Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of trends in the annual supply deficit of commercial timber in the UK in each of the next three decades.

Forest Research publishes Forestry Statistics on Trade in wood products based on Overseas Statistics compiled by HM Revenue & Customs.

In the period 2011 - 2020 the UK has consumed between 43 and 57 million tonnes of wood raw material equivalent (WRME) annually. Consumption is the sum of UK produced wood plus imported wood minus exported wood. UK production accounted for between 10.0 and 11.2 million tonnes WRME annually and imported timber for between 39.6 and 50.3 million tonnes WRME.

Imported timber accounts for around 80% of timber consumed in the UK. Levels of consumption depend on economic activity. It is anticipated that imports will continue to account for the majority of timber consumed in the UK in each of the next three decades. This year, as part of the Nature for Climate Fund, we are supporting 17 projects designed to increase levels of woodland management to both improve habitats and supply timber to market. As described in the England Trees Action Plan we are working with industry to encourage the use of timber, increase supply of timber to the construction market and develop innovative timber products and methods of construction using wood.