Blogs Archive

Greenpeace certification report covets headlines not consensus
19 March 2021 It must be a burden being part of Greenpeace, being so ineffably right all the time, when everyone else is so unmitigatedly wrong.

Tech immerses customers in sustainable forestry
24 February 2021 More than ever, the timber sector needs to communicate the benefits of sustainable forest management – Södra is doing it in virtual 3D, writes sales director Nigel Buckley-Ryan

Time to state the carbon case
24 February 2021 As the European timber industry deals with the fallout from pandemic, it must continue to state wood’s case as a key material for decarbonising construction, writes European Woodworking Industries Confederation secretary-general Silvia Melegari

Working to boost African tropical forest certification
03 December 2020 It’s time for new impetus for certification of tropical forests, and PEFC – with a diverse coalition of stakeholders – is making great strides towards this goal, writes PEFC International chairman Peter Latham OBE

Strict protection the way forward?
03 December 2020 The FSC sees sustainable management as key for preserving tropical forests and aims to increase the area under its certification scheme from 18 million to 50 million ha, says director-general Kim Carstensen

A question of confidence
03 December 2020 As I write this, England was preparing once again to go into another lockdown, albeit a shorter one.

Teaching Timber: Building Better
27 October 2020 There’s growing realisation that construction has a key role to play in tackling the climate crisis and, within that context, of the need to teach building professionals about using timber, writes Tabitha Binding, university and regional engagement manager, TTF

Construction resilience in the era of Covid
27 October 2020 The construction industry’s talents will always be needed, says Philip Pointon sustainability director at Pasquill

Backing the low carbon campaign
26 August 2020 Timber products have such a great story to tell.

Choose Science Over Emotion
26 August 2020 A science first, fact-based approach to the Fire Safety Bill is required, says Jeremy English, Södra

Continued Communication on Carbon Is Key
30 June 2020 The industry must continue to communicate timber’s role in mitigating climate change, another crisis that could turn the world upside down, writes American Hardwood Export Council European director David Venables

Indonesia appreciates legality assurance value
30 June 2020 Indonesia’s decision not to drop obligatory export legality assurance is key to combating the illegal timber trade, writes TTF FLEGT communications executive Lucy Bedry

Planting plans remain a priority
06 May 2020 To meet UK 2050 climate change targets, support biodiversity, rural livelihoods – and deliver a sustainable timber supply, politicians must be held to their pledges on tree planting, says Confor chief executive Stuart Goodall

Communication is even more critical in crisis
06 May 2020 Like the rest of the business community, the timber sector is facing unprecedented challenges in the pandemic. It’s key to stay informed and keep communications channels open, says Timber Trade Federation MD Dave Hopkins

Sticking together
31 March 2020 Last week was a whirlwind for all companies operating in the building supplies chain, with adjustments due to the government’s announcement of restrictions on certain business operations to slow the spread of coronavirus, writes TTJ editor Stephen Powney.

United front urged to ensure safety regulations make sense
27 March 2020 The industry must press government to ensure new rules on use of combustible materials in construction are proportionate and risk-based says Timber Decking and Cladding Association director of operations Janet Sycamore

Ban must not impact UK’s Timber Construction leadership
27 March 2020 In making the building sector more risk averse on use of wood, new regulation on use of combustible materials in and on external walls risks turning the industry off environmentally beneficial engineered timber-based construction, says Anthony Thistleton of architects Waugh Thistleton

A new challenge
27 March 2020 Just when we thought we had seen off the continuing uncertainty over Brexit and potential stalemate in UK politics, an unexpected challenge has raised its head. The spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) is starting to have an impact on the international trade of wood products.

Sourcing central to grading standards
25 February 2020 Source of timber origin is a key consideration in grading and machine and visual grading standards are being revised to take this more precisely into account. Dan Ridley-Ellis head of the Centre for Wood Science and Technology at Edinburgh Napier University reports

Seeing the wood from the trees
25 February 2020 With the increasing focus on construction products and building regulations it will be those manufacturers who provide strong performance and certification information who will benefit says Lee Jones, head of manufacturer services, NBS