CIRAD (Centre de coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement) is France’s agronomic research and international cooperation organisation for the sustainable development of tropical and Mediterranean regions.
Through its research, development, training and technology transfer efforts, the Timber team of CIRAD’s BioWooEB Research Unit (37 agents) supports the operators of the tropical timber sectors - artisanal units, small and medium-sized companies, industrial players - by providing them with improved knowledge of timber and its derivative products, mastery of appropriate technological processes and a better understanding of the requirements of local, national and international markets.
The interventions of its team are based on its varied and complementary skills, which enable them to provide a broad range of technical and scientific expertise: knowledge of tropical timber, processing methods (sharpening, sawing, drying, secondary processing and finishing) and market introduction (sectoral economy and resource allocation).
In particular, the team conducts such actions as: