ProfessorGregory Nolan

Project Total: $665,000; This project aims to support resilience in the Tasmanian hardwood production industry as it transitions to increased reliance on a plantation hardwood supply by developing confidence in future products and viable, ongoing markets. A product development and material characterisation project, it focusses on solid wood products for applications in the building and construction sector. Later projects will progress this objective nationally. The national hardwood production sector is facing unprecedented change with both decline and significant change in the native forest log resource and an increased reliance on the plantation hardwood estate. Solid wood products recovered from this estate are essentially new and unsupported products in the marketplace. Responding to a Tasmanian Forest Products Association (TFPA)-identified priority that industry better understand future products and viable markets from the available resource base, the project focuses on three resources: sawlog-managed and fibre-managed plantation hardwoods, and silvicultural regeneration of native forests. Its activity areas include identifying market opportunities and perceptions for hardwood products; developing new, revised or enhanced products; supporting the products marketplace acceptance, and determining product and material characteristics from the available resources. With the majority of Tasmanias hardwood processing and growing sector involved as active project participants, activities are structured to collaboratively develop an enhanced product suite, increase research capacity available to the sector, ensure industrys applied research needs are addressed, and support confidence in the projects results. In addition to the technical outputs and product prototypes, the project helps establish the profile of a successful, contemporary hardwood processing sector and supports producer and investor confidence by confirming the scale of the available resource and the characteristics and performance of recovered products. It supports public and private forest growers by providing guidance about the log types that processors require and will want to acquire. Funded by: Australian Forest and Wood Innovations (AFWI) - Grant; Tasmanian Forest Products Association ($49,858); University of Tasmania ($734,540).

Project Total: $60,000; Project Title: Current challenges and opportunities to using solid timber in Tasmanian domestic construction Date: 31/01/2025 Proposed project outline This project will address the Tasmanian Forestry Hub Priority of Trees. Wood. Markets: Working with the Tasmanian Forestry Value Chain to support industry innovation and growth. It comprises of two phases: A Case Study that will explore a broad cross section of issues influencing the selection and application of timber products in the Tasmanian residential market. The research design and methods will follow the previous case study (TAS-2023-005) into solid timber use in commercial buildings. Literature review outlining the markets and any previous research related to timber use in domestic buildings. A case study approach will be employed, where key participants of the value chain for six Tasmanian built homes (across the State) will be interviewed. Six house projects across the state will allow us to interview approximately 30-40 participants including roles such as clients, builders, estimators, architects/ designers, engineers, timber processors, timber suppliers, frame and truss and window manufacturers, and other relevant participants. To ensure a diverse range of issues are identified, the six house projects will typically be determined by the builder selection. The proposed composition of builders are: three volume builders (e.g. Wilson Homes - statewide, Chris Reissig Builders - North and Cunic Homes South), one transportable builder (e.g. Tasbuilt Homes Northwest), and two high end builders (e.g. one from North and South that work with Architects for a new build or additions to existing heritage timber homes). Interview questions will be focussed on the rationale/ preference behind products selected (local, imported, substituted) and its application and performance. How timber products are researched, specified, and costed? The challenges and opportunities in structural and appearance-based applications. What initiatives, incentives or information may influence your increased use of timber products. It will conclude by asking is there an opportunity for you to use more locally produced wood products in the future? Questions regarding the Tasmanian Wood Encouragement Policy will also be included to provide a better understanding of how well the policy is known, understood and what impact it is or is not having on timber use in construction. The results of these interviews would be analysed and reported by key themes and include quotes. It is expected, like the recent case study into timber use in Tasmanian Commercial buildings to find valuable insights to better understand the market and value chain opportunities, as well as the impact of building codes beyond general market trends. Another benefit of doing this study is to make participants more aware of Tasmanian timber products and resources. An analysis of the key findings from the case study as identified by the project reference group and the Hub steering committee. This will be undertaken by specialist policy analysts who are engaged by the research team to undertake specific analysis on the findings and to essentially truth test them. The analysis methodology will be guided by the project reference group and the Hub steering committee and directly address the ch Funded by: Tasmania Forestry Hub ($60,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $925,000; The Australian residential timber construction industry, valued at $2.75 billion annually, requires attention to improve the capacity to build more homes quickly and efficiently. This program responds to a recent roadmap (Hewson, Woodard and Dunn, 2024) developed by the industry to identify crucial RD&E work. The roadmap involved 30 stakeholders across the wood products sector from producers, associations, manufacturers, and university researchers. It was developed over 18 months with extensive consultations. The proposed research program will conduct the first node of the roadmap focused on Productivity, which comprises seven sub-projects. This program brings together a new consortium of university researchers (nine different universities), timber framing consultants, industry stakeholders, and industry-based researchers to conduct this important work on productivity gains in lightweight timber framing (LTF) housing. The program will involve resetting the Deemed-to-Satisfy (DTS) limitations for Australian Standard 1684 Residential Timber-Framed Construction. The program will research how we can more efficiently use timber by examining the need for noggings in stud frames, the design of composite walls/ floors, stud distortion, design related to off-site manufacturing, manufacturing practices, installation practices and safe work practices for timber framing. Most timber framed houses in Australia are designed according to the DTS pathway presented in AS 1684 devised in the mid-1990s. The DTS pathway under the National Construction Code simplifies the design and specification process by removing the need to consult an engineer, however a lot has changed. Peoples changing expectations around space provision means that houses are often bigger, with larger open plan living spaces, two or more storeys, with large areas of glazing. Performance requirements continue to change, as they should, with increasing thermal performance, and requirements for healthy, high-performance housing accessible to all. Furthermore, DTS provisions do not account for the number of engineered wood products in the market. Funded by: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Grant ($924,762); Forest & Wood Products Australia Limited ($281,520); University of the Sunshine Coast ($13,678); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $195,208; This project is to investigate establishment of viable supply chains for currently underutilised species and resources in target native forest areas, specifically Acacia species grown in southern Tasmania and species recovered from mine site clearing operations across the WA Goldfields region. This research includes development of a market opportunity profile for each species through resource definition, material characterisation, establishing potential producer and user profiles, and marketplace assessment. Funded by: Forest & Wood Products Australia Limited - Grant - Research, Development and Extension (RD&E) ($195,208); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $234,000; Fibre-managed plantation E. globulus is potentially a viable source of structural timber and EWP feedstock for the Australian market. Currently, there is minimal data to characterise this potential. This project begins the process of providing the forestry and processing sectors with product information to inform the materials growth, supply, use and value, and establishes a base for further R&D. This foundational project involves assessing stands and logs from the WA plantation region, processing logs to dry board at a major production facility and capturing critical performance and economic data about the resource, recovered board. Funded by: Forest & Wood Products Australia Limited - Grant - Research, Development and Extension (RD&E) ($216,450); Cusp Building Solutions ($18,000); Wespine Industries Pty Ltd ($15,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $24,586,664; This research centre will be one of three delivering forestry and forest products industry focussed research under the AFWI grant Funded by: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Grant ($24,586,664); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $216,500; Pine third logs from clear fell, thinning logs, and the corewood of larger logs comprise mainly juvenile fibre and are therefore not typically processed for structural timber framing products. The limiting factor is often board instability in production and in-service compared with market expectations. However, alternative log and fibre sources become important in a market when availability of traditional sawlogs limits production volumes. Using Western Australian pine product, this scalable project will provide a capture critical performance data as a foundation for further research and development using this alternative fibre supply to meet market demand for timber construction and EWP feedstock. Funded by: Forest & Wood Products Australia Limited - Grower Research Advisory Council ($204,500); Wespine Industries Pty Ltd ($12,000); University of Tasmania ($12,000).

Project Total: $4,015,643; Food and wood products are areas of strategic growth for Tasmania and regional Australia, contributing $1.6 billion and $615 million, respectively, to the annual Tasmanian economy. A thriving and sustainable sector requires continued innovation to locally value-add and diversify products and markets. Innovation is underpinned by research strengths and a workforce sector connected to advances in technology and trained graduates. The University of Tasmania (UTas) is committed, through its strategic plan, to deliver impactful research to help Tasmania prosper, and to have influence nationally and globally. Through collaborations, this three-year project will increase research and development activity at UTas to support value-adding in niche food and wood products in regional areas. The delivery of the project will build cross-disciplinary, integrated collaborations at UTas, and together with long-term external partnerships and collaborations, will maximise the benefits of interdisciplinary approaches to delivering impactful research for the regions Funded by: Department of Education, Skills and Employment - Grant-Regional Research Collaboration ($4,005,643); Forico Pty Ltd ($10,000); University of Tasmania ($314,418).

Project Total: $15,000; Testing of sawn plantation E. nitens boards to characterise their properties for market condition. Funded by: Sustainable Timber Tasmania ($15,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $70,000; This briefing paper outlines a project to extend the Hermal group / CLTP Tasmania's (CLTP) capacity to recover, process and grade boards milled from predominantly fibre-grown Tasmanian plantation Shining gum (E.Niten) for use in market-ready mass timber products. This Tasmanian grown plantation resources has not previously been dried and graded on a commercial scale for mass timber elements. With a large and reliable plantation-based log supply and potentially voracious construction market for cross laminated timber (CLT) and glue laminated timber (GLT) products, CLTP is seeking to increase its total processing efficiency and quality, and product potentials with its existing and newly installed plant and facilities. Funded by: Australian Commonwealth Government ($35,000); CLTP Panel Products Pty Ltd ($35,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $44,630; NSFP has asked the University of Tasmania's Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood to assist with commissioning and optimisation of the predryers for processing plantation E.nitens and establishing procedures and training for its inclusion in day-to-day production Funded by: Department of Industry, Innovation and Science ($22,315); Neville Smith Forest Products ($22,315); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $276,500; The project aims to understand the moisture content (MC) of wood products and timber in the Australian timber supply chain and develop guidance that allows industry to limit unacceptable MC variation and improve customer confidence. Funded by: FWPA - National Institute for Forest Products Innovation - Grant-Research; University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $160,000; This project will investigate the cause of market-limiting, process-induced discoloration of appearance Tasmanian hardwood boards, particularly 'tyre track' recently found in thin section appearance plantation Shining gum and sticker mark in Tasmanian blackwood. Funded by: FWPA - National Institute for Forest Products Innovation - Grant-Research ($160,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $275,000; This project explores ways in which to demonstrate acceptable durability of natural and modified Tasmanian hardwood species in commercially relevant timeframes, tests material not covered by current durability standards, and establishes longer duration comparative trials of testing processes and material performance. Funded by: FWPA - National Institute for Forest Products Innovation - Grant-Research ($275,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $336,500; This project will develop a new generation of hardwood appearance products for manufacture in-state using current and new technologies from the available native, reclaimed, and plantation resources. Funded by: FWPA - National Institute for Forest Products Innovation - Grant-Research ($270,000); Tasmanian Timber Promotion Board ($20,000); McKay Investments Pty Ltd ($10,000); Forico Pty Ltd ($10,000); SFM Environmental Solutions Pty Ltd ($10,000); Britton Timbers ($10,000); Ta Ann Tasmania ($6,500); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $245,000; This project will develop the grading, jointing and gluing expertise and results necessary for the production of structurally reliable glue laminated elements from boards from a fibre-managed plantation hardwood resource. Funded by: FWPA - National Institute for Forest Products Innovation - Grant-Research ($200,000); Solarwood International Pty LTD ($45,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $330,000; This project focuses on increasing the desirable material characteristics of Tasmanian hardwood species: Tasmanian oak and plantation hardwoods, for use in several product groups: sawn appearance board, cladding, veneer-based products and glue assembled products: glulam and cross laminated timber (CLT). Funded by: FWPA - National Institute for Forest Products Innovation - Grant-Research ($320,000); Neville Smith Forest Products ($5,000); Sustainable Timber Tasmania ($5,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $358,750; A Tasmanian based project aiming to develop and validate a timber drying technology suite with an accompanying decision support tool 'app', for higher value product recovery across the wider timber industry in Australia and overseas. Funded by: FWPA - National Institute for Forest Products Innovation - Grant-Research ($315,000); Britton Timbers ($20,000); Sustainable Timber Tasmania ($15,000); Porta Mouldings Pty Ltd ($5,000); McKay Investments Pty Ltd ($3,750); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $109,774; The product recovery and value of sawn and veneered pruned Eucalyptus nitens plantation logs will be determined during integrated commercial trials. The outcomes will provide industry with a critical understanding of this resource's potential to provide high-value solid wood products. Funded by: Forest & Wood Products Australia Limited - Grant-Research and Development ($109,774); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $22,342; Funded by: Australian Research Council ($22,342); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $15,000; State Government support for the Visiting Fellowship of Professor Sigrist for various research purposes Funded by: Department of State Growth (Tas) ($5,000); Forest & Wood Products Australia Limited ($10,000); University of Tasmania ($34,000).

Project Total: $15,420; Providing expert responses to inquiries and assessing the pattern of responses Funded by: Forest & Wood Products Australia Limited ($15,420); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $100,000; This is a foundation project that seeks to develop the operational expertise and techniques necessary to supply, peel and make economically viable veneer-based products from Tasmanian plantation hardwoods Funded by: Department of Industry, Innovation and Science ($49,674); Ta Ann Tasmania ($50,326); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $50,000; This project will develop commodity-based high-mass laminated timber building components using fibre-managed plantation hardwood, aiming to diversify plantation hardwood product range through developing new products for the construction sector. Funded by: Forest & Wood Products Australia Limited - Grant-Research and Development ($35,000); Forico Pty Ltd ($10,000); Britton Brothers Pty Ltd ($5,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $118,200; Australia's first large-scale trial to provide information on the quality of veneer that can be processed from lower grade logs extracted from the native forests of southern Australia Funded by: Forest & Wood Products Australia Limited - Grant-Research and Development ($105,700); Forestry Tasmania ($5,000); Ta Ann Tasmania ($5,000); VicForests ($2,500); University of Tasmania ($22,500).