Chris is an independant specialist forestry advisor for WKW. He has over 35 years’ experience of woodland management in Wales previously working for Forestry Commission Wales, Forest Research and Natural Resources Wales. Chris has specialised in understanding and using silviculture to enable the development and management of resilient and sustainable woodlands. Critically he is able to provide the knowledge that links the trees Wales grows, the environment they grow in and the products from the woodlands.

Eilidh Forster, PhD in Environmental Science and Forestry, Bangor University.

After a short but varied career in engineering and business development, I decided to pursue a long term interest in forestry and sustainability. In 2017, I was awarded a NERC funded PhD studentship at Bangor University to research the environmental sustainability of forestry value chains. Using a combination of carbon modelling and life cycle assessment (LCA), I am evaluating different forest management practices and timber product uses, with a particular focus on the construction sector. I hope that my holistic ‘life cycle’ approach will provide new insights into the most sustainable ways to grow and use timber, and my findings will be used to help drive forward growth and investment in the sectors. Initially I am looking at the greenhouse gas emissions impact of different value chains but hope to expand the scope to consider other impact categories as well, through collaboration with other researchers. In addition to my NERC studentship, I also receive supplementary funding from Woodknowledge Wales, with whom I’m collaborating for my LCA work on the timber supply chain. Working with WKW provides me with fantastic insight and exposure to the timber supply chains, which would be extremely difficult to achieve without their support. And more importantly, it is a huge pleasure to work with such an enthusiastic team with a shared passion.

James Moxey has a background in academia working at the University of Manchester and the University of Wales. He was Director of the Creative Industries Research and Innovation Centre based in Swansea. He has been the Director of a number of Welsh Government sponsored knowledge transfer centre projects, managed feasibility studies and overseen R&D collaborative projects with Welsh companies. His main focus is enterprise and innovation which means securing funding and providing leadership for innovation projects with a focus on SME growth.

Specialist Advisor (Wood Science)

Dainis is MD of Wood Science Ltd, consultant and researcher for WKW and a visiting wood science lecturer for City and Guilds London School of Art. Dainis has worked in the field of forestry and design of timber structures for more than 25 years. With Woodknowledge Wales, LCRI and BRE Dainis has completed over 10,000 hours of research and published six major reports which demonstrate the potential for and desirability of using homegrown softwoods in construction. Dainis has co-authored the book “New Perspectives on People and Forests” with Eva Ritter.

Email: dainis.dauksta@woodknowledgewales.co.uk

David is Project Manager for the Powys lead Home Grown Homes Exemplar Project

David joins the team with 30 years’ experience of the social housing and environmental sectors in Wales. He has been freelance for the last 10 years, working mostly with housing associations. He previously worked with Community Housing Cymru, Wales & West Housing and the Prince of Wales’ Committee. He lives in Carmarthenshire and is building a timber frame and timber clad home this year with his partner.

Gary is a construction engineer by training and early career. After completing a wood science masters, Gary established Plant Fibre Technology and has been instrumental in taking a number of bio-based products from concept to market. Gary is also a founder and Executive Chair of the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (www.asbp.org.uk). The ASBP is a member organisation committed to bringing product sustainability, resource use and the principles of the circular economy to the centre of the construction debate.

Contact Gary at: gary.newman@woodknowledgewales.co.uk

Christiane Lellig specialises in systems change and sustainability communications, Christiane has been working as a strategic marketing consultant in Switzerland, Germany and the UK since 1999. She has led national research and behaviour change programmes in various domains ranging from environmental concerns to labour and social justice issues, and has been responsible for the UK timber industry’s marketing campaign Wood for Good since 2016. Her particular interests lie in questions around society in transition, planning and land-use, biodiversity, low carbon housing and sustainable transport. Christiane holds a postgraduate degree in Social Sciences from the University of Göttingen, Germany. She is a co-founder of the European Social Marketing Association and the International Social Marketing Association and a member of the IECA.

Contact Christiane at: christiane.lellig@woodknowledgewales.co.uk

An Architectural Engineer with a Master’s degree in Environmental Design of Buildings, Diana has been working on a number of innovative research projects, including the Low Carbon Research Institute (LCRI), the Sustainable Building Envelope Demonstration Project (SBED) and the Sêr Cymru National Research Network for Low Carbon Energy and Environment (NRN-LCEE) at the Welsh School of Architecture. Prior to joining WKW, Diana led the building performance evaluation research within the Home-Gown Homes project, based at Cardiff Metropolitan University.