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The contribution of wood production to UK woods and forests
Background
Woodland provides a variety
of benefits valued at a local or national level. Most woods provide a number
of benefits, but many will have a specific benefit for which they are
valued: as habitat for wildlife, places for recreation or sources of
sustainable timber production. Some benefits will be specific to a location.
For instance, ancient woodland cannot be translocated or re-created and
woods for people must be near where people live. Other benefits, such as
carbon storage or timber production, may be less dependent on location.
Timber production has dominated policy on support for woodland management in
the post war decades. However in recent years government support has
broadened towards the many non-timber and non-market benefits which woods
can provide.
The current severe problems of the timber market have highlighted the
dependence of some woodland owners on the financial returns provided by
timber, either as a primary driver for operations or as a way of
contributing towards the costs of fulfilling other objectives of management,
such as biodiversity and recreation. The contribution that timber revenues
make towards the fulfilment of other objectives may be more significant than
previously recognised. However for many owners timber production is not the
main objective for owning their wood and this is demonstrated by the fact
that the market for woodland remains buoyant.
The trends in the global timber market make it unlikely that returns from
wood production in the UK will improve in the medium term and it appears
that imports will continue to challenge the competitiveness of most
home-produced wood, both in terms of price and in many instances quality.1
If woods are not seen as a valued asset by woodland owners seeking a
financial return there is an increasing likelihood that the contributions
they make to society will diminish, either as a result of reduced physical
protection or through a lack of appropriate management.
The Woodland Trust's view
- Woods are a long term
natural and renewable resource. Man made woods should always be created
and managed in keeping with their natural environment.
- The value of individual
woods should serve both the needs and objectives of the owner and of
society as a whole. A healthy and expanding national woodland resource
will result when and aspirations of both their owners and of wider society
are met.
- This means that the
production of wood for industry should be pursued only in the context of
its wider social impact, and not as a single object of management.
- Public benefit should be
the main driver for public subsidy. Woodland owners should receive
financial recognition for the costs of delivering public benefits to
society over and above the private benefits they enjoy such as income from
timber sales.
- We urge that forestry as
an industry recognises and takes full advantage of the trend to reward the
supply of wider benefits, by demanding financial recognition of these
benefits.
- Where wood production is
chosen as an objective the Trust believes the following characteristics
give wood a valuable advantage and should always be highlighted.
- Wood is a sustainable
resource and its use should be encouraged. In particular wood could
substitute for many products used in house building and construction.
Given the expansion of the UK housing stock this is particularly
important.
- The use of wood produced
in the UK reduces the negative environmental impacts of long distance
transport of a bulky material. UK Government procurement policy should
recognise the wider environmental costs of imported wood. Wood production
and marketing should be linked to credible certification. Wood production
should reflect regional and local demands, since it is this that ensures
that many of the unique, locationally dependent benefits are provided.
- Local wood production
has a role in reconnecting people with their woodland environment and can
be a valuable contribution to regional and local economies.
- Projects which increase
public awareness and understanding of the importance of wood should be
encouraged. Educational initiatives such as Forest Education Initiative
may have an important role.
References:
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WWF International Howard and Stead, March 2001, “The Forest Industry in
the 21st Century”
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