Business and environmental case for timber

Unique combination of performance and environmental profile allows the construction industry to meet its targets of affordable, efficient and low carbon projects.

The argument for increased use of independently certified timber in the modern construction industry is undeniable.

The performance of timber is outstanding, explains director Mike Bekin.

Its structural and decorative capabilities are already well known; it is suitable and adaptable for all sorts of construction - from building frames to lock gates and bridges; and it lasts longer than steel or concrete in sea water, one of the Earth's harshest environments.

For example, timber sheetpiling works superbly as a practical and cost effective alternative to its steel equivalent.

It is used as retaining walls and embankment protection for rivers, lakes and canals.

Boards are tongue and grooved and up to 6m long, providing water tightness while also being friendlier to the environment and easier on the eye.

"Unlike any other construction material, timber is truly renewable (after all, it grows on trees!)," says Mike Bekin.

"If we adopt and support sustainable forest management practices, the source can be both inexhaustible while also protected from the destructive interests of the extensive pasture and agriculture industries".

"So, contrary to popular belief, buying certified timber helps to save forests".

""What's more, while growing, trees absorb carbon and release oxygen so, the purchase of certified timber not only helps to protect forests worldwide it also actively contributes to the fight against global warming".

""The only way to protect a forest from turning into extensive agriculture or pasture land is to make money from it".

"But that must be done sustainably, by respecting both the forest's growth rhythm and its people".

"That's where the Forest Stewardship Council comes in".

"It provides forests with a workable business model that guarantees long-term protection from over-logging (environmental sustainability) while also protecting local people from being exploited or expelled from the land (social sustainability)".

NEW PRODUCTS.

*Cloeziana piles.

Forest Stewardship Council-certified Cloeziana is an ideal hardwood for civil and marine use.

Unlike Greenheart, it is in plentiful supply and favourable in price.

Thanks to a straight trunk, long lengths (up to 14m), minimum taper and marine borer proof properties, FSC Cloeziana has already been used in applications such as substructures for bridges, piling, fencing, post-beam constructions, breakwater constructions, and mooring poles.

*Plato Wood.

Plato is a thermo-treated softwood which has acquired important, hardwood characteristics of stability and durability, tapping into applications where in the past usually only hardwoods could go.

No chemicals and very little energy are required in the treatment process resulting in thicker sections and less brittleness.

The product has been used for highway noise barriers, sheet piling, decking, retaining walls, and fences.

It has also been utilized as an attractive cladding cover on top of old steel sheet piling.

*SafeGrip.

SafeGrip strips go into decking grooves to improve the safety of decked areas that are prone to be slippery when wet, muddy or during winter.

The product has been tested to BS7976 and complies with the UK Slip Resistance Group guidance.

It offers twice the safety recommended for walking surfaces and can be supplied in many different colours, further enhancing safety.

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