VANCOUVER – As part of its plan to tackle the mountain pine beetle epidemic and find new uses for beetle-affected timber, the Province is contributing $1.4 million towards a Chair in Wood Building Design and Construction at the University of British Columbia. Forests and Range Minister Rich Coleman made the announcement during a tour of the UBC Centre for Advanced Wood Processing, where product development and testing will occur.

“Our priority is to make the most out of the beetle wood in the short and long term so we can support our forest-dependent communities,” said Coleman. “The research and development into new products and markets led by the chair – the first of its kind in North America – will play a big part in that effort.”
One of the key components of B.C.’s Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan is to recover the maximum economic value from beetle-affected wood by developing new uses and new markets. UBC received an additional $510,000 from the Province last November for eight related pine beetle research and development projects.
The Province is partnering with the university and the forest industry to attract a world-class expert who will bring together architectural, engineering and wood science and technology students to further the design, development and uses of structural wood products. One of the chair’s key objectives will be to ensure facilities for the 2010 Olympics showcase British Columbia as a global leader in wood building design, construction and green building technology.
Connected to UBC’s Timber Building Technology Group, the chair will also:
Develop new opportunities and demand for value-added wood components, especially from beetle wood.
Integrate architecture, engineering and wood products knowledge for the advanced design and construction of timber structures.
Provide technical advice to B.C.’s forest, construction and architecture communities on the greater use of wood products within existing building codes.
The chair – expected to be filled in the fall - will enable UBC’s Faculty of Forestry and Faculty of Applied Science to expand research and learning opportunities for some of Canada’s most innovative students.
 
“The Chair in Wood Building Design and Construction exemplifies UBC’s close collaboration with government and industry to ensure our leading-edge research solves real-world problems,” said Dennis Pavlich, UBC’s vice-president of external and legal affairs. “Through this chair, our students and faculty will be challenged to think outside the box and create new, sustainable ways for building the world we live in.”
 
UBC, which is contributing $600,000, is looking to raise $3 million in government, industry and private contributions. In addition to the $1.4 million from the Province, funding commitments have been received from Ainsworth Lumber, Forintek Canada Corp., Goodfellow Inc., Hundegger USA, Read Jones Christoffersen, SPF Group of Companies, representing Interior B.C. and Alberta producers of spruce, pine and fir dimension lumber, Timber Systems Ltd., and Western Archrib.
 
 “The forest industry is always looking for ways to expand its markets through the development of new wood products,” Michael Ainsworth, executive vice-president of Ainsworth Lumber Co. Ltd., said. “In partnering with the Province and UBC, we will see incredible innovations that will make wood buildings easier to construct, reduce materials and labour costs, improve durability and safety and expand our markets.”
 
For more information on the Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan, visit www.gov.bc.ca/pinebeetle
 
Media
contact:Max Cleeveley
Communications Director
Ministry of Forests and Range
250 387-8486