On March 29th, Changsha successfully held the launch meeting and the first meeting of the National Key Laboratory for Woody Oil Resource Utilization Council. The unveiling ceremony marked the laboratory’s official establishment.

This laboratory is China’s only national key laboratory dedicated to woody oil plants. It was jointly established by the Hunan Academy of Forestry, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, and Northeast Forestry University.

Academician Li Jian from NEFU serves as the Director of the Academic Committee, while Academician Wu Yiqiang is the Director of the Laboratory. Li Shujun, Vice Dean of the College of Materials Science and Engineering at NEFU, acts as the Deputy Director of the Laboratory. Six other academicians, including Jiang Jianchun, Yin Yulong, Zou Xuexiao, Cao Fuliang, Li Peiwu, and Shan Yang, are also members of the Academic Committee. Professor Gao Zhenhua from the College of Materials Science and Engineering at NEFU is the Deputy Director of the Achievement Transformation Department. Meanwhile, Professor Han Shuaiyuan serves as the Deputy Director of the Comprehensive Management Department. The laboratory has established a research team of nearly 300 individuals, including 46 national-level talents.

National key laboratories play a crucial role in strengthening the national innovation system and have the critical mission of enhancing independent innovation capabilities. The National Key Laboratory for Woody Oil Resource Utilization focuses on national strategic needs related to oil security, the “Healthy China” initiative, and rural revitalization. It addresses significant scientific questions regarding the fundamental material properties of woody oil resources and their green, controllable transformation to cultivate national strategic scientific and technological strength in woody oil plants.

In the future, the laboratory will address key technologies for efficiently utilizing all woody oil plant resources. It aims to establish a comprehensive technology chain that includes “germplasm creation - green processing - biorefinery - high-value transformation.” This strategy will tackle bottlenecks like the low utilization rates of woody oil resources, outdated processing technologies, and the minimal added value of products. The objective is to create a world-class innovation and industrial chain for woody oil plants, facilitating the industry's transition from an “extensive” model to a “high-value” one and promoting the high-quality development of China's woody oil plant industry.

During the meeting, the “Charter of the National Key Laboratory for Woody Oil Resource Utilization” and the “Five-Year Plan (2025-2029) for the National Key Laboratory for Woody Oil Resource Utilization” were reviewed and approved.

The leaders of the 13 teams from NEFU involved in the laboratory’s work presented detailed reports at the Academic Seminar on Woody Oil Resource Utilization, held on March 30th.

Yu Haipeng, a member of the Standing Committee of the University Party Committee and Vice President of NEFU, delivered a speech on the laboratory’s five-year plan. He stated that NEFU will utilize its technical, resource, and talent advantages to establish a strategic highland for research in China’s woody oil plant sector.