asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry if he will make a statement on the research projects which are under way to promote the use of native timber; and if he will give details of the programme and the results to date.
Written Answers. - Native Timber Research.
395.
Research aimed at promoting greater use of Irish timber is undertaken by the IIRS with funding from and in close association with my Department. The overall objective is to ensure that the volume of timber which is now becoming increasingly available from the State forests is utilised to the best national advantage through the substitution of Irish timber — properly cut, finished and presented — for imported sawnwood.
This objective is being achieved by a combination of measures e.g. improving the image of Irish timber; stimulating higher sawmilling standards; encouraging the use of stress grading and other quality assurances; developing new products and applications for Irish timber and promoting its use by various specifiers and users.
Apart from promotional activities such as organisation of seminars and workshops, production of information brochers, and on-site surveys of timber usage, current IIRS projects include the assembly of data on physical and mechanical properties of home-grown timber, the development of suitable inexpensive stress grading equipment, the investigation of drying techniques, the establishment of ground rules for scaffold boards and the evaluation of the effects on wood strength and quality of various forest management and tree-growing processes.
A considerable amount of information has been compiled in relation to such matters as the properties of Irish timber, wood preservation and drying techniques, physical and mechanical testing of joists and roof trusses, grading of timber and so on — all of which will, it is hoped, lead to the preparation of an Irish national timber standard. The promotional and research efforts are already producing results in the form of increasing market penetration for Irish timber.