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2 Context; one of the 1 st industrial societies

3 Merthyr Tydfil

4 Deforestation; sheep, iron & war Wales by early 1800s had only ~ 3% forest left Atlantic oak coppice forest was protected; charcoal for iron making, the iron economy In the past oak rafts were floated down rivers e.g. to Bristol from Welshpool for shipbuilding Historically huge oaks- largest Cefnmabli oak 21metres long Welsh landscape defined by coal, slate, lead, zinc, copper mines, sheep and war; anthropogenic

5 Cefnmabli table 12.8m x 1m

6 Man made forests Fashionable aristocrats and newly rich industrialists planted their own forests using tree species collected from around the world James Watt, steam engine, Doldowlod estate Most useful species from N W Pacific coast of America; Spruce, Douglas fir, Sequoia, Coastal redwood, Western red cedar. David Douglas Larch from Europe & Japan (after 1853) Now world diseases- Phytophthora larch; we have to cut/process 5 million cubic metres

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8 Forestry Commission

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10 Gwydyr was mines, now 4,900ha forest

11 Forests of Wales >300,000 Ha of forests in Wales 14% cover Conifers 152,000Ha, Broadleaved 154,000Ha Spruce covers 37% area but supplies 65% logs sustainable cut <1 million cubic metres ,000 cubic m. > mill cubic m. Broadleaves 24,000 cubic m! Welsh conifer forests grow one timber house every 10 minutes

12 -1858 Leighton Coastal redwoods cubic metres/hectare - Massive CO 2 sequestration in this forest type - Most densely stocked stand in Europe

13 Giant Sequoia -Once part of a great estate now left in a housing estate -Originally planted by wealthy landowner to create Romantic landscape

14 Gwydyr forest Gwydyr forest, once oaks were rafted down to Conwy, later mining dominated Now produces around 125 tonnes/day = two articulated lorry loads of sawnwood/day = 3 low carbon houses could be built every day

15 Vyrnwy -largest conifers in EU -formerly undervalued -high strength - world class -Grown in Wales!

16 Burns and Honkala 1990 Douglas fir is one of the world's most important and valuable species

17 Douglas fir 6m C24 min 320 each, 18,000 per 30 cu.m. artic load, how much more as timber frame?

18 Capricorn Eco Timber imported US plantation clear grade Douglas fir nearly 1000 per cubic metre US old growth DF no longer available - owls! homegrown merchantable grade Douglas fir nearly 600 per cubic metre little difference in quality between US & UK

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20 Modern Welsh forest industry; WG 4000 sustainable jobs, turnover 500 million Most businesses long-term (>20 years) Most businesses sole traders or SMEs Volume, value & employment dominated by a few large firms; BSW, Kronospan Low profit margins, but resilient to recession Most Welsh timber is exported out of Wales (e.g. large Douglas fir logs!) disconnected with secondary processing; houses?

21 Welsh timber -construction -Rated how well industry uses Welsh wood -very little used 5 years ago

22 Opinions Welsh softwoods not construction quality Welsh forests grown for pit props - actually demonstrating high resilience in compression Welsh forests grown for cellulose feedstock Welsh softwoods too low density Construction grade softwoods should be grown in Sweden and Latvia But who says so? What are their agendas? UK foresters & wood scientists don t agree

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24 Now in Wales Weaker Pound means new opportunity BSW Newbridge now producing strength graded timber-50,000 cubic metres/year Fencing sold to SE England- easy money, can we sell more to housing associations here? WG aspirations; dynamic construction ecosystem, 2.3 billion per annum Use homegrown softwoods for benefit of Economy, Society, Environment

25 Forests crucial to green growth forests.are the foundation of sustainable societies (ICRAF paper 21 st March 2014)

26 Normative/Romantic vs pragmatic Welsh forests should not be growing conifers (the two Iolos); National Romanticism Gilpin, The Picturesque, The Wye Valley, Tintern. Romanticism- looking for God in Nature Pragmatism- is it fit for purpose/economic? Nowadays- is it sustainable?

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28 Banksy s perception of Romanticism

29 Little data- plenty of opinion -Any judgments about quality of Welsh softwoods before 2010 based on very little modern scientific evidence -Quality is a weasel word

30 2011 John Moore Napier University

31 2012 Douglas fir PhD

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33 Western red cedar -Over 80 cm wide high grade kiln dried boards -Very high value > 700 per cubic metre

34 High grade Douglas fir Welshpool

35 Variability -Between regions -Between stands -Within stands -Within logs -From pith to sapwood -From butt to crown -Durability -Strength/density -How? selection grading at as many stages as possible

36 Forgotten 200 years old, used local larch But imports from Baltic & Nordic countries dominated later

37 Grand Designs larch house -Using Welsh larch -WKW Acoustic testing -Typically >C30 -Fforest s 1 st house with Welsh larch very good -Then Fforest negotiated deal with BSW Timber

38 Simple modular open panel in larch

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41 Welsh larch how many houses? Enough larch sawlogs from Wales and the Marches to build over 75,000 3 bed homes Reasonable to assume we could achieve 30,000 timber clad 3 bed homes Single opportunity to use this species, 5-8 years

42 Japanese government strategy 2009 Forest and Forestry Revitalisation Plan Government strategy- Convert Japan from concrete society into a wood society Fully utilise the forest resource to contribute to employment including rural! better environment Increase timber self sufficiency to 50% in 10 yrs Enable firms; Law concerning the Promotion of the Use of Wood in Public Buildings 2010

43 First UK larch Brettstapel panel

44 Welsh conifer plantations We can build sustainably with Welsh softwoods We can build to eight storeys now with Welsh softwoods using several techniques Wales is one of the most favourable climates in Europe for growing conifers Latvia is moving away from selling timber to selling complete closed panel buildings Wales? Woodknowledge Wales; new thinking

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47 Omotesando