Forestry Commission - News - market looking good for english hardwood

Good quality English oak and other home-produced timber made big gains at a recent hardwood timber auction, conducted by John Jenkins on behalf of Newland, Rennie Wilkins (Monmouth).

The sale indicated that purchasers are prepared to pay for quality with the best hardwood achieving the biggest price increases on last year. The top price paid was Ł177/m3 for 302m3 of top quality oak from Wiltshire. Two other oak parcels from the South East sold for Ł163/m3 and Ł149/m3.

The auction, held at the Hare and Hounds Hotel in Westonbirt, Gloucestershire on 30 November, featured 35 Forestry Commission lots plus a further three lots from private sellers.

Most of the wood came from traditional hardwood producing areas such as the New Forest, South East England and the Forest of Dean with some welcome additions from other areas including East Anglia and the Midlands.

Simon Wallis, Assistant Operations Manager for the Forestry Commission, said, “This was a very positive and successful sale that demonstrated the Forestry Commission’s confidence and commitment. Brisk bidding took off as soon as the sale got underway and these strong prices indicate that buyers are prepared to pay for good quality home-produced timber. We hope that the good news from this sale will attract more private sector hardwood to the market.”

For more information about timber sales please contact Simon Wallis on 0117 9066012 or Alan Corson on 01904 696300

Note to editor

The Forestry Commission is the government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. It supports woodland owners with grants, tree felling licences, regulation and advice; promotes the benefits of forests and forestry; and advises Government on forestry policy. It manages more than a million hectares (2.5 million acres) of national forest land for public benefits such as sustainable timber production, public recreation, nature conservation, and rural and community development. For further information, visit www.forestry.gsi.gov.uk.