Welcome: foreword Providing timber expertise

Providing timber expertise

Welcome to another edition of BM TRADA’s Timber Industry Yearbook and a fresh collection of technical timber articles.

Following a year of upheavals related to the pandemic and the post-Brexit transition, 2021 became the best performing year in several decades for many across the timber industry. There has been an incredible demand for timber, driven partly by the need for sustainable building solutions, and the industry has worked extensively to meet it. Raw material prices soared.

Additionally, the market for garden offices, DIY projects and general home improvements flourished as remote workers spent more time in their homes. Furthermore, we have seen an uptake in the specification of timber by professionals driven to do their part to achieve net zero carbon. We are in a state of transition and we have seen this reflected first-hand in the thirst for knowledge about the practicalities of using timber, as demonstrated by callers to BM TRADA’s technical helpline.

It is against this backdrop that many of the articles included in this edition of Timber 2022 have been written, and thus reflect the ongoing developments and changes within the timber industry at this time.

Technical timber knowledge

Written by our BM TRADA technical timber team, on the topics of wood knowledge, engineering and timber frame best practice, Timber 2022 includes articles covering: • visual strength grading (p29) • timber properties and uses (p32) • an introduction to timber connections (p34) • cavity barriers in timber frame construction (p37).

We have also provided an introduction to this team and the services and training that they provide.

Sustainable construction

We continue to focus on the increasing need to build more sustainably during the climate emergency. Articles addressing these issues cover: • how carbon is stored in timber (p41) • how timber structures are good for the planet (p47) • how to achieve low-carbon timber design (p54) • examples of affordable low-carbon homes (p63) • timber structures in building refurbishment (p68).

How we can help you

BM TRADA informs and assists those working in the timber industry through the provision of highquality independent advice. In 2022, we’re upping the game on every front.

Publications and the BM TRADA Bookshop

We remain committed to running the BM TRADA Bookshop and maintaining our publications and technical information. These publications can be bought from our bookshop at bookshop.bmtrada.com and through other well-known suppliers.

Technical helpline

BM TRADA’s technical team of experts answer thousands of your calls every year. We are delighted to announce that we are going to continue offering this service free of charge for the entirety of 2022.

We respond to everyone who calls with queries and will try to assist with straightforward advice or point you in the right direction, whether that’s to a specific publication or another service.

Webinar programme

Following on from a year experimenting with technical webinar programmes, we’re continuing to run these throughout 2022. We will be repeating two series that were incredibly popular – Structural timber engineering in early spring and Fundamentals of timber in late spring – as well as delivering new ones, which are intended to help people on learning journeys alongside their work.