Ahec Warsaw Convention shows opportunities for American hardwoods

The theme was ‘Sustainable American Hardwoods – A Market Opportunity’, which gave the convention firm and confident footing, a confidence which was borne out throughout the programme. Mike Snow, Ahec’s Washington-based executive director, outlined the promotional programs and passion of the Ahec teams located across the world whose activities “offer inspiration and pull demand through” with international design competitions and high profile projects such as the 12 metre high American red oak ‘Timber Wave’ outside the V&A museum in London created by architects AL_A and Arup for Ahec and the 2011 London Design Festival. But he reminded the delegates that the American Hardwood Export Council’s local offices are also resources for local industries, providing up-to-date technical information and case studies through to grading seminars. “Timber has a unique opportunity to grow the market,” said Mr. Snow. “China is becoming a huge consumer, and has overtaken the EU in volume and value of U.S. hardwood exports, but Europe continues to be a vital market with international influence which punches above its weight, pushing innovation and advancements in timber technologies and treatments.” With such advancements, timber is finding markets and applications not previously considered, such as structural use and external joinery.

 

Ahec’s European director David Venables moderated a discussion on increasing market share for U.S. hardwoods in European markets. The panel, which included Andreas von Möeller, Jacob Jürgensen in Germany, Chad Cole from Imola Legno in Italy, Jerzy Karpiński from DLH in Poland and Francois Remiche of CIB in Belgium, highlighted key issues in their markets, from the increasing housing stock and regeneration and refurbishment markets in Germany, where people are investing in their homes rather than banks, to the stop-and-go market of Italy where the fast turnaround of value-added products such as kiln dried and square edged lumber which U.S. hardwoods offer, is being well received as a positive response to current liquidity issues in the country. Of course, exchange rates fluctuate, sometimes working for and sometimes against American hardwood, and this often impacts on the timings of sales but the source of supply is well established and trusted. As the discussion moved to red oak, Mr. Venables asked if finding a viable way to treat this species for external applications is the way forward to achieve market acceptability? “Red oak is the U.S.’s greatest volume species and can be used much more. Sustainability is not just about recycling or reuse; it is about maximising yield, using as much of the abundantly available resource as possible, and utilising the most available species.”

 

Rupert Oliver from Forest Industries Intelligence and Rachel Butler, sustainability advisor to the European Timber Trade Federation provided specifics on whether the EU Timber Regulation presents a unique growth opportunity for U.S. hardwoods. Ms. Butler explained that the upcoming EUTR prohibits the “first placing” of illegally harvested timber and timber products onto the EU market. “Operators must exercise due diligence to mitigate the risk that this timber has been illegally harvested. Essentially, they must implement a due diligence system which provides information about the supply of timber products, including description, species and country of harvest; evaluate the risk of placing illegally harvested timber and timber products on the market, and, unless the risk of illegality is negligible, take steps to mitigate this risk with additional information or third party verification.” The EU Timber Regulation comes into force on 3^rd March 2013. Ms. Butler continued, “Certification is not an automatic passport for EUTR. Sustainability is its goal: legality gives market access.”

 

Mr. Oliver explained that it is relatively simple for U.S. suppliers to comply with the EU Timber Regulation. “It’s not dissimilar to the Lacey Act in the U.S.; the information required is already available and part of what must be provided for timber being exported from the U.S. to Europe.” The conclusions of the Seneca Creek study, the independent and peer-reviewed research commissioned by AHEC confirming the legal and sustainable status of U.S. hardwood forest management, concludes there is negligible risk that U.S. hardwoods contain wood from illegal sources. Mr. Oliver continued “it will only be necessary for a European importer to confirm that the hardwood wood is genuinely of U.S. origin, using existing standard export documentation such as invoices and phytosanitary certificates, to demonstrate due diligence in line with the EUTR”. Ms. Butler concluded “communicating the requirements of the EUTR will be a huge task which will need the right messages to be made very clear. However, this is a unique growth opportunity for wood, particularly for U.S. hardwoods as it will be relatively simple to meet the requirements.”

 

Continuing this theme, the question ‘Could LCA/carbon footprinting provide the best chance hardwoods have to compete with other materials?’ was asked of Jameson French, former Chairman of FSC-US, Ahec and the U.S. Hardwood Manufacturers Association, and president and Ceo of Northland Forest Products, Cathy Danzer of the Danzer Group, Scott Bowe, University of Wisconsin and Jim Greaves from Hopkins Architects. Ahec is investing in probably the largest Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study ever undertaken in the international hardwood sector. The study is providing comprehensive information about the environmental impacts of processes used to extract, process, fabricate, transport, install, maintain, replace, and dispose of American hardwood products and their competitors. Already, the assessment shows that from extraction to delivery in Europe and Asia, carbon emissions during transport are more than offset by carbon storage in U.S. hardwood lumber products. This approach to green specification and design is based in science, and will give rise to Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs); easily understandable information similar to that of food labeling.

 

Rupert Oliver told the conference that EPDs are coming; “EPDs already form the basis of material selection in European green building initiatives like BREEAM in the UK, DGNB in Germany and HQE in France. The French government is now phasing in legislation to make EPDs mandatory for all consumer products. EPDs counteract greenwash and spurious claims by material suppliers based on single issues or unreliable evidence. We’re assessing the environmental impact of our products at all stages from the forest to delivery to European customers, and other materials must be held to the same standard. Will environmental product declarations catch on? Yes, the food label comparison is one that consumers are used to.” Jameson French said, “LCA is building the case to respond to the growing green building movement, but competing materials continue to manipulate their LCA data. The environment community does not seem to be able or willing to address concerns of practices such as strip-mining.” Mr. French continued, asking the media to make sure there is a level playing field and not tolerate manipulation, and he encouraged the European industry to fund their own LCA; “stand with us don’t miss the boat”. According to Mr. Oliver, “preliminary results from the Ahec LCA project indicate that the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of one tonne of 1 inch kiln dried American white oak lumber delivered into the EU is -1 (minus one) tonne. Due to the carbon stored in the wood, every tonne of U.S. hardwood lumber imported into the EU effectively offsets one tonne of carbon dioxide emissions”. Once complete, the data collected for the LCA for U.S. hardwoods will be available as a user-friendly database, with ‘i-reports’ and online tools which will form an extension to the species guide.

 

Cathy Danzer stated that the further products get from the sun, the greater the environmental impact they have, and timber simply has the shortest distance. “We must be prepared, but we don’t have to fight so hard – wood has already won.” Scott Bowe explained that well-managed forests store more carbon than non-managed forests. Jim Greaves said, “the building industry is responsible for around 40% to 50% of global greenhouse gas emissions. We’re right in the thick of it, and timber is the most environmentally gentle product we can use. It has this phenomenal concept of carbon sequestration and hardwoods are even better, but as a practitioner the information is too complicated. EPDs offer a fundamental opportunity. Consumers and architects don’t have time. Make it simple and communicate it. Make it consumable.”

 

David Venables concluded that “we believe future policies and legislation will force massive behavioral change in the market place and our current LCA research provides the science to dispel any concerns relating to American hardwoods.” Mr. French closed the session, saying “We need to tell the world that wood is the ultimate green building material”; a fact which now has the science to prove it.

 

Neil Summers of Timber Dimension explored the growth opportunities for exterior applications of U.S. hardwoods. He concluded that a number of U.S. species are clearly suitable for both traditional preservative treatments methods and emerging wood modification techniques such as heat treatment. Ahec is very excited about this potential as the market for exterior wood applications driven by architects and consumers continues to grow.

 

Next, architectural journalist Ruth Slavid and Belinda Cobden-Ramsay of Ahec Europe revealed the structural potential of American red oak with an examination of the process of the design and realisation challenges of ‘Timber Wave’ for the London Design Festival by AL_A. No part of the laminated and finger-jointed structure created by Cowley Timber was the same, and leading engineering firm Arup believe it is the most challenging and rewarding project they have worked on.

 

Of the 2011 Ahec European Convention in Warsaw, David Venables said, “The role of the convention continues to provide unique insights and information to help both the European trade and the U.S. industry as they plan ahead and tackle complex issues, be they upcoming legislation or material and species substitution and the ever-growing potential of American hardwoods.”