At top left are acoustic fencing panels headed for south Wales. They’ll reduce the impact of noise created by traffic and commercial activity and are effective precisely because they are made of timber. Because its surface appears to be so hard we tend to think of timber as a completely solid material. In fact, the wood is full of extensive networks of ducts and cells through which resin and water flowed when the tree was growing. Once the tree is felled the voids of this network remain and are one of the reasons why wood is such a good thermal insulator. It is this same network which helps timber absorb sound so efficiently.
At top right are treated fencing posts which are headed for a solar power installation. The sun provided the energy for the trees from which the posts were cut to grow in the first place, and now they are headed from our solar powered sawmill to help harness yet more solar energy.
At bottom is a trailer load of Welsh larch cladding to provide a beautiful, traditional finish to buildings. Cladding has been used in this way for generations and in many parts of the UK is an important element in much vernacular architecture. It is now also prized by many modern architects as a natural, durable and sustainable material of choice for building exteriors.
We can think of no other material which could meet all three of these very different needs. And, as COP 27 meets, it’s worth remembering that every bit of timber used for these products is already being replaced by trees already growing in the forest.