72 | Feature: British-Grown Timber
◄ First, let’s address the elephant in the room. The UK imports a significant amount of timber, and these figures are often cited to suggest something isn’t working as it should be. However, increasing timber use in construction is a positive development, as it replaces more carbon-intensive materials. The issue – and one of the key reasons Grown in Britain was set up – is we import substantial amounts of timber whilst neglecting our own forests and woodlands. Over 10 years ago, when GiB started, the government considered over 60% of our woods were not managed. Our initiative, alongside the efforts of many, has reduced this to nearer 40% today. However, that is a vast resource being left ‘on the shelf’ while we continue to import the same resource from
around the world. With global and UK timber demand increasing, it seems inappropriate to import so much when we’re not fully utilising our resources.
In some ways, it’s a devolution of responsibility – we’re relying on others to provide sustainable materials without taking ownership of our own. This isn’t just about economics, sustainability, and biodiversity; it’s also about responsibility.
But the UK simply doesn’t produce enough timber?
What’s genuinely exciting about the UK position is we can change that balance. Our woodland cover is remarkably low – around 13%, significantly lower than countries we import from, such as Sweden (69%), Finland (75%), and Latvia (53%). However,
we can increase our woodland cover for the future and make much more of our existing woodlands.
The Forestry Commission has identified up to 3.2 million hectares of low-sensitivity land that could be suitable for tree planting, and the National Food Strategy states that the least productive 20% of agricultural land in England produces only 3% of the calories consumed. This gives us considerable scope for expanding our domestic timber resources. Yes, increasing woodland cover takes time to yield products, but thousands of tonnes of timber are sitting in existing woodlands right now, waiting to be harvested. We can take immediate action while also investing in our future.
Beyond simply managing neglected woodlands, we need more dynamic and agile approaches to existing woodland management. By ‘dynamic’, I mean proactively taking action rather than the all-too-common cautious ‘wait and see’ approach. For example, more regular and earlier thinning of forests can concentrate growth on fewer stems, helping us gain sawable material more quickly and potentially at higher grades. Dynamic management also means creating different storeys (layers) within woodlands, diversifying species, boosting nature and increasing resilience against pests and diseases.
Native or non-native – what should we
plant? We frequently encounter the belief that native species are always the best option. However, not all native species are particularly productive for creating sustainable construction materials, and not all will be resilient to the significant climate changes we face.
My observation is too many of our woodlands lack resilience – they have too few species, are of single age, or perhaps only a couple of age ranges, and could benefit from introducing more species that can withstand significant climate change.
Non-native species such as Douglas fir are fantastic timber trees and host a huge range of species that support our natural ecosystems.
Top left: Acoustic grader Top right: Grading for UK spruce at Highland Heritage Woodworks,
showing high percentage of C16 (69%) and C24 (26%) and very low reject rate Above: UK Hardwoods’ glulam woodshed
TTJ | May/June 2025 |
www.ttjonline.com
It is now undisputed that communing with trees, woods and forests is fantastic for our health and well-being and people prefer to visit forests with high canopies they can easily walk under and through, such as the popular sites in Glentress, Snowdonia and the New Forest. Many visitors don’t realise these aren’t native forests but often contain conifers native to North America. Yet these are precisely the woodland experiences they enjoy
Do I have to use oak if I want the gold standard for hardwoods and Sitka spruce for softwood?
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