Realising the environmental performance of construction materials has become a major priority for building designers. Using more wood, however, is not always as simple as it may seem. That’s because the main commercial softwood species available lack the durability to deliver the service life required for some construction applications.

However, the good news is that the durability of construction timber and joinery can be enhanced using factory pre-treatments to meet extended service life requirements and protect against decay and insect attack.

Realising the full potential of wood as a sustainable, environmentally beneficial material goes hand in glove with realising the benefits of wood protection technology and, to back this up, the WPA has announced its 2022 ‘Making the Most of Wood Conference’ and industry Awards dinner, to be held in late June.

The aim of the conference is to highlight the contribution that wood protection technology must play in the growing move to building with wood. We’ll be turning the spotlight on the challenges faced by the treated wood supply chain and the opportunities that attention to quality and product performance can deliver. The line-up of speakers and subjects for the WPA’s 2022 conference has never been more topical and relevant to the future of the wood treatment supply chain.

The WPA conference has four key subjects:
THE NEED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATIONS

Keynote speaker Charlie Law, sustainability director at Timber Development UK will explain the increasingly important role of EPDs in the specification of construction materials; why they are the key to verifying the sustainability credentials of treated wood and how they can help overcome misperceptions about the use of wood protection products to enhance the performance of construction.

TREATED FENCE POSTS FIELD TRIAL – YEAR SEVEN RESULTS

In 2015 the WPA contracted the BRE to establish and report on the durability performance of preservative impregnated home-grown timber fence posts. Right now, BRE is carrying out the year seven inspection of 1,500 pine, spruce, Douglas fir and larch fence posts installed across two test sites – one in Scotland, one in England. Ed Suttie, BRE research director will reveal to conference how the posts are performing and if mechanical incising prior to impregnation really does make a difference.

TTF STRATEGY TO GROW DEMAND FOR PRESERVATIVE TREATED WOOD

Members of the TTF voted overwhelmingly in late 2019 to support a three-stage strategy to grow demand for preservative treated wood. Stages 1 and 2 are focused on raising buyer awareness on how to specify treated wood correctly and to identify it correctly in sales materials. Stage 3 is a move to third-party quality verification of the treatment process.

Timber Development UK (formerly TTF) CEO David Hopkins will present a progress report on the strategy and the continuing action plan.

WOOD MODIFICATION – HOPE OR HYPE?

It’s more than 15 years since wood modification technologies started to be used on a commercial scale to enhance the durability of wood. Callum Hill, JCH Industrial Ecology Ltd has been at the forefront of wood modification research and development from the outset. Often hailed as the future of treated wood, this presentation will highlight the most recent developments and what lies ahead for modified wood.

The WPA hosts a conference every year and staging such an event and attracting expert guest speakers would not be possible without the support of sponsors. The main sponsors this year are the modified wood brand Accoya, the wood preservative supplier Impra, the timber educational portal Wood Campus and the industry magazine
Fencing & Landscaping News.

2022 WOOD PROTECTION EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Finally, nominations for the five award categories in the WPA’s 2022 Wood Protection Awards are now open. Now in their seventh year the Awards are a showcase for the use of preservative treated wood, modified wood, flame retardant protected wood as well excellence in marketing and customer service.

The awards evening immediately before the conference has become a highlight of the year for the wood protection industry and more information and nomination forms can be found on:
www.thewpa.org.uk/news-event