Forest and Wood Products Australia WoodChat

Forest and Wood Products Australia WoodChat

WoodChat is a series of podcasts produced by Forest and Wood Products Australia. Sharing in-depth conversations with industry experts and academics about a range of news stories, discoveries and innovations.

Ep 1 - Wood & Well being in the Workplace

Biophilia is the principle that exposure to nature increases human wellbeing. In this episode of WoodChat, we talk to Associate Professor Jacki Schirmer of the University of Canberra about research that suggests bringing biophilic elements such as wood into the workplace can boost employee satisfaction and productivity, and what that could mean for the forest and wood products industry.

Ep 2 - Predicting future growing conditions with the click of a mouse

Forest managers will now be able to gauge the likely effect of the climate on growing conditions in their specific areas, thanks to a new interactive online tool developed by the CSIRO. In this episode of WoodChat, we talk to CSIRO Research Scientist, Dr Patrick Mitchell, about the revolutionary new tool and what it could mean for the future of the industry. You can request to the tool via Google Forms bit.ly/2JkG2zx

Ep 3 - Research centre to put Australia at forefront of best practice

In this episode, we meet with distinguished international academic and leading industry figure, Professor Jeff Morrell of Oregon State University. We discuss, amongst other things, his recent appointment as Director of Australia’s National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life, and what he hopes the Centre will achieve for the industry both in Australia and internationally.

Ep 4 - Revolutionising seedling selection using DNA

Episode 4 of WoodChat sees hosts Sam and Victoria talk to Robert Southerton, Managing Director at Gondwana Genomics about the genetic DNA testing system they developed. The world-leading technology can predict key commercial attributes of a future adult eucalyptus tree using just a single seedling leaf in the early stages of its life.

Ep 5 - Advocating the environmental benefits of timber in construction

Hosts Sam and Victoria speak to David Rowlinson - Make It Wood Campaign Manager at Planet Ark about his initiative to educate and encourage the increased use of responsibly sourced timber in construction, due to the variety of compelling benefits when compared to other materials.

Ep 6 - The increasing use of drones in forest management

We explore the use of drones or ‘Unmanned Ariel Vehicles’ (UAVs) in forest management, speaking to Dr Christine Stone of NSW Department of Primary Industries and Rod Meynink of MBAC Consulting Group, who have put UAVs into action. The technology presents opportunities to detect animal habitats and support forest and fire management.

Ep 7 - 3D printing using timber waste for high-performance construction material

New research is showing positive results when harnessing 3D printing technology to combine timber waste products and recycled plastics, and create a high-performance construction element. In this episode, Professor Sandra Löschke, Director of Architecture Design and Technology at the University of Sydney, talks to us about her research in this area.

Original podcasts found here.