UK grown timber and wood products

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

Timber originating from conifers is known as softwood and that from broadleaves is known as hardwood.

Information in Tables 2.1-2.9 and 2.11-2.12 is taken from the National Statistics publication UK Timber Statistics 2004.

Information on employment within the forestry and primary wood processors sectors is given in section 6.

Wood production

Figures for production are expressed in green tonnes (i.e. weight when freshly felled). See conversion factors for information on converting between cubic metres and green tonnes.

A total of 9.6 million green tonnes was produced in the UK in 2004. This represented an increase of 6.8% from the 2003 total of 9.0 million green tonnes.

Source: UK Timber Statistics 2004.

1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 thousand green tonnes.
2. Most hardwood production in the UK comes from non-FC/FS woodland; the figures are estimates based on reported deliveries to wood processing industries.

Softwood production forecasts (not National Statistics) are taken from the 2000 softwood assessment and from Forest Service. Strictly, they are forecasts of availability rather than production, as they do not take account of financial factors or the state of markets, which may cause production to be delayed or brought forward. More information and detailed breakdowns of GB forecasts are available in Great Britain: new forecast of softwood availability in the April 2001 edition of Forestry & British Timber.

Softwood production in the UK is projected to increase to an annual average of 16 million m³ overbark standing over the five year period 2017 to 2021. The majority of this softwood is projected to come from non-FC/FS woodland.

Source: 2000 softwood assessment and Forest Service.

Figure 2.1 Longer term trend in softwood availability by sector

Timber deliveries

Most figures for timber deliveries (inputs to wood processing) are expressed in green tonnes. See Conversion factors for information on converting from green tonnes to underbark volumes.

A total of 8.3 million green tonnes of UK grown softwood and 0.5 million green tonnes of UK grown hardwood were delivered to wood processing industries in the UK in 2004. Sawmills accounted for the majority of softwood deliveries (59%) but just 18% of hardwood deliveries. A further 18% of softwood was delivered to woodbased panel mills and 6% to integrated pulp and paper mills. Roundwood exports in 2004 accounted for 11% of all softwood deliveries.

Source: UK Timber Statistics 2004.

1. Figures have been revised from Forestry Statistics 2004 in light of additional information received.
2. These figures were estimated by, or partly composed of estimates made by, the Expert Group on Timber and Trade Statistics.
3. Exports here are the quantities of wood exported without going to a wood processing industry in the UK. Data for exports from Northern Ireland in 1995-2003 are not available.

Sawmills

Data are collected by the Forestry Commission in an annual Sawmill Survey. For more details, see UK Timber Statistics 2004.

Consumption units are given in green tonnes. For production, the units used are m³ sawnwood - see Conversion factors.

In 2004 UK sawmills consumed a total of 5.1 million green tonnes of softwood, producing 2.7 million m³ sawnwood. A further 121 thousand green tonnes of hardwood was consumed, producing 61 thousand m³ sawnwood.

Source: UK Timber Statistics 2004.

1. Figures for 1995-2003 have been revised from Forestry Statistics 2004 in light of additional information received.

There was a total of 235 sawmills processing UK roundwood in 2004. The majority of these sawmills (123) were in England, a further 76 were in Scotland, 21 in Wales and 15 in Northern Ireland. 70% of sawmills produced less than five thousand m³ sawnwood (softwood and hardwood).

Source: UK Timber Statistics 2004.

1. Categories are based on m³ total (softwood and hardwood) sawnwood production.

Pulp and paper mills

The information in Tables 2.6 and 2.7 relates only to mills which use UK grown roundwood in the production of paper (integrated pulp and paper mills). These mills also use recycled paper (200 000 tonnes in 1997) and recycled cardboard (50 000 tonnes in 1997). [Source: Forestry Industry Handbook 1998]

Integrated pulp and paper mills in the UK consumed a total of 0.7 million green tonnes of UK roundwood in 2004 (mainly softwood) and a further 0.1 million green tonnes of sawmill products.

Source: UK Timber Statistics 2004.

1. This table excludes inputs of recycled paper and cardboard.
2. UK roundwood includes all materials from forest operations.
3. Sawmill products include peeled and unpeeled chips, sawdust, slabwood, shavings, postplant chips and peelings.
4. Includes inputs from imported roundwood and chips.

Figure 2.2 Inputs to integrated pulp and paper mills

Table 2.7 gives information on the country of origin of the UK grown roundwood for all integrated pulp and paper mills in the UK. Figures are not available for the quantity broken down by the country in which the mill is located, which could disclose data for individual mills.

Over one half of UK grown roundwood used in integrated pulp and paper mills in 2004 was obtained from Scotland (60%). A further 38% was obtained from England and the remaining 2% from Wales.

Source: UK Timber Statistics 2004.

Woodbased panel products

Woodbased panels are oriented strand board (OSB), wood chipboard and cement bonded particleboard (which are all types of particleboard), and medium density fibreboard (MDF) and other fibreboard (which are both types of fibreboard).

Sawmill products accounted for 40% of all inputs to woodbased panel mills in 2004. A further 35% was obtained from UK roundwood and 25% from recycled wood fibre.

Figure 2.3 Inputs to woodbased panel mills

Source: UK Timber Statistics 2004.

Table 2.8 shows the inputs used in the production of all types of woodbased panels in the United Kingdom.

Source: UK Timber Statistics 2004.

1. UK roundwood includes all material from forest operations.
2. Sawmill products include peeled and unpeeled chips, sawdust, slabwood, shavings, postplant chips and peelings.
3. Imports include roundwood, wood products and products from imported wood.
4. Recycled wood fibre is wood fibre recovered from both pre- and post-consumer wood waste for use in woodbased panel production.

. denotes data not available

Miscellaneous uses of UK wood

Data for softwood fencing are collected by the Forestry Commission in an annual survey of round fencing manufacturers. Many of the other uses are not covered by survey or administrative sources, and the values are estimates made by representatives of the wood processing industries.

A total of 274 thousand green tonnes of UK softwood and an estimated 30 thousand green tonnes of UK hardwood were consumed by round fencing manufactures in 2004. Other miscellaneous uses accounted for a further 356 thousand green tonnes of roundwood (softwood and hardwood ).

Source: UK Timber Statistics 2004.

1. Figures have been revised from Forestry Statistics 2004 in light of additional information received.
2. Includes fuelwood, shavings, poles and woodwool.
3. These figures are estimated by, or partly composed of estimates made by, the Expert Group on Timber and Trade Statistics.

Certification

Forest certification assesses forest management practices against an agreed standard and awards a label to those forest products that meet the standard. In order for products to achieve certification, both forest manage-ment practices and the Chain of Custody, which tracks timber from forest to retail outlet, must be assessed.

1.2 million hectares of woodland in the UK were certified in March 2005, mostly under the Forest Stewardship Council. This represented 43% of the total UK woodland area, but varied from 30% in England to 75% in Northern Ireland.

Source: Forest Stewardship Council, Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), Forestry Commission.

1. Where possible, Table 2.10 uses the total woodland certified, rather than the total land certified. The Forestry Commission areas included in the totals are the latest areas, as shown in Table 1.1, rather than the areas shown on certificates.

Respondents to Forestry Commission surveys were asked to report on volumes certified. Almost three quarters of non-FC/FS softwood removals in 2004 were from certified sources. Over three quarters of sawmills' roundwood consumption and almost two thirds of sawnwood production by sawmills in 2004 was certified. For round fencing manufacturers, over one half of total softwood consumption in 2004 was certified.

Source: UK Timber Statistics 2004.

1. For all removals from FC/FS woodland, the source is certified.

Sawmills and round fencing manufacturers were also asked whether they held a Chain of Custody certificate. Over one third of sawmills who provided data in 2004 reported that they held a Chain of Custody certificate. However, this proportion varied with size of mill, from just 20% of mills producing less than 5 thousand m³ sawnwood to around 95% of those producing 25 thousand m³ sawnwood or more. Around one quarter of round fencing manufacturers reported holding a Chain of Custody certificate.

Source: UK Timber Statistics 2004.

1. Mills responding in 2004. Accounts for around three quarters of total production for sawmills and almost 60% of total consumption by round fencing manufacturers.
2. Production categories are based on total sawnwood production.

Certification was also a topic in the 2005 Public Opinion of Forestry, a survey of 4000 adults across Great Britain (see chapter 5 for further details on this survey). Respondents were first asked if they had been shopping for wood products in the last few years. Those who had (44%), were then asked if they recognised either the FSC or PEFC symbols. Over one third (38%) of those who had been shopping for wood products in the last few years said that they recognised the FSC symbol and 8% said that they recognised the PEFC symbol. 56% of respondents did not recollect seeing either symbol.

Base: Respondents who had been shopping for wood products: 1930 in 2003 (UK), 1752 in 2005 (GB).

Source: UK Public Opinion of Forestry 2003, GB Public Opinion of Forestry 2005 (not National Statistics).

1. Includes multiple responses.

Number of establishments in the primary wood processing industries

Table 2.14 shows the number of primary wood processors, according to the sampling frames used for Forestry Commission surveys of establishments using UK timber. The figures in Table 2.14 do not correspond with the VAT registration information given in Figures 2.4-2.7. They count establishments (sites) rather than businesses and include those that do not need to register for VAT. They also have a different basis for classification, so some businesses which are excluded from Figs 2.4-2.7 because of their VAT classification are included in this table (typically businesses where primary wood processing is a small part of their total activity), and some businesses included in Figs 2.4-2.7 are excluded here (usually because they do not use UK-grown timber).

1. Figures have been revised from Forestry Statistics 2004 in light of additional information received.
2. A single mill may be recorded twice, as a sawmill and a round fencing manufacturer.

VAT-registered businesses involved in forestry and primary wood processing

The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) is the United Kingdom's classification of business activities. The main heading including forestry businesses is 020: Forestry and logging. The main headings for primary wood processing are 201: Sawmilling and planing of wood, impregnation of wood; 202: Manufacture of veneer sheets; manufacture of plywood, laminboard, particleboard, fibreboard and other panels and boards; and part of 211: Manufacture of pulp, paper and paperboard. All these headings potentially include businesses not traditionally regarded as forestry or primary wood processing, and some businesses which are traditionally included in forestry or primary wood processing are excluded as they are classified to other headings of the SIC.

Charts 2.4-2.7 (using data from Business start-ups and closures: VAT registrations and deregistrations 1994-2003 published by the Small Business Service of the Department for Trade and Industry) show start-ups and closures and the size of the business population in these classifications. Because businesses with turnover below the VAT threshold are not required to register, many of the smallest businesses are not included in these figures. The figures are also not restricted to businesses using domestically produced timber but include businesses wholly using imports.

Figure 2.4 Total number of businesses and VAT registrations and deregistrations of businesses classified to SIC 020: Forestry and logging¹

Source: Business start-ups and closures: VAT registrations and deregistrations 1994-2004.

1. Figures have been revised from Forestry Statistics 2004 to reflect revised data published by DTI.

Figure 2.5 Total number of businesses and VAT registrations and deregistrations of businesses classified to SIC 201: Sawmilling and planing of wood, impregnation of wood¹

Source: Business start-ups and closures: VAT registrations and deregistrations 1994-2004.

1. Figures have been revised from Forestry Statistics 2004 to reflect revised data published by DTI.

Figure 2.6 Total number of businesses and VAT registrations and deregistrations of businesses classified to SIC 202: Manufacture of veneer sheets; manufacture of plywood, laminboard, particleboard, fibreboard and other panels and boards¹

Source: Business start-ups and closures: VAT registrations and deregistrations 1994-2004.

1. Figures have been revised from Forestry Statistics 2004 to reflect revised data published by DTI.

Figure 2.7 Total number of businesses and VAT registrations and deregistrations of businesses classified to SIC 211: Manufacture of pulp, paper and paperboard¹,²

Source: Business start-ups and closures: VAT registrations and deregistrations 1994-2004.

1. Figures have been revised from Forestry Statistics 2004 to reflect revised data published by DTI.
2. Only integrated pulp and paper-mills are normally included in primary wood processing.

NB: Figures in the tables are individually rounded, so the constituent items may not sum to the totals given.

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