THOUGHT YOU WERE OUT OF THE WOODS?

The Confederation of Forest Industries (Confor) recently warned that the UK faces declining supplies of homegrown wood due to lack of productive tree planting. Stuart Goodall, Confor Chief Executive, examines the threats and answers to long term supply.

With the country currently needing to import over 80% of its wood requirement, the UK could be sleepwalking into a timber shortage crisis in the not-too-distant future. It should be concerning to everyone when a mature economy with the perfect conditions for growing a wide range of tree species should be in a potentially precarious position in relation to wood supply. But that’s exactly where we find ourselves. For decades we have not taken responsibility for investing in our domestic wood supply, leaving us exposed to fluctuating prices and fighting for future supplies of wood as global demand rises and our own supplies fall.

UK: the big net importer

The UK is the world’s second largest importer of wood after China, importing around £7.5billion annually, because it currently grows only around 20% of its wood requirement, leaving it exposed to a very significant balance (80%) needing to be imported from other countries. In 2020 the UK imported 48 million cubic metres of wood products, of which 22% was sawnwood and wood-based panels destined for use by the building and construction industry. By 2021 this had increased by 15%, with the UK importing an average of one million m3 of timber and panel products every month – a rare occurrence according to Timber Development UK. Specifically, softwood import volumes increased by over 21%, hardwoods by 26% and plywoods by over 13%, demonstrating increased demand even during ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

Beyond the UK, it is estimated by the World Bank that global demand for wood products will treble by 2050, driven by an increased population of 7.8 billion today, to 10 billion in less than 30 years. This huge increase is being driven primarily by higher living standards, greater urbanisationincluding China’s almost inexhaustible need for timber for both construction and manufacturing - and greater use of what is increasingly seen as a more sustainable building material.

These trends are being compounded at a time when a number of other global developments are coalescing. In particular, security of supply of natural resources is under ever greater threat from geo-political upheavals, as witnessed by the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and soaring energy prices.

An overlooked partner for Net Zero

The UK’s commitment to become net zero by 2050 is, in part, dependent on the greater sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2) for which productive tree planting in the UK can make a significant contribution.

Wood in all its versatile forms – from high value engineered wood products, roof and floor trusses, roof linings, timber frames, insulation, cladding, volumetric chipboard flooring, doors, windows, skirting and door frames – is a unique natural material that is truly sustainable. Not only is wood a readily available substitute for many materials which have much higher emissions loads, including brick, concrete, steel and polyurethane, but the tree from which it evolves sequesters large amounts of CO2 as it grows.

Wood fibre insulation, in particular, is an excellent choice for insulating homes and has impressive green credentials and there is currently interest in establishing a manufacturing plant in the UK. Recyclable, compostable and dimensionally 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. And with the UK facing the likely scenario of increased competition for future imports, it is little wonder that Confor is highlighting the declining supply of UK domestic wood supply and the potential risk this poses to major industries including construction and manufacturing.

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. Confor is now calling for 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 landowners 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.

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.

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.