Raybel's new timbers - tracing to the source
Since joining the Raybel team in January, I have mostly been involved in investigating the provenance of the timber being used in the restoration. In my previous career I have worked with organisations who provide traceability in forest and agricultural products, for example through Soil Association or FSC certification, or block chain technology and developing mobile phone Apps.
So I proposed to the team that I try to find the provenance of all the timber coming into Lloyd Wharf. This is quite an undertaking and I do not know if I will be successful on all timber, but it will be an entertaining challenge and I will report my progress here over the next weeks and months.
The timber coming into Raybel so far comes from 3 sources: Opepe (Nauclea diderrichii) from West Africa, Oak (Quercus robur) from West Kent and a small amount of softwood and plywood from the local timber merchant in Sittingbourne.
The Opepe has been purchased from S. H. Somerscales, a sawlog importer based in Lincolnshire who has supplied several other high visibility restoration projects, including the Globe Theatre in London. Opepe is commonly used in maritime projects and grows in the Congo Basin in the large, straight dimensions necessary to support the massive weight of the barge, that are no longer available in UK native hardwoods.
As the Opepe is imported, we have specified FSC certification to ensure that the highest standards of sustainable forestry were met by the forest management company in the country of origin. There are 6 FSC certified companies in West Africa who sell Opepe and we are working with Somerscales to identify which company supplied the Opepe that we have purchased. Once we have identified the company, we can begin to identify which area of forest, and maybe even which tree, it was harvested from.
The Oak was harvested by Treespanner Timber near Tunbridge Wells. Unlike the Opepe, the Oak needs to be bent to the shape of the hull and individually shaped into specific patches to fit exactly where they are needed to strengthen and rejuvenate Raybel. Master Shipwright Tim hand picks and sculpts each piece of oak to a template that he makes himself out of plywood. Therefore, it is necessary to buy recently harvested green oak from as nearby as possible.
Treespanner have been great in understanding what we need and tracking down exactly the right timbers, all within a 30 mile radius of their log yard in West Kent. I am hoping to be able to identify through their processing & storage records again exactly which trees were sourced for us so that we can tell the story of the trees that have gone into helping restore our beautiful barge.
We have bought some other timber for temporary structural props, but they will not be incorporated into the restoration of the Raybel. These timbers include the gangplank for accessing the drydock, the plywood for making the templates for the oak hull and the roof covering the patio of the workshop to keep our volunteers dry while they create their amazing contributions.
Although none of these structures will particularly receive any glory or public interest once the restoration is complete, they are absolutely essential to the success of the project and in constant use whatever the weather.
Our local merchant Alsford Timber has held an FSC Chain of Custody certificate for its purchases and sales of FSC certified materials for many years and so we know we can buy with confidence from them. Contrary to popular belief, it is the mass production of low-quality forest products that can cause the most environmental damage so it is just as important to specify FSC on these products as on the West African Opepe.
If we continue to be able to evidence the provenance of the timber we are using, and ensure that our supply chain is free from any illegal harvesting or environmental damage, we may try to obtain FSC certification for the whole restoration project of Raybel and Lloyds Wharf.
We feel that this is an important best practice precedent to set for National Lottery Heritage Fund projects and would bring international recognition that would help communicate our story far & wide.
Vanessa on Raybel