MPs: 'Little evidence' of clear vision for UK's timber industry

A cross-party group of politicians has said ministers must "set a long-term target" for the amount of timber produced in the country, calling for the government to determine the proportion of all new woodland creation that will contribute to this aim. The UK remains the world's second-largest net importer of wood, with around 80 per cent of all product used coming from abroad. 

In the report, members of the the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) also: 

READ MORE: UK's tree-planting rates fall to lowest levels in five years

• Said they were concerned some forests in England are not being sustainably managed and officials lack the resources to enforce national standards. 
• Welcomed ministers' planting targets but concluded they are "extremely unlikely" to be met. 
• Accused Forestry England of failing to adequately play its part in planting ambitions. 

Philip Dunne MP, chair of the EAC, said: "The construction industry is increasingly looking to move away from steel and concrete to lower carbon alternatives, and timber is well placed to step in. Increasing productive forestry is welcome, though the Government must ensure that this isn’t at the expense of biodiversity. 

“The Government’s target to plant 30,000 hectares of woodland in the UK by March 2025 is welcome, and by and large Ministers appreciate the conflicting challenges and demands on woodland. 

"But the Committee is concerned that England is currently way off meeting its contribution to that UK-wide goal, and that the rate of planting must increase: not only to achieve greater biodiversity, but to ensure that the supply of timber from productive forestry is maintained."

Elsewhere, MPs said the private sector needed a clear vision from the government when it came to planting, and welcomed the creation of a National Wood Strategy. 

The EAC went on to argue tree planting policies and schemes should be fully integrated into a "single, holistic strategy" and said Forestry England should look at how they it uses its land, whether freehold or leasehold, to continue to contribute to achieving the national tree planting targets, particularly as its forests are substantial suppliers of domestically grown timber. 

Mr Dunne added: “At the moment there are simply too many overlapping strategies that aim to cover tree planting policies in the UK and in England, and there is little evidence of an overall vision for the timber sector. The numerous strategies are disjointed: what is required is an overarching, holistic strategy that sets a long-term vision for how different types of woodland will be used to deliver Government’s goals.

Philip Dunne MP, chair of the EAC

“The public sector is only responsible for a quarter of UK woodland. The private sector is therefore responsible for the lion’s share of planting, but with unclear strategies, overly bureaucratic schemes and a lack of clear leadership on planting on the public estate, there is little in way of incentive."