Driving climate mitigation and rural economic development in Thailand through sustainable wood construction

The Wood Solution Thailand Program's engagement phase (March–June 2026) seeks to transition Thailand's building sector from concrete to sustainable timber to reduce emissions and support rural development. The initiative, a partnership between the Stockholm Environment Institute, the Eco-Innovation Foundation, and the Thailand and Nordic countries Innovation Unit, focuses on five workstreams: conducting a value chain feasibility study, supporting pioneer pilot initiatives, creating a support platform for international experts, hosting a vision event in Bangkok, and developing funding partnerships. The program intends to link cities to local forests, utilizing plantations, agroforestry, and managed secondary forests to create permanent carbon sinks and improve rural livelihoods.

• The program proposes a 'wood solution' where cities transition from concrete to wood to become "permanent carbon sinks," while economic incentives for replanting ensure long-term carbon storage in landscapes.
• The future timber construction value chain in Thailand is envisioned to source materials from "plantations, agroforestry systems and well managed secondary forests" to restore biodiversity and ecosystem services.
• The engagement phase includes a specific workstream to assemble a support platform consisting of at least 10 technology providers and at least eight Swedish or international value-chain experts interested in the Thai market.
• The initiative's roadmap study will include a comprehensive assessment of Thailand's timber construction value chain, resource mapping, and the testing of Thai wood species for construction use.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2026). Driving climate mitigation and rural economic development in Thailand through sustainable wood construction. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260508a-gill-piman-wood-solutions-thailand-8may.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Driving climate mitigation and rural economic development in Thailand through sustainable wood construction. 2026. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260508a-gill-piman-wood-solutions-thailand-8may.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Driving climate mitigation and rural economic development in Thailand through sustainable wood construction |date=May 2026 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260508a-gill-piman-wood-solutions-thailand-8may.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2026driving, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Driving climate mitigation and rural economic development in Thailand through sustainable wood construction}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260508a-gill-piman-wood-solutions-thailand-8may.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }