dedicated to forest production and sustainable management, supply chains and logistics, and energy technologies and efficiency. These sessions allowed stakeholders to explore concrete matchmaking strategies and emphasize the importance of policy coherence and stable regulatory frameworks. The insights collected will now be further enriched through additional interviews before being consolidated during a second Focus Lab scheduled for 4 March 2026, which will support the definition of shared pathways and policy-relevant conclusions for the sustainable use of woody biomass in Piemonte.