An exploration of the opportunities and threats facing preservative-treated will be laid out at the UK’s Wood Protection Association (WPA) annual conference on May 7.
The event at Oulton Hall, Leeds, will see keynote speaker Ed Suttie, of the Building Research Establishment (BRE), cover “Pre-treated wood – do the opportunities outweigh the threats?”
Mr Suttie will discuss growth opportunities and threats, telling delegates why the WPA and its members must take the lead in building confidence in wood protection technology to grow demand and avoid the supply chain disfunction that leads to declining margins and drives buyers to choose alternative materials.
Fredrik Westin, managing director, Swedish Wood Preserving Association, will discuss “In the materials war, third-party verification of quality helps you win”. Mr Westin will demonstrate how in Scandinavia a voluntary move to third-party verification of treatment quality, over 50 years ago, continues to sustain demand for pre-treated wood.
Neil Ryan, WPA director for standards, quality and regulatory compliance, will cover improving the clarity and credibility of the WPA Benchmark QAS. The benchmark for treated wood has changed to focus exclusively on product approval, and Neil will highlight the drivers for this change designed to bring greater credibility to scheme members and clarity for buyers about the compliance of preservative pre-treated wood products with UK standards.
Additional speakers Nick Boulton, TDUK, and Alex Torkington, WJ Group, will tell delegates how the wood supply chain can comply with Construction Products Regulations (CPR) and Office for Product Safety & Standards and preserve demand for timber and wood-based materials pre-treated with a flame retardant, preservative or wood modification process.
Willie Clason, Bridewell Associates, will discuss making the most of wood for infrastructure and utility pole applications.
The WPA Conference will be preceded on May 6 by its Annual Dinner and Awards. For more details visit WPA.
