PITCHED ROOFING
Be sure of the quality and
provenance of your timber
Jeremy English, UK sales director at Södra, explores why, more than ever, it is so important to source and use
the very best, sustainable timber
With timber becoming an
increasingly popular and
necessary building material,
it is crucial to be sure of the
provenance and quality of the timber
you are using.
The sustainability benefits of timber
offers are well-known, meaning its
popularity and demand are only likely
to increase. A recent report from the
Royal Academy of Engineering even
suggests that building a new generation
of timber buildings, including skyscrapers,
would help the UK meet the Paris
Agreement sustainability targets.
With increasing popularity, however,
comes the threat of illegal logging,
deforestation, and a potential influx of
unsustainable, poor quality timber.
Remaining vigilant when
purchasing timber
The EU Timber Regulation has been
one of the key defences against this.
Encouragingly, it has largely helped to
prevent illegal timber from entering the
EU market and helped international
efforts to halt deforestation, protect
nature and fight climate change.
Thankfully, it’s likely that the UK
will remain committed to the EU Forest
Law Enforcement, Governance and
Trade action plan following Brexit,
although it will be known by its UK
name: Timber and Timber Products
Regulation. It remains vital, however,
that those buying, and sourcing timber
remain vigilant.
Guarantee supply assurance
As well as sustainability and quality,
you need to guarantee supply assurance
in uncertain times. You need to be
sure that you can source the right,
sustainable wood.
You can do this by being a
responsible buyer. Be aware of where
your wood is coming from and
make note of the forestry company’s
sustainability policy. Are they
reputable? Do they have ownership of
their supply chain, as per EU Timber
Regulation, from seed to sapling, to
harvesting and beyond?
Be mindful that forest-owners
with complete end-to-end control of
their supply chain and a strong UK
distribution network are more likely to
be insulated by fluctuations in timber
supply, and therefore able to offer
greater supply assurance.
Guaranteeing quality and
sustainability
Sustainability comes hand-in-hand
with quality, so be sure to ask your
merchant for the appropriate chain of
custody certification. This will have
been given to your merchant by the
importers. It should be the obligation
of responsible roofers to check that the
timber they are purchasing originates
from a sustainable source. Crucially, if
it is PEFC and FSC-certified, then you
can be confident of its sustainability
credentials.
Most timber will carry certification
and grade marks. If there are no grade
marks, the timber must not be used for
structural purposes. If you have any
doubts, note the grade stamp details
and contact the UKTGC.
You should also check that the
timber you are purchasing has an
average moisture content of 20% or less,
with no single piece exceeding 24%.
The benefits of using timber with the
correct moisture content are numerous:
greater strength, easier handling and
transportation, better machining, and
less shrinking and distortion.
For these reasons, it’s important
to be sure that the merchants you
are purchasing from are trusted and
reputable. All reputable merchants will
carry chain of custody and typically
stock both British Standard and/or Type
A grades of tile batten.
Why is this important?
As I say, sustainability and quality
come hand-in-hand. If your timber
has been slow-grown to full maturity
then not only has it fully benefited the
environment, but it will be straighter
and stronger, less prone to twisting
or bowing, and have fewer knots and
imperfections.
Quality timber provides you with
the reassurance that your building is
high-quality and going to last. Failure
to use quality, sustainable timber might
mean that it rots, and tiles may not fix
to timber battens properly, for example.
If you don’t invest properly in the
foundations of a project, then what’s on
top will not perform properly.
For instance, in September’s RCI
editor’s notes, it was revealed that
roofers are among the least trusted
traders. Being a responsible purchaser
of timber can not only help guarantee
a first-class job, but enhance your
reputation and restore consumer
confidence. Higher quality timber also
means less cast-offs and wastage, which
bolsters your bottom line.
Vitally, if you’re working on a
project that is reliant on ethical
funding, you will need to provide
proof of sustainability. It’s therefore the
roofing manufacturer’s responsibility
to produce documentation that
demonstrates the use of fully compliant,
PEFC and FSC-certified timber.
Failure to do so risks the funder
requesting that the non-compliant
timber is removed. For example
(albeit a different building product),
Carillion’s use of non-compliant
cladding on the Royal Liverpool
University compromised agreements
with lenders, contributing to the
project’s ongoing struggles and
extensive delays.
We’re entering a really exciting time
for timber and I truly believe in its
ability, amongst other things, to help
fix the UK’s housing crisis and meet its
sustainability targets. But we can only
achieve this if the right, high quality,
sustainable timber is used. Take care
when sourcing your timber. It won’t let
you down if you do.
w www.sodra.com
80 www.rcimag.co.uk November 2018
/www.sodra.com
/www.rcimag.co.uk
