Domestic timber planned increases to boost UK economy and housebuilding.

The Government plans to increase domestic timber use to boost UK economy and housebuilding.

Photo-Donaldson Timber Systems

New vision by government to deliver on its Plan for Change by increasing timber use in construction and boosting economic growth
New roadmap will get Britain building with the use of sustainable and low carbon building materials to help solve the housing crisis and achieve 2050 net zero targets.
80% of the UK’s timber supply is imported, increasing our domestic capacity will create green jobs in forestry and wood-processing, which contribute £3bn to the economy.

New, ambitious plans to increase the use of domestic timber in construction to boost the domestic timber industry, economic growth, rural jobs and housebuilding targets, have been announced by Environment Minister Mary Creagh today (Thursday 27^th February) at the Timber in Construction (TiC) Summit in London.

80,000 Hours

That’s a remarkable amount of work hours for a single machine, the Norcar 600 owned by Erkki Rinne is taken well care of, it even has the original Diesel engine.
Kieran Anders Forestry

Kieran Anders is a forestry contractor working in the lake district. His work involves hand cutting and extracting timber using a skidder and tractor-trailer forwarder.
Promoting safety in the workplace

It is not possible to eliminate chain shot, but there are simple steps that can be taken to reduce the risk.
Glasfryn Fencing and Sawmill

Arwel takes great pride in the fact that the mill has no waste whatsoever, “the peelings are used for children’s playgrounds, gardens and for farm animals in barns in the winter and the sawdust has multiple uses in gardens and farms as well.
Keeping Timber Hauliers Safe

Timber hauliers need to encourage young blood in, and also look after the hauliers we have, we need make the sector a safe and positive place to work.

FIND US ON

The government has outlined new methods to deliver on its Plan for Change that will help to build 1.5million sustainable and affordable homes, create a low-waste circular construction sector and drive further investment into domestic timber and wood-processing supply chains.

Speaking at the TiC Summit, Minister Creagh confirmed the government will recommit to the Timber in Construction Roadmap, which outlines measures to increase the use of timber in the construction sector.

Using timber in construction is one of the best ways to reduce emissions from buildings. Around 25% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions are from the built environment, and larger buildings can store up to 400% more carbon when built out of engineered timber products compared to when built with concrete. Currently 80% of the timber the UK currently uses is imported.

The new Timber in Construction Roadmap outlines more ambitious Government priorities and key actions including:

Encouraging the use of sustainable, low carbon building materials, and ensuring carbon emissions are considering during the design, construction and use of buildings.
Fulfilling the Government’s commitment to delivering 1.5m homes this Parliament byusing Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) includingthe use of timber, to boost productivity in housebuilding and deliver high quality, energy efficient new homes.
Creating a circular economy by championing timber’s potential for a clean growth future – supporting the construction sector to use the most sustainable, low carbon materials and construction techniques.
Accelerating economic growth by creating new and diverse green jobs in the productive forestry and timber sectors, as well as stimulating further investment into domestic timber and wood processing supply chains.

These actions will go alongside recommitting to existing plans such as promoting timber as a construction material, boosting skills and capacity across the supply chain and increasing the supply of sustainable timber products.

Environment Minister Mary Creagh said:

“This Government is getting Britain building.

“Our Plan for Change will build 1.5 million homes this Parliament. Timber will play a vital role benefitting development and nature.”

Forestry Commission Chief Executive, Richard Stanford said:

“To reach net zero, we must increase timber production from homegrown trees and use that timber in our buildings to sequester carbon. The Timber in Construction Roadmap will propel forestry production in England to ensure timber security, reduce our dependence on imports, and address the nature crisis by boosting biodiversity, improving water quality, and providing more green spaces for people.

“The Forestry Commission will continue to collaborate closely with partners from the timber, forestry, and construction sectors in this critical area of work for many years ahead”.

Alex Goodfellow, Chair of the Confederation of Timber Industries, and CEO of Donaldson Offsite said:

“The Minister’s support for the Timber in Construction Roadmap shows the Government’s firm commitment to a growth agenda: growth for forestry, for housing, for low-carbon skills and for the economy. The timber supply chain is a major economic player in the UK, connecting rural and urban environments.

“Timber frame construction is a well-proven technology and business model for delivering houses rapidly and sustainably while improving quality. By accelerating this growth we can build more low-carbon housing today while providing a market pull for expanding forests. As a supply chain we will support the Government to deliver on all of the goals in the roadmap and help build a more sustainable future.”

The amended roadmap goes further than previous Government commitments, setting out more ambitious targets and actions to increase the use of homegrown timber in construction in a move to reduce carbon emissions, provide green jobs of the future, create affordable and sustainable housing, and drive-up economic growth.

Increasing the domestic production of timber will create new green jobs in the forestry and wood processing sectors, which contribute over £3bn to the UK economy.