The March 26 event at the Houses of Parliament was attended by seven MPs, one peer, representatives of the construction sector, Timber Trade Federation chief executive John White and Wood for Good campaign director David Hopkins.
It followed a Wood for Good survey of 100 MPs, which, said Mr Hopkins, highlighted "stunning levels of ignorance among policy makers.
The theme was "Decarbonising construction – timber’s role in a sustainable built environment".
Participants asked about wood’s overall contribution to building sustainability, carbon issues, market perceptions about timber building, the need for more timber information, and the impact on the sector of growth in the biomass energy industry.
"It was a very worthwhile experience, and hopefully will help develop the debate and get timber’s case more widely known among politicians," said Mr Hopkins. "In fact, participants included a member of the energy select committee and Baroness Maddock, who is involved with the local authority association. Both said that they wanted to take the issues we discussed further."
He also said that the roundtable concept would now be developed.
"We now have a template to engage other stakeholders; architects, contractors, local authorities, and designers," he said. "It will help get our message to them and find out what they want from us as an industry."
