Northern Ireland MP Margaret Ritchie emerged as one of the leading political supporters of the timber sector when she spoke at the recent Confederation of Timber Industries’ (CTI) Westminster reception.
She spoke eloquently about what sustainable timber can bring to construction and the economy, as well as sustainable forestry’s wider benefits to society.
“Timber is such an old and ubiquitous material that we often overlook its important economic value – yet it is a £10bn supply chain in its own right,” she said.
“The supply chain is attracting investment, particularly in factory expansion for the timber frame and joinery manufacturing sector.”
As a vice-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Timber Industries (APPG) she believes there is great potential for the sector to make a valuable contribution in the years ahead.
Many in the timber industries probably won’t know much about Ms Ritchie, so it’s worth rewinding the clock a bit to look at her background, especially as we’re likely to be hearing a lot more from her and colleague APPG chairman and fellow Northern Ireland MP Ian Paisley.
Ms Ritchie MP grew up in South Down, Northern Ireland and has been in public service for 31 years.
Her political career began in 1985 when she was elected to Down District Council and was elected again at successive elections. She also worked for her predecessor MP Eddie McGrady.
She was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2003, 2007 and 2011. She was minister for social development, with responsibility for housing, urban regeneration and community development.
She launched the New Housing Agenda in 2008, aimed at providing social and affordable housing, as well as helping people onto the housing ladder.
She was elected MP for South Down in 2010, resigning her Northern Assembly seat in 2012 to focus on the role.
Ms Ritchie is currently a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee at Westminster, where her roles have included working on inquiries into ash dieback and forestry in England. In her native Northern Ireland, Ms Ritchie said there was a legacy of deforestation, with tree cover lower than the rest of the UK. Just 8% of Northern Ireland is forested, compared to 10% in England, 17% in Scotland and 30% in Europe.
In her own constituency there are a lot of people working in the timber sector, including joinery manufacturers, timber frame house manufacturers, sawmills and the timber importing sector based at Warrenpoint.
“Warrenpoint imports a considerable amount of Scandinavian timber,” she said. “Any tariffs applied to these products post- Brexit will impact on people.”
The New Housing Agenda initiative she was involved in was designed to deal with unmet housing need in the social housing sector and resulted, she said, in probably more houses being built in this sector than under any previous administration.
The initiative effectively doubled new housing provision over a three-year period to 2,000 units.
She admits that the housing built was typically traditional masonry build. “But why should they not be using timber because timber frame homes are very warm and can help reduce fuel poverty,” she said.
During her housing role in Northern Ireland she encountered many misconceptions around building with timber.
“For many in construction and in planning, the timber is either considered an unreliable or an unaffordable building material for use at scale, particularly when compared to more carbon-intensive alternatives like concrete “And in many minds, the bad practice of the past has created the perception of timber as an unsustainable industry, and has obscured the potential opportunity to tackle climate change.
“For my part, I believe that the long-term benefits of constructing in timber, and potential carbon-savings that can be made mean that the government should do more to empower local authorities and planners to favour sustainably sourced timber constructions.”
While acknowledging the low carbon, quick construction and high levels of thermal insulation that timber-based construction can bring, Ms Ritchie is also a pragmatist and says timber can’t just get an automatic green card in construction projects simply because it’s timber.
Any material needs to demonstrate its low carbon credentials and fulfil the aims of the sustainability project criteria for new developments.
“My roles, previously as a minister and now as an MP mean you have to have an open mind. But it’s clear to me that some stakeholders will favour use of sustainably sourced timber in construction and I do not think that councils or planners should be disencouraged from that.
“Whether it’s social housing providers, councils, developers or the private rental sector, they need to open their eyes and work with others.
“It’s about getting policymakers to focus on the long-term and Wood First is a long-term thing. It will be a long-term gestation and you have to combine it with other innovative methods of construction and with policy. There is a lack of knowledge with many policymakers.”
And it’s here that the APPG for the Timber Industries can provide a key role. “The APPG can play an important role in taking evidence and bringing people in with knowledge,” she added.
She said APPGs provide space for MPs to find out more information on issues of interest. We can discuss and test issues with trade stakeholders, policymakers and MPs. “I am confident there is cross-party support in the group with MP and Lords being eager to become involved to grow their experience of the sector and learn,” said Ms Ritchie.
The reception at Westminster, following the CTI Conference, was the first of a series of events the APPG hopes to run to raise the profile of the timber supply chain in Britain and Northern Ireland.
The group will build on its work in 2017, with inquiries into particular areas and, Ms Ritchie says, it can help counter outdated notions of growth being in conflict with sustainability.
She pointed to abolition of the department of energy and climate change (DECC) last summer as an example of the latter, plus the ditching of the Code for Sustainable Homes. Ms Ritchie believes some kind of re-look at the Code is needed.
She also said planting of woodland and forestry could help mitigate climate change effects and was recognised as a natural flood management solution by preventing excess surface water run-off and soil erosion. Sustainable timber purchasing can help the government achieve its sustainability aims, with the industry being a “no-brainer” due to such benefits as timber housing able to sequester large amounts of carbon.
The timber supply chain, she says, is a great example of a “better than carbon neutral” industry, as it could absorb far more carbon than is produced through the rest of the manufacturing chain.
“With the right regulation and enforcement regime from government, increased demand for timber can drive the growth of forests. By creating reliable economic returns for timber harvesters, we encourage replanting and high levels of sustainable forest management. This is where strong government and trade regulation is essential.”
With Brexit looming, Ms Ritchie says it is vital the UK maintains access to the single market and that no hard custom borders were introduced between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. She thinks the abilities of the timber trade to import wood have not been helped by Brexit due to the potential for tariffs as well as currency movements subsequent to the vote.
“The government should also commit to maintain and strengthen Britain and Northern Ireland regulation on sustainable forestry post-Brexit, ensuring that both the timber grown in the UK and imported wood remains of the highest environmental standards.
“Moreover, the government should use its influence to push better enforcement of sustainability standards of the EUTR, to ensure our good practice does not leave our supply chain at a competitive disadvantage,” said Ms Ritchie. “Any departure from this fatally undermines the enormous sustainability potential of the sector.”
Ultimately, she is upbeat about the sector’s future. “I see great potential in the timber industry and want to see it grow and fulfil its potential.”
