In 2003, when Napier University‘s Centre for Timber Engineering (CTE) won £1.2m funding for its Strategic Integrated Research in Timber (SIRT) project, it was a huge demonstration of confidence in the newly formed institution.
More than mere moral support, of course, the funding, provided by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, enabled the CTE, in the words of its first annual report in 2004, to “hit the ground running”. And while its Edinburgh location gives it a close alliance to the timber and construction industries in Scotland, the CTE is clear that its purpose is to provide an important teaching and research resource for the whole of the UK.
The four-year SIRT programme has an ambitious aim – to establish the UK as the world centre of expertise on Sitka spruce. And it’s doing this by examining the variation within the species and the causes of that variation – provenance, climate, environment and so on. While CTE contributes the engineering expertise for the project, its research partner Forest Research (the research arm of the Forestry Commission) provides knowledge on how tree growth and forest management affect spruce timber quality, while Glasgow University is responsible for molecular research.
By getting to grips with the drivers of variation, Sitka spruce can then be managed. If it can be managed effectively, then the quality of the timber can be maximised.
Construction potential
That’s particularly good news for the construction industry as a limiting factor for the use of British-grown timber within construction has been the variable quality of Sitka spruce. And, if Forestry Commission forecasts are anything to go by, the supply of Scottish timber is set to double by 2025, with Sitka accounting for around 80% of that increase.
The SIRT programme is similar to one carried out in South Africa for eucalyptus. Playing a key role in that was the CTE’s director Professor Philip Turner. Prof Turner, who took up his post on September 1, was previously with the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, where he was director of the Forest & Forest Products Research Centre. He was also associate professor of forestry at the University of Kwazulu, Natal.
Prof Turner is confident that the SIRT project is about to gather pace. “The first part of the research project which was to look at genetic variation is almost complete. The data is being analysed now and there should be some interesting results coming out of that. I think we’ll start fast-tracking now and my experience in South Africa will help speed things up.”
Addressing two roles
His background also helps him position the CTE effectively within the wider research environment. “I see the university as having a different role to the research institutes,” he said. “I came from both and formed a centre which addressed the two roles.
“I see a model like that in the future where research institutes look at the more applied research and the implementation and interface with industry. Our job is to focus on capacity building and with more fundamental research – with a very clear goal of implementation through the right channels. That implementation could be through research institutes or through industry itself.”
The Centre also differs from other institutes in that it performs the dual roles of research facility and education provider. Its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes have been developed in response to needs identified within the forestry, timber and construction industries and some of its students play an active part in the research function.
Producing the timber engineers of the future is one obvious goal, but Prof Turner believes it’s just as important to educate tomorrow’s captains of the timber industry as to how important innovation is – and the role research plays in innovation.
“There is often a temptation to take the existing technology and make it work as efficiently as possible and be short-term focused on making money,” he said. “Any business that wants to be there for the long haul needs to understand the competition – and the competition is driven by technology and innovation.
“It’s up to people within these companies to create a culture of innovation and as part of that they need to address technical questions through research.”
And, if individual companies are unsure of their research needs, CTE can provide the necessary guidance. “We’re engaging with companies to understand their strategic needs,” said Prof Turner. “They know there are challenges and it’s one of our jobs to unpack those and translate them into a research strategy.
“It’s critical to get a really solid competence in the fundamentals of wood properties and there’s some very exciting research going on around developing that competence and knowledge base,” he continued. “I’m hoping that will be one of the cores of our expertise and will give us a good research base and reputation into the future.”
