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Home / Tools and resources / Statistics / Forestry Statistics and Forestry Facts & Figures / Forestry Statistics 2016 / 2016 – UK-Grown Timber – Introduction / 2016 – Wood production
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The National Forest Inventory “50-year forecast of softwood availability” and “50-year forecast of hardwood availability” were published in April 2014. They are forecasts of potential availability rather than production, as they do not take account of management objectives, financial factors or the state of markets, all of which will affect the level of and timing of harvesting.

More information on the forecasts and detailed breakdowns are available on the National Forest Inventory web pages at www.forestry.gov.uk/inventory.

The forecasts are outside the scope of National Statistics, but are provided here to give more context to the data on wood production.

As these forecasts were produced in 2014, they do not take into account any of the findings from the ‘preliminary estimates of the changes in canopy cover in British woodlands between 2006 and 2015’, released in August 2016.

The key assumptions underpinning the headline softwood forecast scenario include:

  • Private woodland is managed in a way that maximises total production.
  • The estate of the Forestry Commission and Natural Resources Wales is managed according to current management plans; note both Forestry Commission Scotland and Natural Resources Wales intend to cap production below the level set out in Table 2.4a.

Under the above scenario, softwood availability for Great Britain averages 15.2 million cubic metres a year over the 50-year period 2013 to 2061 (Table 2.4a). The majority (66%) of this softwood is projected to come from private sector woodland.

Table 2.4a Softwood availability forecasts
Annual average
in the period		 England Wales Scotland GB
thousand cubic metres overbark standing
FC/NRW1
2013 – 2016 1 632 1 082 4 220 6 933
2017 – 2021 1 330 991 3 658 5 980
2022 – 2026 1 211 895 3 516 5 622
2027 – 2031 1 159 778 3 789 5 726
2032 – 2036 1 066 934 3 215 5 216
2037 – 2041 1 013 794 2 936 4 744
2042 – 2046 1 055 531 2 730 4 316
2047 – 2051 1 014 585 3 280 4 879
2052 – 2056 828 495 2 886 4 209
2057 – 2061 1 250 679 2 339 4 269
Private sector2
2013 – 2016 2 945 901 5 708 9 554
2017 – 2021 3 225 949 6 997 11 171
2022 – 2026 2 903 1 087 7 830 11 820
2027 – 2031 2 986 775 8 910 12 671
2032 – 2036 2 850 736 8 847 12 433
2037 – 2041 2 224 679 8 133 11 035
2042 – 2046 1 848 490 6 527 8 865
2047 – 2051 1 523 521 4 986 7 030
2052 – 2056 1 431 734 5 679 7 845
2057 – 2061 1 603 694 5 627 7 924
Total softwood
2013 – 2016 4 577 1 983 9 928 16 487
2017 – 2021 4 555 1 940 10 656 17 151
2022 – 2026 4 113 1 982 11 346 17 442
2027 – 2031 4 145 1 553 12 700 18 398
2032 – 2036 3 916 1 670 12 062 17 649
2037 – 2041 3 237 1 473 11 069 15 779
2042 – 2046 2 903 1 021 9 257 13 181
2047 – 2051 2 537 1 106 8 266 11 909
2052 – 2056 2 259 1 229 8 566 12 054
2057 – 2061 2 853 1 373 7 966 12 193

Source: National Forest Inventory: 50-year forecast of softwood availability (Forestry Commission, April 2014)3

Notes:

1. The estate of the Forestry Commission and Natural Resources Wales is assumed to be managed according to current management plans; note both Forestry Commission Scotland and Natural Resources Wales intend to cap production below the level set out in Table 2.4a.

2. Private woodland is assumed to be managed in a way that maximises total production.

3. More recent softwood availability forecasts, covering a 25-year period only, are available from the NFI web pages at www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/national-forest-inventory/how-our-woodlands-might-change-over-time-nfi-forecast-reports/.

These figures are outside the scope of National Statistics.

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