Volume 21 Issue 2

Scientific progress has never been driven solely by perfect data or bullet-proof methods. Rather, it has been propelled by imagination—by researchers’ willingness to observe the world and ask, “What if?” Yet, according to my experience, the contemporary research landscape often suggests that speculation is suspicious, simple investigation methods are inadequate, and acceptance of submitted manuscript is reserved for those employ the most elaborate investigation methods, at least in high impact journals. This editorial argues that these trends risk narrowing the boundaries of inquisitiveness and creating even more unequal opportunities based on the financial wealth of individual researchers and institutions. The scientific method is not a ritual of complexity, but rather a disciplined form of curiosity. If we lose sight of this, we may end up optimizing precision at the expense of inspiration.

Bioethanol currently is the most widely used transport biofuel in the world. At present, it is mainly produced from starch-rich grains and sugar cane (the first generation bioethanol fuel). Starch and sugars from existing food materials limit its feedstock supply, and its sustainable production is facing great challenges. Production of bioethanol fuel from the lignocellulosic materials (the second generation bioethanol fuel) has aroused great interest in recent decades because the lignocellulosic materials, such as agricultural and forestry wastes and organic industrial wastes, are abundant, widely available, and inexpensive. However, its large-scale industrial production is still not economically feasible because of high pretreatment and enzyme costs, as well as low ethanol final concentration and yield, based on current technology. Some recent studies indicate that the integration of the first and second generation of bioethanol fuel production can increase the final ethanol concentration and yield, reduce the enzyme and water usage, and effectively improve its process economy. This editorial will give a brief discussion on the integration of the first and second generation of bioethanol fuel production.

Due to societal interest in reducing carbon emissions, transparent wood has attracted increasing attention since 2016. Research on transparent wood composites has become a hot spot in the forest product field. Many challenges and limitations still need to be addressed, involving large-dimensional manufacturing, weak interfacial bonding, difficult three-dimensional tunable, and insufficient optical transmittance. A series of student-led projects is proposed in this editorial to address these barriers. A further goal in transparent wood composite development is to replace single-use plastics (e.g. polyethylene terephthalate food containers). It is proposed to Integrate transparent wood composite research into the education and outreach activities of wood science and forestry university programs.

In lignocellulosic biorefineries, efficiently and cleanly deconstructing the stubborn structure of plant cell walls to achieve component separation remains a research hotspot. Among these, the high-value utilization of lignin is limited by its purity and condensed structure. Traditional pretreatment strategies have predominantly focused on “forceful cell wall disruption,” directly targeting lignin itself for removal or dissolution. However, recent research on two-step sequential biomass deconstruction is guiding us toward a more sophisticated paradigm: the preferential and deep dissolution of hemicellulose can serve as a “switch” that triggers subsequent efficient and selective dissolution of lignin.

Load-bearing timber is usually not reused in a second structural application after its first service life, not due to proven inadequacy, but largely because prevailing standards recognize only first-use material. When buildings are dismantled, the recovered timber is typically routed toward energy recovery, re- or down-cycling, or disposal, while functionally equivalent components for new construction are manufactured from newly harvested logs. The current regulatory framework favors virgin timber, even where reused elements could technically perform the same structural functions. Therefore, one of the primary barriers to structural timber reuse is the absence of codified pathways for qualification, certification, and market acceptance.

Single-use plastic food packaging is a practical, safe, and economical solution to food transportation and conservation. However, there is growing concern about its environmental impact. In Argentina, discussions around sustainability and consumption habits have gained prominence, leading consumers to reconsider and reduce their use of fossil-based plastics in food packaging. However, it remains challenging to determine whether consumer perception reflects conditional acceptance or signals a paradigm shift.

Safety margins have long been a cornerstone of corrugated board packaging design, serving as a practical buffer against uncertainty in material properties, loading conditions, and environmental exposure. Traditionally, these margins have been expressed as single conservative factors derived from standardized laboratory tests and simplified analytical models. While effective in ensuring robustness, such an approach increasingly reveals its limitations. Modern logistics systems are characterized by strong variability, time-dependent effects, and growing pressure to reduce material consumption. This work argues that classical safety margins should be reconsidered not as fixed scalar values, but as dynamic, context-dependent constructs. A conceptual shift is proposed, moving from static safety factors toward a multidimensional safety landscape that reflects the combined influence of climate, time, geometry, and logistics-specific loading scenarios. Emerging tools in numerical modeling, sensing technologies, and data-driven analysis provide the foundation for this transition. The paper outlines the implications of such reframing for sustainable packaging design and highlights how a more nuanced understanding of safety margins can simultaneously improve reliability and reduce material overdesign.

Wood was a principal source material used in the making of sacred statuary in Brazil during the 16^th and 19^th centuries. Artisans used timber in the sacred carpentry based on the singular properties of the wood and the locally available forestry bioresources.  The present study aimed to evaluate the wood species used in sacred statuary and to show how some wood properties relate to this carpentry. Based on original data and specialized literature, the results demonstrate the use of 17 preferred wood species, with Cedrela sp. (Meliaceae) as the most notable. This wood species presents low density, texture, and secondary metabolites that facilitate manual work and protect against xylophagous attack. Additionally, the sweet odor of this wood symbolizes sacred knowledge. Hence it can be concluded that cedar is a historically important wood for the making of sacred statuary in all Brazilian regions.

Postage stamps can reveal the communication between different fields of knowledge, transforming elements of nature into emblems for the representation of biodiversity, economic resources, national identity, and the cultural identity of countries. Brazilian philatelic issues that represent timber species express the dialogue between forest resources and the bioeconomy. The historical relationship between man, his territory, and the use of forest resources is established through visual records of the management, use, and valorization of Brazilian timbers over time. This editorial seeks to demonstrate how postage stamps become instruments for publicizing the country’s timber potential and how they disseminate knowledge about the diversity of species of economic interest.

Historical timbers constitute bio-resources that faithfully attest to ancestral knowledge concerning forests and the evolution of technological and cultural understanding associated with the use of wood. Timber is a ubiquitous component of many historical buildings. While significant policies guide interventions on this type of cultural property, gaps persist within the Brazilian context. The present study aims to problematize public preservation policies and propose strategies to address the disposal of historical timbers during interventions in the built heritage. The importance of botanical studies is underscored, as well as the necessity of establishing mandatory safeguarding mechanisms—specifically, the deposition of replaced timber (due to pathological issues in historical buildings) in a specialized scientific collection. This measure serves to register the knowledge and practices that connect the cultural past with the present.