Wales Needs More Homegrown Timber Buildings
Building the homes of the future will require Wales to become a "forest nation", according to industry experts. More homegrown timber is needed to cut carbon emissions from construction, and would also lead to greener homes and jobs in rural areas. A group of forestry, manufacturing and social housing firms said working with wood could become a "main industry" comparable with steel. Currently the UK imports about 80% of its timber, second only to China. Woodland covers just 15% of the land in Wales - compared with a European average of 46%. Timber manufacturers, such as Castleoak in Ebbw Vale, said it sourced all its timber from sustainable sources, but all from Europe. It is "hugely frustrating" said the company's managing director, Andrew Duggan. Just 4% of harvested Welsh timber is processed to be used in construction. "There is timber grown in Wales currently, but often that's milled for low quality products - fence posts, decking and it doesn't get to a manufacturable construction grade," he said. During their life cycle, trees absorb carbon from the atmosphere, helping to reduce the impact of climate change - while using timber as a building material then locks away that carbon. “Wales is basically deforested, we have one-third of the average European forest cover. We've got plenty of land, good quality, low-value land that doesn't produce high-value produce that forestry would be very suited to and to achieve climate goals such as net zero "we really have to build with timber", he added. The benefits of locally sourced timber go beyond the environmental, as using it would cut costs too. Imported timber costs have soared recently, with post-lockdown construction projects and the impact of climate change being blamed. People can also benefit from having homes built with timber, according to the head of sustainability and innovation at housing group Pobl.
Tags : INTERNATIONAL Climate Change Building Material Construction Projects carbon emissions Social Housing Forest Nation Wales Timber Buildings