The 65th Society of Wood Science and Technology (SWST) International Convention was held between July 10 and 15 at Kingscliff, NSW, covering the very latest findings in timber research, as well as some exciting potential future developments.
150 delegates from 21 countries attended the event, under the theme “A Global Perspective of the Present and Future Utilisation of Renewable Materials”.
As part of the convention, FWPA’s R&D Manager Chris Lafferty gave a presentation on the vast suite of available WoodSolutions resources.
There was also a presentation from a remarkable family duo! Professor and Director of the Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life Jeff Morrell and Dr Ian Morrell of Oregon State University both presented on Stiffness and energy characterisation of fungi-degraded cross-laminated timber (CLT) connections.
We asked three delegates to share their thoughts and key takeaways from the event, some highlights of which are included below …
Professor Keith Crews, Professor and Director at the Centre for Future Timber Structures, University of Queensland, and Emeritus Professor of Structural Engineering at the University of Technology Sydney, said he was pleased to see a strong Australian contingent at the convention, representing a breadth of disciplines and expertise from across the supply chain.
“While several presentations were focused on what I would consider fundamental wood and fibre science research, there was a significant number of excellent technical presentations focusing on the engineering performance of wood products for the built environment – particularly focusing on mass timber products,” said Crews.
“A presentation given by Mahboobeh Hemmati of the University of Arkansas titled Life cycle assessment of construction processes in mass timber structures covered research concerning the determination of embodied carbon using mass timber, while highlighting the need to mitigate the global warming potential associated with transporting materials to site.
“David Barber of Arup presented The promise of affordable multi-storey modular mass timber housing: an unfulfilled agenda.
“Barber discussed opportunities for the timber industry to create high value engineered timber products, utilising factory built, prefabricated volumetric modular construction. The presentation demonstrated how vertical integration of the supply chain can result in minimal on-site construction, with benefits including improved quality, safety and efficiency, and the development of cost-effective and sustainable housing.
“Ian Morrell of Oregon State University presented on Volumetric and fracture effects due to moisture intrusion in Douglas-fir larch cross-laminated timber, highlighting that while mass timber elements have many advantages, they are also still susceptible to environmental damage, including moisture intrusion and eventual biological degradation.
“This presentation covered excellent research and practical applications that are invaluable for developing ‘best practice processes’ for the construction of mass timber buildings to ensure they remain durable and perform as intended,” said Crews.
Dr Nathan Kotlarewski, Research Fellow in Timber Design and Production at the University of Tasmania, said the range of materials covered was diverse, and included hemp, sorghum and coconut, as well as typical hardwoods and softwoods.
“There were some innovative investigations with respect to shear testing, fire performance, non-destructive static load testing, and the use of photogrammetry to construct digital representations of structures,” said Kotlarewski.
Dr Kyra Wood, Principal Researcher at the National Institute for Forest Products Innovation (NIFPI) said many of the presentations focused on key concepts that relate to the value and use of timber and wood products in the built environment, namely carbon sequestration, waste reduction and value adding, life cycle assessment, circular economies, and commoditisation.
“While the production of steel and concrete generates large amounts of greenhouse gases, the fact that timber has the capacity to absorb carbon and store it in the long-term is an important point of difference,” said Wood.
“However, timber production also results in immediate greenhouse gas emissions. While some is stored, some is also released, for example through wood drying related emissions, or decaying forest residues.
“Measuring how much carbon can be stored in timber and wood products and how that compares to the emissions that production generates is a tricky but necessary piece of the puzzle for claims that timber and wood products are more sustainable than alternative materials.
“On this point, Professor Steven Kelley of North Carolina State University gave an interesting account of how to measure and analyse carbon flows in wood production and suggested that direct plot or coupe level analysis (i.e., keeping the focus small and targeted) is one of the more reliable ways to properly understand how much carbon can be ‘captured’ in a particular operation.
“Professor Kelley also talked about the aspects to measure when considering whether timber production can be considered carbon neutral. Kelley suggested these should be compared against the longevity of a timber structure, or the carbon recaptured by planting new trees to replace those harvested.
“Using forest resources efficiently and sustainably, improving recovery and reducing waste were key themes across the whole conference. This was reflected in a presentation given by Dr Mauricio Acuna of the University of the Sunshine Coast on upcoming work using increasingly powerful and easy-to-access light detection and ranging, or Lidar, technology.
“Dr Acuna proposed that Lidar and other remote sensing technology can be used to reduce waste during harvesting operations. This technology has the potential to rapidly assess and evaluate critical tree features and characteristics to help harvesters optimise cutting patterns.
“Meanwhile, Gavin Matthews from the Engineered Wood Products Association Australasia presented an interesting proposal for researching new methods to re-use and recycle treated and engineered wood products, as well as investigating the industrial feasibility of processing treated or glued, second-hand wood products,” said Wood.
Dr Wood was also recognised in Women Ambassadors Creating the Future of Wood Science poster display. The SWST-sponsored exhibition was designed to celebrate women ambassadors over time and will now be traveling around the world.
Congratulations to Professor Jeff Morrell
In addition, FWPA congratulates Professor Jeff Morrell on his election as SWST President for the 2023 year, which was announced during the convention.
