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Forestry in the United Kingdom

Timber harvesting in Kielder Forest, Northumberland, England
Electricity wires cut through the forest at Coed Plas-y-Nant (Clwydian Range AONB), Ruthin, Wales

The United Kingdom, being in the British Isles, is ideal for tree growth, thanks to its mild winters, plentiful rainfall, fertile soil and hill-sheltered topography. In the absence of people, much of Great Britain would be covered with mature oaks as well as savannah-type of plains, except for Scotland.[citation needed] Although conditions for forestry are good, trees face threats from fungi, parasites and pests.[1] Nowadays, about 13% of Britain's land surface is wooded. European countries average 39%, but this varies widely from 1% (Malta) to 66% (Finland).[2][3][4][5][6] As of 2021, government plans call for 30,000 hectares to be reforested each year.[needs update] Efforts to reach these targets have attracted criticism for planting non-native trees, or trees that are out of place for their surroundings, leading to ecological changes.[7]

The UK's supply of timber was depleted during the First and Second World Wars, when imports were difficult, and the forested area bottomed out at under 5% of Britain's land surface in 1919. That year, the Forestry Commission was established to produce a strategic reserve of timber.

Of the 31,380 square kilometres (12,120 sq mi) of forest in Britain, around 30% is publicly owned and 70% is in the private sector.[Notes 1] More than 40,000 people work on this land. Conifers account for around one half (51%) of the UK woodland area, although this proportion varies from around one quarter (26%) in England to around three quarters (74%) in Scotland.[8] Britain's native tree flora comprises 32 species, of which 29 are broadleaves.

The UK's industry and populace uses at least 50 million tonnes of timber a year. More than 75% of this is softwood, and British forests cannot supply the demand; in fact, less than 10% of the timber used in Britain is home-grown. Paper and paper products make up more than half the wood consumed in Britain by volume.[3][9][10]

  1. ^ Hart 1994, p.68
  2. ^ "39% of the EU is covered with forests". Eurostat. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b Forestry Facts and Figures 2014: A Summary of Statistics about Woodland and Forestry in the UK (PDF). Forestry Commission. 1 January 2014. ISBN 9780855389147. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  4. ^ Nix et al. 1999, p. 2
  5. ^ Nix et al. 1999, p. 93
  6. ^ Rural Focus: Forestry Policy, Estates Gazette, 28 July 2012, pages 56-57.
  7. ^ "Row over UK tree-planting drive: 'We want the right trees in the right place'". TheGuardian.com. 23 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Forestry Statistics 2019, Chapter 1 - Woodland area and planting". Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  9. ^ Nix et al. 1999, p. 94
  10. ^ Hart 1994, p. 1


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