Woodknowledge Wales
Contact: Gary Newman
Email address: gary.newman @ woodknowledgewales.co.uk
Description
Woodknowledge Wales’ vision is the transformation of Wales into a high-value forest nation. Currently, the focus has been on housing and construction as two related areas with big impacts on the planet and people. These areas have a massive potential to support Wales’ transition to a socially just low-carbon society.
Work categories
- Knowledge creation and exchange (e.g., research, technical support, communities of practice, events and communication).
- Advocacy (e.g., national and local policy development, government consultations and participation in working groups).
- Strategic interventions (e.g. collaborative innovation projects, feasibility studies, application of research findings in exemplar housing and manufacturing projects).
Activities engaged across four objectives:
1. Increase the markets for higher-value sustainable timber products
- Work with demand-side stakeholders (e.g. social housing, retrofit, self-procured, developer-led, non-domestic and non-construction) to identify, quantify and communicate how timber can help to meet their current and future needs (e.g. low carbon, high performance, affordability and social value).
- Provide guidance and technical support for customers in the use of timber.
- Advocate for policy change to drive growth in demand for sustainable timber products.
2. Increase the scale, value and purpose of the timber manufacturing sector
- Create manufacturer groups (e.g. joinery and timber frame) to raise ambitions and enhance the sector’s response to opportunities.
- Identify and implement strategies to improve the manufacturer’s offer to customers (e.g. contractors, clients and their consultants).
- Provide technical support to manufacturers to enable the adoption of higher (common) standards and the use of homegrown timber to better address markets in Wales and England.
- Advocate for policy change to support an increase in scale, value, resilience and purposefulness of the timber manufacturing sector.
3. Increase the area, productivity, value and purpose of the forestry sector:
- Identify and promote timber species, forest management and industry practices to support the production of high-value timber for high-value markets.
- Promote and support the use of homegrown timber to manufacturers and their customers.
- Encourage expansion of the area of high-value forest by identifying potential land (location and ownership) for afforestation and by identifying and developing new financial options for landowners (e.g. local authorities, farmers) and other value-adding investors (e.g. Welsh pension fund, Welsh carbon offset model).
- Advocate for policy change to provide a more supportive legislative framework for the development of tree planting, forest industries, land-use change and the use of homegrown timber.
4. Promote a high-value, collaborative and more purposeful wood culture in Wales:
- Implement a communication programme to raise awareness and raise the level of ambition in Wales.
- Development strategies for the delivery of the education, knowledge and skills necessary to support the transformation of Wales into a high-value forest nation.
- Create a collaborative culture, joining dots and breaking down silos, linking networks throughout the United Kingdom, promoting participatory and citizen science approaches and knowledge sharing to help overcome silo thinking, to support wide participation and increase public good outcomes.
Organised by
Woodknowledge Wales is a Wales-based not-for-profit community benefits society with members from across the entire wood value chain and a close working relationship with the Welsh Government.
Objectives
The aim is to develop a Thriving Forest Economy serving a socially just society that acts within planetary boundaries, is proud of its forest and grateful for the ecosystem services these provide.
Purposes:
- Purposeful Growing: How to best manage these forests for better resilience and climate change mitigation?
- Added-Value Processing: How to make the best use of the timber harvested from this precious resource in our processing?
- Low-Carbon Manufacturing: How to manufacture better-performing construction products from our processed timber?
- Net-Zero Construction: How to build better buildings with these products?
For these four elements to come together, there’s a need to work towards an enabling wood culture.
This is in part about helping the different circles to see themselves as part of a whole, a living ecosystem to which they actively contribute.
This is also about shifting our own practices and industry culture as part of the overall culture and identity of our society.
Innovation support services
- Finance/funding access (e.g. pitching to investors, project proposal brokerage).
- Business development support.
- Capacity building and skills training.
- Mutual learning and community building through communities of practice.
- Networking and partnership brokerage.
- Technical assistance.
- Visibility and communication support.
Innovation stages
Key assets
Strong relationships with various government departments that help facilitate connections across silos and find technical and political support and funding for specific initiatives within our work across the wood value chain.
Strong relationships with trade organisations, leading voices and technical experts across the wood value chain.
Recognition as an independent project enabler.
Other information
Current flagship projects include:
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