Making waves with LUS

This report summarises the main findings of a collaborative research project funded by the Environment Agency and TRADA, which aimed to identify additional species for use in marine and freshwater construction.

The research examined the performance of 18 lesser-used species (LUS) tropical hardwoods, benchmarked against greenheart and ekki. Five...

One of the most important factors affecting the performance and properties of wood is its moisture content. The amount of water present in wood can affect its weight, strength, workability, susceptibility to biological attack and dimensional stability in a particular end use.

We estimate that over 80% of...

Historically, the UK construction industry has favoured a narrow range of ‘tried and tested’ hardwood timbers for use in marine and freshwater applications.

Over-reliance on a small number of species is not compatible within sustainable forest management, as certain species are being over-exploited. This is likely to reduce the security...