Tour de Ski and the woodworking school of the Enaip Professional Training Center in Tesero restore dignity and value to the spruce tree attacked by the bark beetle, launching the Blue Fiemme line.

Tour de Ski and the woodworking school of the Enaip Professional Training Center in Tesero restore dignity and value to the spruce tree attacked by the bark beetle, launching the Blue Fiemme line. The spruce, affected by the fungus carried by the bark beetle, could become a trendy wood for furniture and design, taking advantage of the international stage offered by the Tour de Ski, which on 6th and 7th January 2024 will bring many broadcasters and journalists to Val di Fiemme. The Professional Training Center is using bark spruce to produce tables, cutting boards and counter coverings for the VIP Hospitality Fiemme Lounge areas of the World Cups organized by Nordic Ski Val di Fiemme. The collaboration between Enaip and the Tour de Ski aims to offer a second opportunity to the numerous spruce trees defeated by the bark beetle in the woods of Val di Fiemme and in other areas of Trentino, so that their wood is no longer devalued and depreciated. “It is a resistant wood - specifies Giada Mearns, xylology and wood technology teacher and coordinator of the wood sector of the Enaip Trentino Professional Center - The bark beetle does not tunnel into the wood, but only under the bark. Neither the bark beetle, nor the fungus, which left its traces of color before disappearing, have compromised the quality of the wood. It is a fungus of the Ceratocystis genus which does not chemically attack the walls of the wood. The wood therefore maintains its physical and mechanical characteristics. In fact, European legislation, which regulates wood for structural use, allows the use of wood affected by bark beetle, without limitations. The discoloration is limited only to the external part of the stem, in the sapwood, and these grey-blue shades, typical of the wood attacked by the bark beetle, make it unique and unrepeatable".

The Blue Line project is carried out by the third class of the institute, with the coordination of Professor Roberto Boninsegna. Enaip was the first PEFC certified professional training center in the world and its current use of bark wood is part of the Solidarity Supply Chain.

The Nordic Ski Organizing Committee enthusiastically welcomed the idea of Enaip which can promote the blued wood of Fiemme through these new furnishings which will debut this January. Now we just have to wait for the final stages of the Tour de Ski 2024: every moment of refreshment and relax will be an opportunity to appreciate nuances of taste at zero kilometers and nuances of sustainable design, offered by the students of the Wood School, but also of the Catering School. In fact, the collaboration between Nordic Ski and the CFP Enaip of Tesero was established many years ago and is strengthened annually with the presence of many students of the institute during the World Championships and World Cup events. The students give their support at the Catering & Hospitality teams of Nordic Ski and in the management and service of the VIP Hospitality areas. Furthermore, the CFP Enaip headquarters in Tesero have hosted for some years the Official Welcome Dinner of the World Cup races, where the guests of the Nordic Ski Committee, including FIS technicians and representatives of the international media, can enjoy the good Trentino food and the refined service offered by the Catering School.

@Beatrice Calamari