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The forestry and timber-processing sector contributes about £2,000M per year to the UK economy. There are significant benefits to be gained by converting the maximum possible percentage of UK wood into construction timber products because the highest returns in terms of price and environmental impact are achieved with construction grade timber. WestCHEM research has contributed to the development of acoustic tools that allow construction-grade timber to be identified in the forest. This research also led to changes in UK Forestry Commission planting policy, with `improved' stock now accounting for >80% of new planting across both public and private sectors, yielding an estimated increase of £75M in the market value of these trees.
DU researchers have developed new algorithms and statistical models with which to make precise quantitative assessments of forest cover and forest attributes over small or large areas using satellite remote-sensing data, either alone or in combination with airborne or ground-based laser scanning. This research underpins the use of remote sensing as a cost-effective tool for aspects of forest resource management, planning, and policy compliance in many countries. Users include government agencies in the UK, Sweden, New Zealand and Guyana, and international forestry consultancy companies based in Finland with regional branches in New Zealand. DU researchers have also used these methods to help verify the Guyana government's entitlement to $250m under a UN initiative for avoidance of CO2 emissions.
The team has conducted research on environmentally friendly practices in furniture manufacturing for developing countries such as Bosnia, Ghana, Malaysia, Thailand, Romania and Vietnam in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and the European Union Erasmus Multilateral Projects programme. The developed practices were used to protect traditional skills in furniture-making crafts in areas affected by war, in the intensive labour furniture sector of tropical timber producing countries and in temperate countries. Such environmentally friendly practices have impacted on production and employment.
Since 2005 there has been a surge of interest in reducing tropical deforestation as a means of mitigating global climate change, as well as enhancing the protection of tropical biodiversity and contributing to sustainable rural development. Ways of achieving this include the REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNCCC), and also non-governmental ("voluntary") forest carbon sequestration projects being established across the tropics. The Ecosystems Group, led by Malhi, in the Oxford School of Geography and the Environment, has been actively engaged in natural science and policy/governance research directions, all of which have had impacts on both REDD+ and voluntary forest carbon sequestration projects. The group's natural science research has developed scientific methodologies for measuring tropical forest biomass, through in situ plots and satellite imagery, and they have been actively involved in establishing pilot REDD+ projects in several countries. On the policy and governance side, the Forest Governance Group, created in 2009, has played a key role in establishing global databases on the effectiveness of protected areas in conserving forests, provided international comparative analyses of forest policies outside protected areas, and actively engaged in global, regional and local REDD+ policy-making fora.
Impacts: I) Economic benefits derived from carbon credit and land-use schemes in sub-Saharan Africa. II) Multi-national developments in public-policy related to Reducing Emissions for Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD). III) Recommendation for launch by the European Space Agency (March 2013) of the first ever forest-specific monitoring mission.
Significance and reach: Public policy developments have occurred over the period 2011 - June 2013 in Malawi, Mozambique and Gabon. Increases of more than 20% in the level of rural employment pre and post 2008 have been documented for one project in Mozambique.
Underpinned by: Research into quantifying tropical forest biomass stocks and their degradation, undertaken at the University of Edinburgh (2004 onwards).
Edinburgh Napier University was the first to develop thin membrane vibration isolators (2005) to allow party walls in new attached homes to be built off raft foundations. This led to the first Proof of Concept for the construction industry (2008) for perimeter isolators for blockwork apartments. Several patents have been granted leading to nine products manufactured by Icopal-Monarfloor, based in Manchester (UK), part of the Icopal global group. Over 15,000 homes have been built using these innovative isolators, delivering cost savings to the industry of over £80 million resulting in economic, environmental and quality of life benefits.
Research by the University of Huddersfield is making a major contribution to maintaining the tropical forests of south-west Ethiopia and improving the livelihoods of those who rely on them. By identifying effective arrangements for sustainable resource management and small-scale business development, the research has led to increased production, enhanced links with national and international markets and developed new institutions, as well as leading to revised legislation. Over 105,000 hectares of degrading forest are being transformed into a working and profitable resource and 18 new enterprises now serve around 100,000 people. In total, an estimated fifteen million people benefit from new rules supporting forest enterprise development.