Timber iQ August- September 2018 // Issue: 39 | Page 45

FEATURES
Timber's top women
Timber industry role players shed light on what it takes to be a
woman in the wood sector.
By Candace Sofianos King
F
or women working in a traditionally male-dominated
restorers to the timber industry, government and
industry, challenges abound, however, change is also
researchers. Dyer says the wood identification service has
evident in terms of further inclusion of females in the
made an invaluable contribution to those using it over the
industry as well as the development and promotion of
years, with many interesting applications or cases. It is the
women in the sector. These are the opinions of some of the
only professional wood identification service in South
timber industry’s female role players.
Africa, she notes.
“Women, if given the appropriate opportunities, can
After studying plant sciences at university, Dyer started
provide an important role in the timber industry. There is no
working as a forestry professional officer at the South
reason why a woman with the appropriate training and
African Forestry Research Institute, doing mainly wood
experience cannot head up a large company. In my mind,
anatomical research work. She was also trained in wood
women can make an equal and significant contribution to
identification techniques and took over the wood
the sector,” believes Stephanie Dyer, industry expert and
identification service from her father, Neels Kromhout. From
founder of Timber Information Services, a consultancy
there Dyer moved to Forestek at the Council for Scientific
providing a professional wood identification service to the
and Industrial Research (CSIR), where she continued with
industry and public.
research work and the wood identification service.
Dyer’s consultancy is used by a wide spectrum of clients
Dyer also assists with timber information, for example,
Moulders
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// AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2018 43