Innovative project to support the value and market reach of Irish timber

Minister of State with responsibility for forestry Andrew Doyle has launched a new NUI Galway project Wood Properties for Ireland. Known as WoodProps, the project “will characterise the strength and properties of Irish timber for European regulatory authorities, expanding its potential market value,” said Minister Doyle.

“WoodProps is a great example of NUI Galway research in action, as it highlights how our academics and researchers are contributing to national competitiveness and boosting employment,” said Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh, NUI Galway registrar and deputy president.

“This project undertakes the technical research to support the increased use of timber as a sustainable construction material and will help industry to develop innovative and added-value engineered wood products.”

The project will be implemented by Dr Annette Harte, vice-dean, NUI Galway’s College of Engineering and Informatics, and her timber engineering research group.

“The group has established a strong reputation for collaborating with industry partners and with this research, supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, will directly support Irish enterprise and innovation, while at the same time working on sustainability of the built environment,” maintained Professor Ó Dochartaigh.

Minister Doyle explained the background to the grant aid programme. “Changes in growth patterns in forests and harvesting practices can affect wood properties, so it is essential that we have a forest resource that is fit for purpose and can continue to supply quality roundwood of our main species, Sitka spruce for the manufacture of structural timber for home and export markets,” he said.

“This award, and other project-related funding from my Department, is towards that end. We are also seeking to extend the use of other conifers such as Douglas fir and Norway spruce in the afforestation programme.”

He stressed the market benefits of adding value to wood, but also maintained that there were environmental benefits: “Recently published work by the European Forest Institute suggests that for each tonne of wood products used instead of non-wood products, there is an emissions reduction of approximately two tonnes of carbon dioxide,” he said.

Other advantages

“There are other advantages to using wood construction, including speed of build and the ability to prefabricate walls and floors. Dr Harte and her colleagues have taken a leading role in elaborating the opportunities that timber construction provides. Their work will be further supported by the funding I am announcing.”

The funding for the three-year project is €477,250 and is provided by the forest sector development division of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

“Recent technological advancements, coupled with the acceptance that wood products play a key role in addressing climate change and sustainable development, have led to rapid growth in timber construction across the globe and this trend is expected to continue,” said lead researcher Dr Harte.

“Through WoodProps, NUI Galway will work closely with the forestry and wood processing sector to ensure that the structural properties of our wood products are well characterised and certified so that the Irish forest sector will benefit from these developments.”

NUI Galway researchers will co-operate with project partners in the Centre for Wood Science and Technology at Edinburgh Napier University, as well as extensive collaboration with industry and private growers in Ireland.

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