Opinions Archive

TDUK calls for budget action to protect net zero as recession sets in
22 February 2023 The Construction Products Association has predicted a recession for UK construction in 2023 with output set to fall 4.7%. Private housing new build and private housing repair, maintenance and improvement – the largest and third largest construction sectors – are set to be the worst affected, with falls in these areas only partially offset by continued growth in infrastructure. Timber Development UK CEO Dave Hopkins comments.

Solving school overcrowding sustainably
14 February 2023 Prefabricated timber building can meet the UK’s desperate need for more and better school classroom space says Dr Mila Duncheva, business development manager UK & Ireland, Stora Enso Building Solutions

Making the training connections
13 February 2023 Having a skilled and knowledgeable workforce across the timber sector has never been more critical and latest developments at the Institute of Carpenters can help deliver it, says its president Geoff Rhodes

World Cup distraction from difficult markets
19 December 2022 The World Cup has kicked off and while we’ll all be hoping for English or Welsh success, the tournament is not necessarily universally being welcomed by all in the business community.

Confor urges government stability and planting
19 December 2022 Economic headwinds are building for the UK sawmill sector, but Defra now has the resources to make a difference for the industry by stimulating productive tree planting, writes Confederation of Forest Industries chief executive Stuart Goodall

Stoical softwood sector in sobering times
19 December 2022 There was no ignoring the grim global economic picture at the 2022 International Softwood Conference, but it also highlighted the sector’s longer term positives. Conference moderator, Fort Builders Merchants director Keith Fryer reports

Are we at a tipping point for fire door safety?
18 October 2022 The recent passing of the Building Safety Act 2022, along with the Fire Safety Act 2021, marks a critical point in the way building safety risks will be considered. To ensure compliance with the new regime, greater understanding and awareness of the benefits that third-party fire door certification provides is crucial, writes Helen Hewitt, CEO of the British Woodworking Federation (BWF)

Congo Basin Regional Scheme a PEFC first
18 October 2022 The PAFC Congo Basin scheme aims to increase sustainable forest management certification in the region, writes PEFC development officer Thomas Seyvet

TTJ Awards' royal connections in 2022
18 October 2022 News of the Queen’s death broke as TTJ was going to press.

Thank you for the glulam
24 August 2022 The demountable Abba Arena in London is a masterpiece of hybrid engineered timber and steel construction and a building for our increasingly over-heated times, writes TTJ consultant editor Mike Jeffree

Figuring out the new normal
24 August 2022 Today’s combination of supply, price and cost issues facing the European timber sector is unprecedented. The solution, after 20 years of price stagnation, must be market appreciation of the true value of wood, writes Jean-François Guilbert, managing director of France’s international marketing organisation French Timber

Resilience in the face of swings in trading dynamics
24 August 2022 These days we seem to be beset by extremes all round – temperature, conflicts, inflation and big swings in trading dynamics.

Fog of war obscures outlook
10 June 2022 Prospects for the softwood market have never been more difficult to read, writes Sampsa Auvinen, chairman of the board of the Confederation of the European Woodworking Industries (CEI Bois) and board professional

Species diversity key for climate resilience
10 June 2022 We must widen our timber diet to ensure future supply, writes Dan Ridley-Ellis, head of the Centre for Wood Science and Technology at Edinburgh Napier University

SVLK Sustainability Credentials Stressed
08 April 2022 Indonesia’s development and rebrand of its timber legality assurance system is seen as potentially adding value to FLEGT, writes consultant editor Mike Jeffree

The Bumpy Road to Net Zero
08 April 2022 The UK panel industry is in the forefront of decarbonisation, but still faces challenges ahead, writes Wood Panel Industries Federation director-general Alastair Kerr

Trade supply relationships more important than ever after Ukraine conflict threatens stability
22 March 2022 No sooner had Covid-19 restrictions dropped then war breaks out in eastern Europe.

Festival of hope
27 January 2022 The World of Wood Festival showcased how developing timber’s market potential can contribute to forest maintenance and climate change mitigation, reports Timber Trade Federation FLEGT communications executive Lucy Bedry

COP26 could have done better
27 January 2022 New initiatives were announced at COP26, but some didn’t live up to the fanfare, according to Chiara Vitali, forest governance campaigner at forests and rights NGO, Fern

Global forests need global governance
10 December 2021 Timber Trade Federation chief executive David Hopkins explains why legal governance of forests and forest supply chains must be a priority