Studies conducted by the National Research Programme show that tannins extracted from native tree bark can be used to produce adhesives and composite materials. …The bark of native conifers is known as a waste product in the timber industry. …Tannins are a focus of Swiss wood research. Frédéric Pichelin and his team at the Bern University of Applied Sciences in Biel see great potential in native tree barks. …Tannin extracts are already employed in wood adhesives. But they are mostly extracted from tropical wood and are produced overseas. Tree bark of native conifers is never used in commercial tannin extraction. The researchers in Biel …have developed methods to extract tannins from native tree bark and tested their suitability in the production of adhesives for fibreboards and chipboards.