With thanks to Andrew True for most of the text
Introduction
The Wood Technology Group (WTG) is a technical community in the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3), and is the professional body for the timber and allied industries, promoting and encouraging a better understanding of timber, wood-based materials and associated timber processes.
Prior to 2023 the WTG was known as the Wood Technology Society (WTS). You can find the old website (up until 2020) on the Internet Archive wayback machine.
And prior to becoming part of the IOM3 in 2009, it was known as the Institute of Wood Science (IWSc), which was incorporated in 1955. There is more about its history below. You can find an archive of newsletters at https://wood.properties/wtg/
Function
The Wood Technology Group (WTG) exists for all who care for, and have an interest in, timber and wood based products – in particular, those employed within the timber processing, importing, merchanting, manufacturing and user industries, together with those in education and research.
The WTG offers all of the benefits of being a member of IOM3, including a route to post nominal recognition and professional membership.
Through IOM3 the WTS can provide a community and a forum for wood users and like-minded people. IOM3 specialists can provide technical advice, membership support and develop membership initiatives.
The WTG supports the general principles of IOM3’s sustainability policy with a particular emphasis on the role that wood can play in a sustainable future. The WTG acknowledges the three pillars of sustainability – economic, environmental, social – and endeavours to further global advancement of all three through the use of wood.
The WTG is confident that, with appropriate application, wood is innately sustainable and seeks to promote the use of timber wherever possible, in short- or long-term usage, mindful of the ability of growing trees to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide and to effectively store this greenhouse gas fixed in the wood as biogenic carbon.
The WTG recognises the importance of understanding the true sustainable nature of materials and products and supports the use of life cycle assessment, forest stewardship and other tools to quantify the sustainability of a product or process. However, the WTG also acknowledges the use of unsustainable practices within the timber industry and will, through its work, strive to influence the industry away from such practices.
History
Prior to becoming part of the IOM3 in 2009, it was known as the Institute of Wood Science (IWSc).
IWSc was formed in 1955 by several leading members of the wood industry in the UK and wood scientists, recognising that if timber was to compete effectively with other materials there needed to be an understanding of wood science and wood technologies.
Among the list of former presidents of the IWSc is Jean Marion Taylor, BSc FIWSc, who served from 1986 to 1988. Jean, who was an entomologist working on chemical preservatives for wood, was the first female president of any of the Institutes that now make up the IOM3. You can read more about the former presidents (with short biographies) in this open access journal paper:
True A, Ridley-Ellis D, Spear M, Ansell MP. The Presidents of the Institute; of Wood Science. International Wood Products Journal. 2024;15(2-4):139-151. doi:10.1177/20426445241246844
During the early 2000s IWSc membership levels declined, affecting the finances required to maintain the Journal of The Institute of Wood Science (JIWSc). Additionally, with training needs changing to more of an on-line platform the IWSc Council took the decision join IOM3.
It was briefly known as “IWSc – The Wood Technology Society”, within IOM3. Though, “IWSc” was soon dropped in favour of the Wood Technology Society (WTS). With the move to IOM3, the historic title “IWSc President” was name changed to Chair.
The list of presidents of IWSc:
E. Bryan Latham 1955–1958
Henry A Cox 1958–1960
Edward H B Boulton 1960–1962
Walter P K Findlay 1962–1964
Rodney R Perry 1964–1966
Bernard Eades 1966–1968
J C Walton 1968–1970
George Garlick 1970–1971
John F Levy 1971–1973
David S Belford 1973–1975
Felix S Palmer 1975–1977
Christopher G Latham 1977–1979
Donald J B White 1979–1981
Christopher C Lorenzen 1981–1983
Geoffrey K Elliott 1983–1984
Terence Mallinson 1984–1986
Jean Taylor 1986–1988
John Brazier 1988–1990
Richard Venables 1990–1992
Keith Purcell 1992–1994
Martin P Ansell 1994–1996
Peter Latham 1996–1998
Richard Murphy 1998–2000
Geoff Bagnall 2000–2002
Jim Coulson 2002–2004
Vic Kearley 2004–2006
Geoff Taylor 2006–2009
You might remember Jim Coulson from the Jim and Spencer explain videos (wood grain, softwoods and hardwoods, and water in wood)
The list of chairs as Wood Technology Society of IOM3:
Charles Trevor 2009–2011
Andy Pitman 2011–2013
Andrew True 2013–2015
John Park 2016–2018
Graham Ormondroyd 2019–2022
The list of chairs as Wood Technology Group of IOM3:
Morwenna Spear 2023–present
You can read short biographies of chairs in the WTG Winter 2024 newsletter.
Magazine
The member magazine “Woodfocus” was developed by IOM3 into an electronic magazine soon after the integration, though today wood-related articles are incorporated in the IOM3 house journal Materials World. You can find copies of these here: https://wood.properties/wtg/ as well as the IWSc newsletters from the earlier days.
In 2016 the first of an on-going regular series of Talking Timber articles was published. These are specially prepared for the TTJ (Timber Trades Journal) but are also put in the WTG’s website. A full archive is available here: https://wood.properties/wtg/
Journal
The Journal of the WTG is the “International Wood Products Journal” – a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering all aspects of wood science, engineering, and technology. The journal was established in 1958 as the Journal of the Institute of Wood Science.
The first editor of the journal was Bernard Alwyn Jay, Deputy Director of the Timber Development Association (with later became TRADA), until he died in 1961. By then the journal was considered to be one of the leading publications of its kind, with subscribers in 31 countries including USA, China, India and Russia. [Eades, B (1961). “News & views & exam papers”. Journal of the Institute of Wood Science: 58–60]
The Institute of Wood Science merged into the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining in 2009, and as a consequence the journal was renamed, obtaining its current name in 2010.
From 2023 published by Sage: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/IWP
From 2010 published by Taylor and Francis: https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/ywpj20
(originally published as Maney, which was acquired by Taylor and Francis in 2015)
The list of journal editors to date:
As the Journal of the Institute of Wood Science
Bernard Alwyn Jay 1958–1961
J.F.Levy 1962
J.F.Levy and C.D Cook 1963–1968
R.P. Woods 1969
J.F.Levy 1970
W.P.K. Findlay 1971–1972
J. Bick 1973–1984
Anne Handley 1985
Ian D.G. Lee 1986
Anne Handley 1987
R.J. Murphy 1988-1990
Anne Handley 1991–1992
David Woodbridge 1993–2000
Barry Matthews 2000–2009
As the International Wood Products Journal
Gervais Sawyer 2010–2024
Dennis Jones 2024–present
You may know Gervais Sawyer better as the saw doctor on youtube.
Conference
In 2018 the WTS held the first regular Timber Conference
Timber 2018 (26-27 June 2018, London)
Timber 2019 (3-4 July 2019, London)
Timber 2020 (9-10 September, online)
Timber 2022 (5 July, 2022, London)
Timber 2023 (29 November, London)
The 2025 conference is part of M3P3 (Materials, Minerals and Mining for People, Places, Planet), 11-12 November 2025 in Birmingham)