Timber undergoes sea trials

The Environment Agency has begun research with the timber industry to widen the scope of hardwoods used in marine and freshwater construction, particularly flood defences.

Reliance on greenheart, ekki and opepe for projects including beach groynes, landing stages, fenders and lock gates. has put pressure on supplies and the environment. The Agency wants to encourage the use of alternatives such as basralocus, dahoma and cloeziana.

Partners include TRADA Technology, and samples and commercial information have been provided by Ecochoice and Aitken & Howard.

Mark Yeomans, head of procurement at the Agency, said: “We are looking at the wide-ranging factors that affect performance, such as engineering properties and abrasion resistance, for example, from the effects of pebble and tide action.”

A list of candidate species for laboratory screening and trials is being compiled. The top five will undergo testing to British Standard requirements, then be used in live projects.

??Jonathan Simm, technical director of re-search partner and consultant HR Wall-ingford, said: “Designing and constructing structures for coasts and rivers with materials such as timber is a real challenge. It is one of the reasons why engineers will tend not to use lesser-known timbers unless they have a well-documented service-life record.”