The National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life was established by Industry, academia and government in 2016 to ensure Australian design guides and standards remain world class in light of climate change, new engineered timber products and changes in building design. The centre studies the most pressing research needs of industry, as managed by FWPA, in the field of timber durability and design life.
“Wood durability is a long-term game. You don’t do things in two or three years. You do them in increments of five, ten, fifteen years, because that’s how long it can take for various changes to have an impact,” Professor Morrell explained.
“Universities tend to plan research with long-term benefits, while industry is more concerned with finding solutions to more immediate problems. By working together, we can support both of these approaches.”
SPEAKER - Professor Jeff Morrell - Centre Director of the National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life.
Jeff is a native of New York in the United States of America and received his education in Forest Biology, Plant Pathology, Forest Pathology and Mycology in New York and Pennsylvania. He also worked as an engineer’s assistant for an electric utility before joining Oregon State University in 1983 and moving through the academic ranks to become a distinguished University Professor.
Jeff's expertise is in the area of wood deterioration and its prevention where he has undertaken research to identify the fungi associated with the deterioration process, assess the potential for biological control of decay, methods for improving wood treatments, and systems for arresting decay once it has been initiated.
Jeff originally trained as a forester because he wanted to save trees, but sees his career as having worked to achieve that through extending the service life of timber thereby reducing the need to harvest additional wood.