Timber Engineering & Diagnostics
Before you replace it, let the data decide
WRD inspects, tests, and engineers the timber structures other firms write off, with an accredited lab and four decades of research behind every verdict.
Since 1984
Four decades of timber research
IAS-Accredited
ISO 17020 & ISO 17025 lab
ALSC-approved
Lumber standard body
500+ Projects
Completed
55+ Countries
Across six continents
Deck panel installation · Oshawa, Ontario
The Second Opinion
Told your structure can't be saved?
Structures condemned by general contractors and non-specialist engineers are often sound, or fully restorable, once they’re properly diagnosed.
WRD separates real structural failure from surface decay using non-destructive testing and forty years of timber science. You get an evidence-based verdict, not a sales pitch for demolition.
“The material rarely fails. The diagnosis usually does.”
Restore or Replace?
The objective decision matrix
Restoration is far more cost-effective than replacement, and we lead with cost because it’s the first objection in every market. We’re the advisor, not the demolition seller.
Decision factor
Restore with WRD
Full replacement
Cost
A fraction of replacement cost; targeted repairs, not teardown.
Full demolition, disposal, and new build from scratch.
Heritage value
Preserves original fabric and historic integrity.
Historic character is lost permanently.
Embodied carbon
Retains the carbon already stored in the timber.
New material, demolition, and haulage add emissions.
Downtime
In-situ repair keeps assets in service; short closures.
Extended closure for teardown and reconstruction.
Added lifespan
Decades of service life via FiRP® Reinforcement.
Resets lifespan, at maximum cost and disruption.
Global reach
Timber expertise, delivered worldwide
Wherever a timber structure stands, WRD can read it. Our proprietary methods (EPHOD® non-destructive testing, forensic analysis, and reinforcement design) travel anywhere, backed by our Oregon lab and the largest open-faced beam tester on the West Coast. From bases in the USA, Canada, and Australia, our completed work and active opportunities put timber expertise wherever a structure stands.
500+
Projects completed
55
Countries
6
Continents
Each pin marks completed work or a future opportunity.
The WRD Difference
A wood composite that steel reinforcements cannot match
We don’t bolt steel onto timber. We laminate high-strength fiber into it, forming a true composite that works with the wood.
Our high-strength fiber systems bond into a true composite with the existing member, raising strength and stiffness together. Steel and mechanical fasteners never bond that way, and steel and wood move differently under temperature and moisture, so the fix works loose. A fiber laminate moves with the wood and stays put.
- Fiber laminate forms a true composite, not a bolted-on patch
- Roughly doubles in-situ capacity where steel fasteners can’t
- Installed in place, the asset stays in service during the work
- Moves with the wood through temperature and moisture cycles
- Backed by an IAS-accredited lab and four decades of timber research
River Road Bridge · Sunshine Coast, Queensland
What We Do
Three disciplines. One source of truth for timber.
Load testing · Dillmans Bridge, Nova Scotia
Inspections
Safety and condition assessments with load ratings and an actionable restoration plan, never a demolition bias.
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Bridge design model · Nappan, Nova Scotia
Engineering & Design
Custom drawings for repairs, restorations, and new builds, using high-strength fiber reinforcement.
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Open-faced beam tester · Jefferson, Oregon
Lab Testing
Strength, density, and species ID by non-destructive methods at an IAS-accredited, ALSC-approved lab.
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Our Method
How we reach a verdict
A diagnostic sequence, not a construction flow. Every recommendation is traceable to measured evidence, that’s what makes WRD the decision engine, not the demolition seller.
1
Inspect
On-site safety and condition assessment of the whole structure and its fabric.
2
Test
EPHOD® and PET non-destructive measurement of strength, density, moisture, and species.
3
Analyze
Lab and engineering analysis separates surface decay from true structural loss.
4
Engineer
Our primary business: we design the restoration or new build, connections and whole structure, with high-strength fiber systems.
5
Recommend
An evidence-based restore-or-replace verdict with a costed action plan.
6
Monitor
Optional ongoing monitoring to protect the asset and prove the outcome.
Featured Projects
Structures everyone else gave up on
Canada
Dillmans Bridge
Engineering & design · Meaghers Grant, Nova Scotia
USA
Frank Lloyd Wright's Wingspread
Engineering & design · Wisconsin
Canada
Providence Bridge
Inspection · Oshawa, Ontario
Australia
South Arm Bridge
Engineering & design · Byron Shire, New South Wales
Global
Blaha Showroom
Engineering & design · Vienna, Austria
Public-Sector Proof
Trusted by the people who steward landmarks
“
I found the WRD staff to be professional and co-operative throughout each stage of the projects. Their skilled labour force is highly knowledgeable and performs high-quality work. Overall, I am pleased with the work that Wood Research and Development has done for the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.
Ryan Swinemar, P.Eng
Senior Bridge Engineer · Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal
“
Based on our experience collaborating with them, I can confidently recommend Wood Research and Development for projects involving the assessment, conservation, and restoration of historic wood structures.
Nick Najdenov
Asset and Fleet · City of Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
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