50 | Sector Focus: UK Forestry
SUMMARY
■The UK needs to be more self- sufficient in timber stocks
■FLS replants 25 million trees each year
■It plans to increase its stocks of trees grown from seed to up to 15 million
■Other species could join Sitka spruce
SELF-SUFFICIENCY DRIVE
Mick Bottomley, head of marketing and sales at Forestry and Land Scotland, explains how FLS is leading a charge on the need for greater timber stocks through planting more forests
Post COP26 the role of trees and timber in climate change mitigation is rightly receiving even greater airtime than before. Use of indigenous timber in construction helps to meet climate targets on so many levels. The UK imports a staggering 80% of its
timber, second only to China in meeting its requirement from abroad. As world timber demand increases faster than supply, it is likely that timber producing countries will use more of their own timber supplies at home to meet stricter climate protocols – and with fluctuations in global markets, it’s clear the UK needs to work towards being more self-sufficient.
The UK currently has 13% forestry cover, with only 10% in England and 18.5% in Scotland, as against a European figure of 38%. At Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), we replant 25 million trees each year and our English counterparts at Forestry England are planting 7 million a year.
Key to ensuring good stocks of commercial timber for the future is to plant the right trees in the right place. We have been investing significantly in research, including at our tree nursery in Newton near Elgin, where we are working on organic seed coatings, which have the potential to save 50 litres of water per seed planted, while ensuring unforeseen drought conditions don’t limit germination and growth. This work is necessary to ensure biodiverse and reliable mass production of tree stocks to meet our need for indigenous timber supply.
Above: Mick Bottomley is head of marketing and sales at Forestry and Land Scotland TTJ | January/February 2022 |
www.ttjonline.com
Our nursery currently produces 7 million trees from seed every year, with the plan to double this and increase stocks to up to
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