COST Action E15's main objectives are to coordinate research activities in the field of wood drying between the different European countries and to reinforce technology transfer to industry.

Previous COST E15 workshops have dealt with:

· 1^st workshop, nov. 1999, in Edimburgh: "The state of the art in wood drying technology"
· 2^nd workshop, sept. 2000, in Sopron: "The drying of hardwood species"
· 3^rd workshop, jun. 2001, in Helsinki: "The drying of softwood species"

In the Management Committee Meeting of COST E15 held on June 2001 in Helsinki it was suggested that the topics for the next workshop should mostly relate to applied research and technology transfer to industry. These ideas, along with the geographic point selected for the event: Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in the heart of the fast growing Atlantic forest, have shaped the structure of the workshop.

Under the workshop's title "Methods for improving drying quality of wood" presentations from experienced researchers and industry developers will thoroughly treat the three following main subjects, considered as thematic areas of the workshop:

· 1^st thematic area: "The standardization of drying quality and its industrial importance"
· 2^nd thematic area: "Novel technologies for drying of timber"
· 3^rd thematic area: "The drying of fast growing species"