Resources

  1. Key references
    1. Wood Handbook: (Wood as an Engineering Material) Comprehensive 500-page manual. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 1999, www.fpl.fs.fed.us
    2. FAO Tsunami Documents: Info Note 1 covers procurement, Info Note 2 covers usage. www.fao.org/forestry/27219
    3. Timber Design for Durability: Information on how to make timber last. National Association of Forest Industries, 2003, www.timber.org.au
  2. Strategic planning and assessment
    1. Sphere: (Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response) Guidance notes for shelter must be read carefully. The Sphere Project, 2004, www.sphereproject.org
    2. Transitional Settlement; Displaced Populations: Detailed advice on planning coordinated shelter and settlement programs. Corsellis and Vitale, 2005, Oxfam/shelterproject, www.sheltercentre.org
    3. Transitional Settlement and Reconstruction after Natural Disasters: Detailed advice on planning coordinated shelter and settlement programs. 2008, UN/OCHA, www.sheltercentre.org
    4. Camp Management Toolkit: Guidance for providing assistance in camp settings with sections on planning and assessment. NRC, 2008, www.nrc.no/camp
    5. UNHCR Handbook for Emergencies: UNHCR, 2007, www.unhcr.org
    6. Practitioners’ Guide to the Household Economy Approach: Tools for making a market analysis. See Market Assessment (Annex C), FEG Consulting and Save the Children UK, 2008, www.savethechildren.org.uk
    7. Emergency Market Mapping Analysis (EMMA): Tool for rapid assessment of markets to assist in project planning. See www.oxfam.org.uk for updated details.
    8. FAO Forestry Contacts Database: List of government forestry departments with contact details. www.fao.org
  3. Environment
    1. Life Cycle Initiative: Still in early phase of development. lcinitiative.unep.fr
    2. UNHCR Environmental Guidelines: UNHCR, 2005, www.unhcr.org
    3. Guidelines for Rapid Environmental Assessment in Emergencies: How to use the REA tool. www.benfieldhrc.org
    4. Cooking Options in Refugee Situations: Fuel efficient stoves to reduce firewood consumption. UNHCR, 2002, www.unhcr.org
    5. Reduced Impact Logging in Tropical Forests: FAO, 2004, www.fao.org
    6. Revised ITTO Criteria and Indicators for the Sustainable Management of Tropical Forests: For large-scale reconstruction and development projects. ITTO, 2005, www.itto.or.jp
    7. CIFOR Adaptive Collaborative Management Program: Resource management tools. www.cifor.cgiar.org/acm/methods
    8. Destitution, distortion and deforestation: Detailed economic and political study on the impact of conflict on the timber and woodfuel trade in Darfur and the role of humanitarian organisations. UNEP, 2008, www.unep.org
  4. Legality and Certification
    1. Keep it Legal: Best Practices for Keeping Illegally Harvested Timber Out of Your Supply Chain, WWF, 2006, www.panda.org
    2. CITES and the Wood Products Trade - What You Should Know: UNEP, www.fws.gov/international/
    3. Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET): Checklist and tools for verifying timber. www.proforest.net/cpet
    4. Sourcing Legal Timber from Indonesia: UK Timber Trade Federation Scoping Study, 2004, www.illegal-logging.info
  5. Specification
    1. Timber Usage for Tsunami Reconstruction in Indonesia: (Information Note 2), www.fao.org/forestry
    2. Wood for Good Construction Fact Sheet, www.woodforgood.com
    3. Plastic sheeting. A guide to the specification and use of plastic sheeting in humanitarian relief: IFRC, Oxfam, 2007. www.plastic-sheeting.org
  6. Species
    1. Tropical Timbers of the World: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory www.fpl.fs.fed.us/
    2. TRADA Timber species database: www.trada.co.uk/techinfo/tsg/
    3. Timber species summary reports: www.timber.net.au/documents/
    4. Timber Species and Properties: National Association of Forest Industries, 2004, www.timber.org.au
    5. Species selector: Help identifying protected and ‘nearly vulnerable’ tree species. www.foe.co.uk
  7. Bamboo and palm
    1. www.humanitarianbamboo.org
    2. Vertical Soak Diffusion handbook: www.bamboocentral.org
    3. Bamboo common and latin names in multiple languages: www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au
    4. Bamboo As A Building Material: RWTH Aachen University: http://bambus.rwth-aachen.de/
    5. Coconut Palm Stem Processing Technical Handbook: GTZ, 1996, www.fao.org/documents/
    6. Palm tree species: www.trebrown.com/palms_arecaceae.php
  8. Use (design and engineering)
    1. National Information Center of Earthquake Engineering: Comprehensive design information for timber frame buildings. www.nicee.org/IAEE_English.php
    2. After the Tsunami - Sustainable Building Guidelines: UNEP & SKAT, 2007, www.unep.fr
    3. Basic Construction Training Manual for Trainers: Can be used as a basis for providing technical support to beneficiaries. Heini Müller, 2004, www.redcross.ch
    4. The building regulations (UK) 1991 part A: DETR. Contains span tables. www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_AD_A_1992.pdf
    5. Timber Joint Design 2 – Nails, Staples and Screws: Timber Data Files Series, 2001, www.timber.org.au
    6. Timber Joint Design 3 – Bolts, Coach Screws and Timber Connectors: Timber Data Files Series, 2001, www.timber.org.au
    7. Architectural Timber Trusses: Timber Manual Data File SS7, NAFI, 2005, www.timber.org.au
    8. Home Building Manual - Solomon Islands: Detailed manual on timber frame construction. Unknown, and Ayyar Kris, AusAID, 1990. Download here
  9. Treatments and drying
    1. Dry Kiln Operator’s Manual: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 1991 www.fpl.fs.fed.us/
    2. Air-drying of lumber: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 1999, www.fpl.fs.fed.us/
    3. Non-Poisonous Timber Protection: Practical Action, www.practicalaction.org
    4. Finding Alternatives to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) for Termite Management: UNEP, www.chem.unep.ch/termites/GTEGGuidance.html
    5. Wood Treatment: www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/
    6. Pesticide Information Profiles: extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/ghindex.html
    7. ToxFaq: Fact sheets on chemical contaminants. US Department of Health and Human Services, http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html
    8. Why House Paint Fails: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 1995, www.fpl.fs.fed.us/
    9. Bamboo preservation: practicalaction.org/practicalanswers/
    10. Vertical Soak Diffusion Treatment Manual: Linda Garland, Environmental Bamboo Foundation, 3rd ed. 2005, www.bamboocentral.org.
  10. Logistics
    1. Environmental Health and Safety Guidelines: World Bank, www.ifc.org/sustainability
    2. Safe stacking of sawn timber and board materials: Health and Safety Executive UK, 2000, www.hse.gov.uk
    3. Road Haulage of Round Timber: The Roundwood Haulage Working Party, www.ukfpa.co.uk
    4. Guidelines for the Storage and Erection of Trussed Rafters on Site: Trussed Rafter Association, www.tra.org.uk
    5. IFRC Emergency items catalogue procurement.ifrc.org/catalogue/

    11. The following books on construction are hard-copy only:

    1. Timber Pole Construction: Follett & Jayanetti (2000), ITDG
    2. Technical principles of building for safety: Coburn, Hughes, Pomonis, Spence, 1995, ITDG
    3. Building with Bamboo: Janssen, 1995, ITDG
    4. Appropriate Building Materials: Mukerji and Stulz (1993)
    5. Engineering in Emergencies: Lambert and Davies (2003)
    6. Roof Structure Guide: SKAT (TK 24), http://www.skat.ch/
    7. Building out Termites: An Australian manual for environmentally responsible control: Contains information on design to avoid and treat termite infestation. Robert Verkerk, 1990, Southwood Press
    8. Barefoot architect: A handbook for green building, Johan van lengen, 2008, Shelter publications.