GATE – Gaining Added value forTimber in Europe

• Interreg IIIC programme• Network project• 5 Partner Regions:

Wales Estonia Slovenia Thuringia (Germany) Pomorskie (Poland)

• Wales is the lead partner• 3 year duration (October 2004-December 2007)

Environment Centre forTrade, RudolstadtUlf-Dieter Pitzingpitzing@umweltzentrum.de

Tartu Science ParkSiiri Rikkasiiri@park.tartu.ee

Tourist Association ofCommunities ‘BOR’,PomorskieHania Miszewskab_turystyka@op.pl

Dept. of Wood Science,Ljubljiana UniversityMilan Sernekmilan.sernek@bf.uni-lj.si

Forestry CommissionWales, AberystwythMike Overmike.over@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

Project Aims• To increase the use of timber in construction

• Building new markets and adding value

• Sharing best practice amongst 5 regions

• Overcome any existing barriers or constraints

How does GATE work?Exchange of experience and best practicethrough:

• Inter-Regional Seminars every 6 months• Focus Group meetings before each Seminar• Exchange visits for stakeholders• GATE funded local events in each region• Email & Website at www.gate-project.org

Regional Stakeholder Networks ‘Anyone with an interest in or influence on the

choice of timber for a building project’

• local & regional government• planners, policy makers• engineers & builders, supply chain businesses• industry bodies, foresters• designers, architects and builders• housing associations, mortgage lenders, insurers• clients …

Bringing the rightpeople together fromthe partner regions atconferences and sitevisits

Giving stakeholders theopportunity to ‘see forthemselves’ what’shappening in the industryacross Europe

Opportunities toparticipate in inter-regional workshops

The opportunity to seeglulam manufactureand it’s use inconstruction

Plywood manufacturein Estonia

Learning about differentmethods of timberframe manufactureacross Europe

Looking at timberhousing across Europe

Seeing how traditionaluses of timber hasshaped the industries inother regions

Learning new methodsof using timber inmodern and innovativebuildings

Seeing how regionshave used timber increative and moderndesigns

Seeing how timber isbeing used to extendand renovate buildings

Seeing how designelements contribute todurability

Looking at how otherregions have treatedtheir timber structures

Visits to forests to seethe connectionsbetween forestmanagement andregional forest industries

Student Designcompetitions for thenext generation ofarchitects

Seeing the results ofGATE sponsoredworkshops

Making the most of themedia at TV interviewsand press conferencesto raise awareness

Gaining publicity andspreading the messageat local events in eachregion

Meeting andinfluencing politicians

What’s Next for GATE• Handover events in each Partner Region• Closing International Conference in Cardiff• Further local activities in each region• Stakeholder directory published on website• Future maintenance of the website• Stakeholder networks continue after project closure

What’s Next for Wales?• Project closes on 31st December 2007• Handover Workshop for the timber sector in Wales

in Newtown on 14th September• Work taken forward by the Wales Forest Business

Partnership via Wood Knowledge Wales• Investigate the possibilities of further European co-

operation via Interreg IVC and other EU fundingstreams

www.gate-project.org

mike.over@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

+44 (0)845 604 0845