It is estimated that a total of 11.7 million green tonnes of roundwood was removed from UK woodlands in 2017.  

Softwood accounted for most (94%) removals from UK woodland and totalled 10.9 million green tonnes in 2017 (Table 2.1).  This represented a 2% increase on the previous year’s figure.  

Hardwood removals totalled 0.7 million green tonnes in 2017.  This total includes a new estimate for deliveries of UK grown hardwood used for woodfuel (see Table 2.6) and should not be interpreted as an increase in a single year.

Private sector woodlands accounted for 55% of softwood production and 89% of hardwood production in 2017.

Table 2.1 Wood production, 2008-2017

^{Source: Forestry Commission, Natural Resources Wales, Forest Service, industry surveys, industry associations.}

^Notes:

^{1. FC: Forestry Commission (England, Scotland, and until March 2013, Wales), NRW: Natural Resources Wales (from April 2013), FS: Forest Service (Northern Ireland).}

^{2. Private sector: removals from all other woodland (including some publicly owned woodland).}

^{3. Most hardwood production in the UK comes from private sector woodland; the figures are estimates based on reported deliveries to wood processing industries and others.}

^{4.  The increase in hardwood removals from private sector woodland is largely attributed to the increase in the estimate for deliveries of UK grown hardwood used for woodfuel reported from 2016 to 2017 (see Table 2.6).  Therefore, this new estimate should not be interpreted as an increase in a single year. This figure is currently under review.}

^{Data:  Longer time series of the above table, including estimates by country (England/ Wales/ Scotland/ Northern Ireland), are available from the Data downloads web page at: www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/data-downloads/.}

Additional resources

Sources chapter: Wood production