The UK needs to focus on increasing tree planting and approach timber security with the same seriousness as food security, says Baroness Barbara Young, the newly appointed chair of the Forestry Commission.
UK Woodland Creation. England created just 5,250 hectares of new woodland in 2025-26, down from 5,765 hectares a year earlier and still below the Forestry Commission’s 7,500-hectare annual target, according to the latest Forestry Commission annual report published on September 30th 2026.
The WeighPro Wireless Weighing Link represents a precise and dependable weighing system designed specifically for round timber, eliminating the need for re-calibration. This system offers operators minimal maintenance requirements, boasting an impressive battery life of up to two years between recharges.
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.
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.
The area of woodland in the UK on 31 March 2026 is estimated at 3.30 million hectares. This represents 14% of the total land area in the UK, 20% in Scotland, 15% in Wales, 10% in England, and 9% in Northern Ireland.
Of the total UK woodland area, 861 thousand hectares is owned or managed by Forestry England, Forestry and Land Scotland, Natural Resources Wales or the Northern Ireland Forest Service.
The total certified woodland area in the UK at 31 March 2026 is 1.42 million hectares, including all Forestry England/Forestry and Land Scotland/Welsh Government Woodland Estate/Northern Ireland Forest Service woodland. Overall, 43% of the UK woodland area is certified.
around 13 thousand hectares of newly created woodland were reported in the UK in 2025/26.
around 14 thousand hectares of publicly funded woodland restocking were reported in the UK in 2025/26.
Woodland Carbon Code projects in the UK that were validated (including those that were also verified) at 31 March 2026 were predicted to sequester a total of 15.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over their lifetime of up to 100 years. This represents 12.8 million tonnes in Scotland, 2.1 million tonnes in England, 652 thousand tonnes in Wales, and 99 thousand tonnes in Northern Ireland.
The target of creating 30,000 new woodlands annually is projected to fall short by more than half once again.
These numbers won’t contribute to ensuring timber security and will fall short of creating the jobs, new homes, and economic growth that we need.
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