Confor organises Superwood conference
1 November 2018The huge opportunity to plant more trees and use more timber in construction in the North of England will be the focus of a major conference organised by Confor.
Superwood: How forestry and timber can drive a low-carbon economy will bring together the whole industry supply chain, from nurseries to wood processors, as well as architects, politicians, academics and more.
The event - sponsored by Wood for Good and EGGER - will be held at the University of Northumbria in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on December 14.
Adam James of Ryder Architecture, who is based in Canada, will talk about British Columbia's ambition to drive a low-carbon economy through a high-performance, wood-based building industry, including the world's tallest hybrid wood building.
Paul Brannen, MEP for north-east England and a strong advocate for the forestry and timber industry, will outline his vision for enhanced planting and greater use of wood in construction to transform the regional economy.
The leader of Northumberland County Council, Councillor Peter Jackson, will share his thoughts on the opportunity to plant more trees in the northeast and reduce reliance on imports.
The first half of the event will concentrate on planting and other speakers include Stuart Goodall of Confor, Beccy Speight from The Woodland Trust and Simon Hart of EGGER Forestry.
After lunch, Christiane Lellig of Wood for Good, will look at growing markets for timber. Other speakers in this session include Adam James, Dan Ridley-Ellis of Edinburgh Napier University and Neil Sutherland of Makar Architects.
“Bringing together people from across the political, academic and economic spectrum to discuss how investment in natural resources can foster a resilient and sustainable future for the region is central to make things happen,” said Christiane Lellig, campaign director of Wood for Good.
