The Forest Products Innovation (FPI) team is Australia's leading multi-disciplinary forest products research group, based at the Salisbury Research Facility (SRF) in Brisbane. The FPI team specialises in designing, fabricating and testing prototype products and improving processes across all types and qualities of forest resources.
The Salisbury Research Facility accommodates state-of-the-art technology for wood processing and products development in Brisbane, Australia. The facility is equipped to undertake forest products research and development on semi-commercial, pilot and laboratory scales. At a single location, FPI combines Australia's largest science and technical expertise in:
Kiln drying and sawmilling technology- Engineered wood composites technology
- Timber grading and advanced mechanical wood
- Wood anatomy and wood identification
- Wood product design and manufacture
- Timber preservation and performance testing.
Some, recent research outcomes from SRF include:
- Grading technologies for structural products (equipment and software)
- New, standard methods for grading
- Innovative power pole design (patented)
- New gluing methods (e.g. aluminium-wood composite)
- New processes (spindleless lathe) and products (veneer based composites)
- Hybrid hardwood and softwood composite beams and panels to provide superior engineering solutions for the construction industry, while maximising value from forest resources
- CLT panels from Australian forest resources, designed, manufactured and tested.
The IWBP Project team members are introduced below:
Henri Bailleres
Henri Bailleres is Leader of the Forest Product Innovation team at Agri-Science Queensland, in the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Australia. Henri also leads the IWBP project, coordinating the research activities in Australia and PNG.
Henri's scientific career began with CIRAD (French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development) studying the structural properties of wood from hybrid eucalyptus plantations in the Republic of the Congo. Henri's research spans the broad spectrum of the forest-based sector, reflecting his technical skills, engineering background and research experience in wood science and technology. Henri has published widely in forest and wood science and engineering. His qualifications are a PhD (Wood Science); Wood technology engineer (ENSTIB, France).
Henri's team delivers research outcomes that meet the forest industry's need for new products and processing systems, including engineered wood products, new product designs and improved wood recovery, processing and performance.
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Gary Hopewell
Gary Hopewell is Principal Research Scientist with the Forest Products Innovation team, Agri-Science Queensland, in the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Australia. In the IWBP project, Gary is leading the gender research activities and assisting the project leader in a range of sub-projects and administrative tasks.
Gary began his forestry career in 1982, initially working in native hardwood forest and plantation softwood management before transferring to extension and research roles in 1991. His work has taken him to Argentina, USA, UK, Ireland, Fiji, Samoa, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Vietnam and the Solomon Islands.
Gary's research focuses on developing forest value and wood products in Australia and overseas. His expertise is in microscopy, wood anatomy and timber identification, and in wood processing and product development.
Gary's qualifications are MSc (Wood Science); AD App Sc (Forestry)
Tony Dakin
Tony Dakin recently joined the Forest Product Innovations team as a Principal Research Scientist following 13 years of experience in the Australian timber industry.
Tony specialises in developing timber preservation products and processes, and has considerable experience in all aspects of timber processing, glue-laminated timber manufacture, structural grading and quality control.
Tony currently leads research that is assessing the impact resistance of wood products to wind-borne debris. Tony also manages the Engineering Test Laboratory at Salisbury Research Facility, and contributes to both ACIAR projects in Papua New Guinea and Laos that are managed by the Forest Product Innovations team .
Tony possesses a Bachelor of Civil Engineering with Honours from the University of Southern Queensland.
Rod Vella
Rod Vella is a Senior Laboratory Technician with the Forest Products Innovation team, Agri-Science Queensland, in the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Australia.
For the IWBP project, Rod is researching new adhesives technology for engineered wood products including multilaminar panelling to be used instead of solid timber for door mouldings. He is also assessing adhesives for high density timbers using techniques that are new to Australia and testing timber treatment systems to assist local industry achieve a grade 1 fire rating on plywood panels.
Rod has 21 years' experience in analytical chemistry with both inorganic and organic timber treatment and now conducting research into the use of timber adhesives.
Rod has an Associate Diploma and is currently working on a Master's degree.
Adam Redman
Adam Redman is a Senior Research Scientist with the Forest Products Innovation team, Agri-Science Queensland, in the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Australia. In the IWBP project, Adam is involved in wood drying research and developing engineered wood products.
Adam’s research focuses on developing forest value and wood products in Australia and overseas. His expertise is in wood drying kinetics and mechanics, electrical control systems, programming, instrumentation, wood property characterisation, and in wood processing and product development. Adam’s career began with a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering, and he started research in wood drying technology in 1997, completing both Honours and Masters Degrees. He began solving wood drying problems for the Australian timber industry with DAF in 2000. His expertise has engaged him in wood drying research in Switzerland, France, Germany, Fiji, Vietnam, Lao PDR, and the Solomon Islands.
Adam is completing a PhD on mathematical modelling of vacuum and conventional drying Australian hardwood species, due to finish in early 2017.
Harrison Brooke
Harrison Brooke is an engineering research scientist and a recent addition to the Forest Products Innovation team.
In the IWBP Project, his research focuses on developing engineered wood products and testing products for their mechanical properties.
Harrison operates and maintains the team’s engineering laboratory carrying out both destructive and non-destructive techniques for testing timber and timber products that meet Australian Standards.
Harrison graduated from Griffith University with a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronic) with Honours in 2015. His background in mechatronics brings a modern approach to wood product engineering emphasising efficiency and automation.
Rhianna Robinson
Rhianna Robinson was appointed as a Research Technician in the Forest Product Innovation Team after graduating with a Bachelor of Environmental Science from the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Rhianna has a strong hands-on background in workshop fabrication through earlier workexperience in her father's engine reconditioning business in regional Queensland and now provides technical support in the development of prototypes and mechanical properties testing of wood and wood-based components and systems in the NATA-accredited laboratory at the Salisbury Research Facility.