Introduction

This chapter covers the production of timber from woodland and the primary processing of harvested wood to give basic wood products.

Estimates for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are included, in addition to UK totals, where possible.

International comparisons of timber production are available in the International Forestry chapter.  Further information on the data sources and methodology used to compile the figures is provided in the Sources chapter.

Timber originating from conifers is known as softwood and that from broadleaves is known as hardwood.  Please refer to the Glossary for a definition of other terms used in this chapter.

Figures for 2017 were previously published in “UK Wood Production and Trade: 2017 Provisional Figures”, released on 17 May 2018.  Some figures for the latest year have been revised from those previously published.  For further details on revisions, see the Timber section of the Sources chapter.

A copy of all UK-grown timber tables is available to download as an Excel spreadsheet from www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/data-downloads/.

Key findings

The main findings for 2017 are (with percentage changes from 2016):

Removals¹ (harvesting) of UK roundwood:

• 10.9 million green tonnes of softwood (+2%);
• 0.7 million green tonnes of hardwood (+24%)².

Deliveries¹ of UK roundwood to wood processors and others:

• Total: 11.2 million green tonnes of roundwood (softwood and hardwood) (+2%), of which:
• Sawmills: 6.6 million green tonnes (+1%);
• Wood-based panels: 1.1 million green tonnes (-15%);
• Integrated pulp and paper mills: 0.4 million green tonnes (+4%);
• Woodfuel: 2.2 million green tonnes (+13%)²;
• Other uses, including round fencing, shavings and exports of roundwood: 0.9 million green tonnes (+8%).

Production of wood products in the UK included:

• 3.8 million cubic metres of sawnwood (+3%);
• 3.2 million cubic metres of wood-based panels (+5%);
• 3.9 million tonnes of paper and paperboard (+5%).

Note:

1. The difference between total removals and deliveries reported here (around 0.2 million green tonnes in 2017) is likely to reflect a number of factors, including the different data sources and methodologies used.

2. The 24% increase in hardwood removals is largely attributed to an 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.

Additional resources

Sources chapter: Timber