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.