Sandie and I have been building a timber home for an extremely long time! We are now doing the second fix woodwork; a task which requires a high standard of workmanship and material. Sadly, although my joinery skills are limited this problem is exacerbated by the quality of the timber.
While completing the timber frame, internal studwork and cladding we had become resigned to sawn timber being twisted, dimensionally inconsistent and soaking wet. After we had received a load of treated planking which was so badly infected with a black furry fungus that we could smell it from several feet away we really thought we had seen the timber trade at its worst.
We naively thought that prepared finishing timber, architrave and other mouldings would be of a better quality that reflected both their higher price and their purpose: but no! More than once prepared timber has been delivered in the rain, in uncovered vehicles and left lying on the ground because the delivery was not on the agreed date so no one was there to receive it. The proportion of cupped, twisted bowed and split timber is alarmingly high and the incidence of compression wood is often so high that the surface finish looks as if it has been gnawed by a rat rather than machined.
These are not minor aggravations. For instance, it is impossible to cut a straight mitre in a piece of cupped timber. The more a piece of wood is cupped, the more curved an angled cut through it will be. The defective finish that results is a very visible and extremely negative message about the benefits of wood as a building material.
We tried to overcome these problems by going to collect our timber and visually checking every piece before loading it. Not only is this very time consuming, but it is often impossible to find what you want without either compromising on quality, or holding up progress until the yard takes another delivery.
I remember reading some years ago in Timber Trade Journal that Scandinavian exporters were amazed at the UK’s seemingly inexhaustible appetite for unkilned timber. Almost all the wood in Scottish builder’s merchants is imported, and the sad truth is that we have a reputation for accepting rubbish. This is not the fault of the people staffing our yards, all of whom in my experience do their best to be helpful. The problem is that they do not understand wood, and the key decision makers in the supply chain do not care about it, and make no effort to either train staff or educate customers in the basics of timber quality and fitness for purpose, or timber storage and handling practice.
The result is stacks of kilned and dimensioned timber left in the rain, often inadequately stickered so that if it was not bowed when it left the mill it will be when it leaves the yard and racks of planed wood that are clearly unfit for purpose.
The forestry sector is rightly concerned with timber quality, but there is little point in growing good quality timber until our retail supply chain takes the timber quality issue on board. It is time to work with it to address this issue.
And the answer to my original question is that in the joinery context two straight lines do not make a curve, but one, in conjunction with an allegedly flat piece of wood, will.
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Friday, 25 June 2010
Going Dutch
I was in Amsterdam for a few days last week and apart from thoroughly enjoying the art and the peaceful ambience of the canals I also came away with an intense admiration for dutch aboriculture and management of urban, roadside and hedgerow trees. Ancient pollards are impeccably maintained as high trees using carefully considered pruning regimes and discrete webs of steel cables. Younger trees are pruned into a variety of spherical or pencil shaped additions to the urban landscape.
In one of the squares I passed through trees approximately 12 feet high that had been pruned to have flat tops reminiscent of how I imagine that the ancient “dancing oaks” of druidic England must have been. The results were visually extremely effective, ensuring that the trees gave a high degree of shelter while casting minimal shadow.
The Dutch government is currently locked into an industrial dispute over wages for the scaffy, and there were substantial mounds of rubbish at most street corners which were slowly subsiding into the canals. Given such apparent financial constraints it is surprising that expenditure on arboriculture is maintained. To a great extent the reason is that in many parts of the country hedgerow trees are regarded as an important asset both in terms of shelter and in terms of production of wood, primarily for wood fuel.
In Scotland there is a great deal of discussion about land availability for woodland expansion. Given that one of the drivers of for this is increasing wood fuel demand it might be worth considering the potential role of hedgerow trees. Trees in hedgerows will sequester as much carbon, if not more given probable site fertility, than their woodland counterparts, and given the probable mixture of species, may have a greater biodiversity value. Moreover, they will burn!
The more hedgerow and amenity trees we plant the less pressure there will be to establish woodlands on organic soils or on productive farmland in direct conflict with food production.
This is not as fanciful as it sounds. A colleague in the northern Netherlands has established wood fuel supply chains based on the 7000 kilometres of hedgerows and wooded banks in the region. He has found that if the trees are pollarded on a 15-20 year cycle it takes approximately 9-16 metres of wooded hedgerow to produce a cubic metre of wood chip. On that basis if a 10 ha field was bounded by hedgerow it would produce 80-140 m3 of wood chip or 4-7 m3/yr.
In one of the squares I passed through trees approximately 12 feet high that had been pruned to have flat tops reminiscent of how I imagine that the ancient “dancing oaks” of druidic England must have been. The results were visually extremely effective, ensuring that the trees gave a high degree of shelter while casting minimal shadow.
The Dutch government is currently locked into an industrial dispute over wages for the scaffy, and there were substantial mounds of rubbish at most street corners which were slowly subsiding into the canals. Given such apparent financial constraints it is surprising that expenditure on arboriculture is maintained. To a great extent the reason is that in many parts of the country hedgerow trees are regarded as an important asset both in terms of shelter and in terms of production of wood, primarily for wood fuel.
In Scotland there is a great deal of discussion about land availability for woodland expansion. Given that one of the drivers of for this is increasing wood fuel demand it might be worth considering the potential role of hedgerow trees. Trees in hedgerows will sequester as much carbon, if not more given probable site fertility, than their woodland counterparts, and given the probable mixture of species, may have a greater biodiversity value. Moreover, they will burn!
The more hedgerow and amenity trees we plant the less pressure there will be to establish woodlands on organic soils or on productive farmland in direct conflict with food production.
This is not as fanciful as it sounds. A colleague in the northern Netherlands has established wood fuel supply chains based on the 7000 kilometres of hedgerows and wooded banks in the region. He has found that if the trees are pollarded on a 15-20 year cycle it takes approximately 9-16 metres of wooded hedgerow to produce a cubic metre of wood chip. On that basis if a 10 ha field was bounded by hedgerow it would produce 80-140 m3 of wood chip or 4-7 m3/yr.
Friday, 21 May 2010
A Viennese whirl
As part of the Intelligent Energy Europe funded Make It Be project I recently attended a Field Study tour to Gussing in south east Austria to look its approach to wood fuel development. I also had a personal interest, which was to actually see the Danube.
Woodland is more than 50% of land cover in the region. The key differences in the resource compared to Scotland are that the tree species, soils and climate all favour alternatives to clearfell; and most importantly, that it is underutilised. Until the mid 1990’s there was almost no harvesting. Even informal firewood markets had declined significantly in the face of cheap fossil fuels. As a result energy production and use was an extractive part of the local economy as all expenditure on energy channelled money out of the local economy rather than re-circulating income within it.
The key driver for developing renewable energy in Gussing was depopulation within a declining local economy and the renewable energy development process has been led by a strong local council which administers Gussing and the surrounding area. This contrasts markedly with Scotland where there is only the community council below regional government level.
The main aim was to develop decentralised local energy production using the existing renewable resources in the area, thereby ensuring independence from fossil fuels and enhancing added value within the region.
The first step was to introduce energy saving measures, allowing energy demand to be reduced and reprofiled. Small district heating schemes were than installed in small villages around Gussing, followed in 1996 by the Gussing District Heating Plant, since when there have been many more developments.
Initially it was difficult to persuade consumers to join the heating networks but eventually the combination of convenience and a stable energy price proved very attractive. The stable energy price also began to attract other industries to the region. The first of these was parquet flooring using local oak with co product feeding into the district heating grid and heat from the grid being used to kiln the timber.
The area is now 100% self sufficient in terms of supply to private homes and public buildings. In addition 1100 jobs have been created, including those in industries attracted in by the energy availability.
The largest CHP plant is fuelled by primarily by Oak chips, with some Beech and Birch also in the mix. Only wood that meets a <35% moisture content is accepted. The wood fuel resource is a predominantly broadleaved and mixed woodland with most wood fuel coming from the poorer quality elements of the broadleaved woodland, although much of the roundwood might find alternative markets if in the UK, or in an area with capacity for lamination and finger jointing.
Despite different political structures and far greater competition for the Highland wood fuel resource elements of the Gussing model are still applicable. Development in Gussing began with energy saving measures and district heating schemes in small villages. This approach is valid throughout much of Highland. Small communities with robust energy saving measures would generate a level of heat demand that could be readily be met in many parts of Highland where there are woodland resources because the raw material requirement is too small to impinge on the needs of large, remote markets.
After two very interesting days we spent an evening in Vienna before catching an early plane home. We saw many wonderful sights that evening and as we whirled through the city desperate to not to waste a precious moment. However Vienna is big, and the only time I saw the Danube was in a break in the cloud just after take off the next morning.
Woodland is more than 50% of land cover in the region. The key differences in the resource compared to Scotland are that the tree species, soils and climate all favour alternatives to clearfell; and most importantly, that it is underutilised. Until the mid 1990’s there was almost no harvesting. Even informal firewood markets had declined significantly in the face of cheap fossil fuels. As a result energy production and use was an extractive part of the local economy as all expenditure on energy channelled money out of the local economy rather than re-circulating income within it.
The key driver for developing renewable energy in Gussing was depopulation within a declining local economy and the renewable energy development process has been led by a strong local council which administers Gussing and the surrounding area. This contrasts markedly with Scotland where there is only the community council below regional government level.
The main aim was to develop decentralised local energy production using the existing renewable resources in the area, thereby ensuring independence from fossil fuels and enhancing added value within the region.
The first step was to introduce energy saving measures, allowing energy demand to be reduced and reprofiled. Small district heating schemes were than installed in small villages around Gussing, followed in 1996 by the Gussing District Heating Plant, since when there have been many more developments.
Initially it was difficult to persuade consumers to join the heating networks but eventually the combination of convenience and a stable energy price proved very attractive. The stable energy price also began to attract other industries to the region. The first of these was parquet flooring using local oak with co product feeding into the district heating grid and heat from the grid being used to kiln the timber.
The area is now 100% self sufficient in terms of supply to private homes and public buildings. In addition 1100 jobs have been created, including those in industries attracted in by the energy availability.
The largest CHP plant is fuelled by primarily by Oak chips, with some Beech and Birch also in the mix. Only wood that meets a <35% moisture content is accepted. The wood fuel resource is a predominantly broadleaved and mixed woodland with most wood fuel coming from the poorer quality elements of the broadleaved woodland, although much of the roundwood might find alternative markets if in the UK, or in an area with capacity for lamination and finger jointing.
Despite different political structures and far greater competition for the Highland wood fuel resource elements of the Gussing model are still applicable. Development in Gussing began with energy saving measures and district heating schemes in small villages. This approach is valid throughout much of Highland. Small communities with robust energy saving measures would generate a level of heat demand that could be readily be met in many parts of Highland where there are woodland resources because the raw material requirement is too small to impinge on the needs of large, remote markets.
After two very interesting days we spent an evening in Vienna before catching an early plane home. We saw many wonderful sights that evening and as we whirled through the city desperate to not to waste a precious moment. However Vienna is big, and the only time I saw the Danube was in a break in the cloud just after take off the next morning.
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Handmade woodlands
Working as a volunteer for the Heritage Lottery Fund supported Action for Mountain Woodlands project I recently spent a few hours hand mounding and planting with Ardross primary school. It was years since I had done any tree planting and it was very pleasantly nostalgic. It was also extremely encouraging to see young children both taking care to do the job well, and taking great interest in what they were doing and I would like to congratulate them all on a job well done.
Hand mounding is both expensive and hard work. The development of excavator mounding had a profound impact on woodland establishment and has encouraged adoption of variable stocking densities, more intimate mixing of open ground and planted areas. This enhances the ability to create and manage woodlands that better reflect site capacity and have greater potential to generate multiple outputs.
Until the advent of excavator mounding such woodlands were often created by hand, and it is probable that some woodlands always will be eg in the montane zone. However it is important that all woodlands show a cost benefit balance, and preferably a net gain. Although much depends on how costs and benefits are defined and valued there is no doubt that keeping woodland creation and management on a sound economic footing and minimising unnecessary impacts makes this easier to achieve. But how do we do it?
In what circumstances does hand mounding or motor manual harvesting become cost effective in the fullest sense. Vulnerability to windthrow is often cited as a reason for limiting the adoption of alternatives to large scale clear felling. In what circumstances does the effect of soil compaction in exacerbating this risk justify use of small scale extraction equipment, timber chutes or skylines instead of conventional forwarders?
If forestry is to make best use of available sites and deliver the multiple benefits expected of it there will be an important role for small scale, and even handmade approaches to woodland establishment and management. These techniques need to be accepted as part of the foresters toolkit and incorporated where appropriate, rather than being tolerated as amateurish, fringe activities.
Hand mounding is both expensive and hard work. The development of excavator mounding had a profound impact on woodland establishment and has encouraged adoption of variable stocking densities, more intimate mixing of open ground and planted areas. This enhances the ability to create and manage woodlands that better reflect site capacity and have greater potential to generate multiple outputs.
Until the advent of excavator mounding such woodlands were often created by hand, and it is probable that some woodlands always will be eg in the montane zone. However it is important that all woodlands show a cost benefit balance, and preferably a net gain. Although much depends on how costs and benefits are defined and valued there is no doubt that keeping woodland creation and management on a sound economic footing and minimising unnecessary impacts makes this easier to achieve. But how do we do it?
In what circumstances does hand mounding or motor manual harvesting become cost effective in the fullest sense. Vulnerability to windthrow is often cited as a reason for limiting the adoption of alternatives to large scale clear felling. In what circumstances does the effect of soil compaction in exacerbating this risk justify use of small scale extraction equipment, timber chutes or skylines instead of conventional forwarders?
If forestry is to make best use of available sites and deliver the multiple benefits expected of it there will be an important role for small scale, and even handmade approaches to woodland establishment and management. These techniques need to be accepted as part of the foresters toolkit and incorporated where appropriate, rather than being tolerated as amateurish, fringe activities.
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Make it Be Project
I was also chatting about communication strategies with a partner in a project HB is involved in called Make It Be. Funded by Intelligent Energy Europe it is concerned with integrated bioenergy planning. The vehicle for integrated approaches to planning biomass market expansion in the participating regions is a Regional Biomass Partnership and the mechanism will be a Local Biomass Action Plan to complement the EU and national biomass action plans. HB leads the project in Scotland, where activity will focus on an action plan for the Highland Council area.
If Make It Be, or anything else, sounds interesting get in touch – you never know where it might lead!
If Make It Be, or anything else, sounds interesting get in touch – you never know where it might lead!
Chance Converstions
I received an e-mail yesterday inviting HB to join a new EU project about Forest Management Planning. I was immediately interested because this is an area which I think has been largely overlooked for many years and which is becoming increasingly important.
Whatever your view of the future there is no doubt that our forest resource must develop resilience to climate change and a capacity to adapt to changing economic, social and policy demands on it.
The private sector forest resource is now dominant and still largely dependent on state aid so it will need to ensure that it supports a range of Scottish Government and EU policy aspirations or it may find that grant support is less forthcoming in future. This is easier said than done.
To support policy effectively private sector forest managers need a toolkit to help them evaluate potentially conflicting objectives. The first two items conspicuous by their absence from the tool box are cost effective multipurpose inventory and production forecasting tools. The key words are “cost effective”. Accuracy is also desirable, but if a tool is neither cost effective nor accessible it will not be used and an approximately accurate dataset is far more use than no data at all.
Even when we know what we have got, there are still a lot of complex tradeoffs to consider. Take the SG aspiration to expand tree cover by 10,000 ha a year. Delivering this target will require careful balancing of open land and woodland habitat and species conservation priorities, and evaluation of net carbon balances in comparison with other land uses and raw material supply chains.
Adaptability to changing markets is another key issue. Scottish forestry is already balancing supply to energy markets with supply to more traditional, potentially higher value markets and, as haulage costs rise, and concern about timber miles grows it will be important to balance options for local and distant added value procurement chains. It takes a diverse woodland to supply diverse markets.
Incorporating diversity into the resource could improve resilience to catastrophic events, be they weather, pest, disease or fire based. However decisions about structural and species diversity must be based on an informed risk assessment. Guidance on silvicultural systems, species choice and provenance choice is vital as is ensuring the availability of appropriate planting material.
Anyway, to cut a long story short I phoned the project developer and told him I thought the idea a good one and he said “yes, it all comes from a discussion we had last year”. So you never can tell what might come of a chance conversation!
Whatever your view of the future there is no doubt that our forest resource must develop resilience to climate change and a capacity to adapt to changing economic, social and policy demands on it.
The private sector forest resource is now dominant and still largely dependent on state aid so it will need to ensure that it supports a range of Scottish Government and EU policy aspirations or it may find that grant support is less forthcoming in future. This is easier said than done.
To support policy effectively private sector forest managers need a toolkit to help them evaluate potentially conflicting objectives. The first two items conspicuous by their absence from the tool box are cost effective multipurpose inventory and production forecasting tools. The key words are “cost effective”. Accuracy is also desirable, but if a tool is neither cost effective nor accessible it will not be used and an approximately accurate dataset is far more use than no data at all.
Even when we know what we have got, there are still a lot of complex tradeoffs to consider. Take the SG aspiration to expand tree cover by 10,000 ha a year. Delivering this target will require careful balancing of open land and woodland habitat and species conservation priorities, and evaluation of net carbon balances in comparison with other land uses and raw material supply chains.
Adaptability to changing markets is another key issue. Scottish forestry is already balancing supply to energy markets with supply to more traditional, potentially higher value markets and, as haulage costs rise, and concern about timber miles grows it will be important to balance options for local and distant added value procurement chains. It takes a diverse woodland to supply diverse markets.
Incorporating diversity into the resource could improve resilience to catastrophic events, be they weather, pest, disease or fire based. However decisions about structural and species diversity must be based on an informed risk assessment. Guidance on silvicultural systems, species choice and provenance choice is vital as is ensuring the availability of appropriate planting material.
Anyway, to cut a long story short I phoned the project developer and told him I thought the idea a good one and he said “yes, it all comes from a discussion we had last year”. So you never can tell what might come of a chance conversation!
