TIMBER ,
stable, it is typically a by-product from waste wood from the sawmill industry, further adding to its sustainable characteristics. There are also indications from scientific studies that wood finishings in homes and other structures can provide significant biophilic benefits. It is safe to say that no other construction material can match all the advantages that natural wood provides.
The opportunity is here The UK has ideal conditions for growing wood to build low-carbon homes and is a global leader in certifying that its forests are sustainably managed, yet while the UK government has stated its ambition for more tree planting, there has been little action on
the ground outside of Scotland. We need much greater impetus behind those aspirations to ensure we have enough wood to help meet increasing construction demand. The causes of the UK’s current position whereby wood supply is falling just at the time we need it to increase, is complex and ranges from outdated perceptions of productive forestry to a disconnect in thinking between consumers demand for wood products and understanding the need to plant the forests that they come from. It also encompasses significant hesitation on behalf of farmers and other land owners to invest in longer term planting projects. While productive tree planting can deliver real financial benefits to rural economies and contribute to the UK’s net zero strategy, the focus of government support continues to narrowly be on flood prevention and the planting of native woodland solely for biodiversity, alongside an assumption that this means more native woodland and fewer trees grown to produce wood. While these are critically important activities, the importance of future supplies of wood and the opportunity to deliver a wide range of benefits in modern, well-designed, mixed woodland has largely been overlooked. Most of the land that could be planted with trees is currently agricultural. The Committee on Climate Change, noting a reduction of around 20% in cattle and sheep numbers over the last 20 years, anticipates a further drop of about 10% by 2050 and has called on government to encourage further reductions in dairy and red meat consumption. Much sheep farming is marginal and reliant on continued public subsidy. Confor has noted that diversifying land-use by the greater planting of productive trees will help more farms to become viable while helping the farming sector to contribute to net zero. The situation has also, on occasion, been made more challenging by vocal concerns expressed by certain environmental interest groups campaigning for native broadleaf tree
planting only. This ignores the considerable biodiversity benefit that can be provided by planting mixed woodland in accordance with strict standards for forest design that have been developed with many of the same environmental groups.
Confor believes there is a step-change needed in attitudes towards productive tree planting, which, if achieved, will enable government to meet its own ambitious tree planting targets, and meet its ambitions to use more homegrown timber in construction - without one you can’t achieve the other. Achieving this will require the government to communicate the benefits of productive woodland for the building of more energy efficient low carbon homes, carbon sequestration, as well as biodiversity and flood control, in order to combat the misconceptions that hamper productive tree planting applications.
We also need to ensure that our existing productive forests are optimised. We need to better avail of planting stocks that deliver higher productivity and improved quality of fibre for downstream processing and manufacture, with further research to guarantee we are using the most productive species. Some adoption of tree planting on shorter rotations (typically 15-19 years) could also supply manufacturers with wood for products like panel boards to fill the gap before new forests mature in 30-45 years’ time.
At the end of 2021, Confor undertook a survey to establish the level of public support for producing more home-grown wood. In summary, over 90% of respondents were unaware that the UK imported 80% of its wood resources. 50% of respondents saw domestic wood production as being important – and just behind the importance of food production - with a similar number agreeing that growing more domestic timber is beneficial for the environment. A further two-thirds said that there should be forest expansion.
Being a highly populated, mature economy with a limited land mass, the UK is likely to always be a large importer of wood products. However, we are in the enviable position of having excellent growing conditions for productive planting, a robust regulatory system in place to ensure good forestry management and a deep commitment to biodiversity and achieving Net Zero status by mid-century. The building blocks of a stronger domestic security of wood supply are in place. What is needed now is greater stimulus by the UK government in order to leverage these advantages into reality. BMJ
May 2022
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