Nuffield Scholarship provides opportunity to study sawmilling across the world

Jez Ralph, technical adviser for the Silvanus Trust, has won a prestigious Nuffield Farming Scholarship to spend the coming year studying timber processing abroad.

The study will involve visits to sawmills, trade associations and timber growers around the world, looking at how sawmilling and production of high-value timber products is financed and undertaken.

Mr Ralph has been working for a group of forest owners and timber processors, the Woodland Renaissance Partnership, for the past five years, advising on investment proposals and securing capital investment for forestry and timber in the south-west. He said increasing work with architects and developers specifying timber for building projects convinced him of the need for further investment in timber processing to produce high-value products from local timber.

The Nuffield Farming Scholarship will allow Mr Ralph to travel around the world to study engineered timber production. He will investigate financial models, co-operative and other ownership models, new technologies and the forest to building supply chain.

After a two-week international conference, and briefings covering global land-use issues and macro-economics, Mr Ralph will undertake three months’ travel.

He said it was an exciting opportunity to bring back valuable lessons and technologies to the UK forestry sector.

“English forestry is made up of a diverse mix of species that, with our increased understanding of timber properties, has great potential,” said Mr Ralph. “I hope the results of my scholarship will be used to lever investment into the production of high-value engineered timbers, and increase the value and profile of English-grown timber.”

The Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust, established in 1947, aims to develop leadership in farming and rural industries. It presents around 20 awards each year.