In a special episode of the Forestry Briefing podcast, two of the most senior figures in British forestry discuss their concerns about the current situation. Here’s a short excerpt from their conversation.
The Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission has expressed frustration that a major manufacturing facility in England is heavily dependent on imported timber.
Housebuilder Bellway has recently launched its Bellway Home Space facility in Mansfield, a 135,000 sq ft plant producing timber-frame kits.
However, almost all of the timber used at the site is sourced from Scandinavia, even though its automated systems are very similar to those at Glennon Brothers’ Alexander Timber Designs in Scotland, which relies on domestically grown timber.
Speaking to the Forestry Briefing podcast after a recent visit to the Bellway site, Richard Stanford said: “When asked why they are not using more British timber, the people on the factory floor and people procuring it told me that it is rubbish, it warps, and it is not good enough.
“I put to them that Sweden has dictated a 25 per cent reduction in allowable cut. So what are they going to do when the timber supply goes down? They didn’t have an answer.
“The next factory I went to was Glennon Brothers’ Alexander Timber Design in Ayrshire. Pretty much the same factory and the same robots. They are using British timber.
“There is no issue with warping. There is no issue with twisting. They are preparing it properly.
“Why have we got such a big difference between two almost identical factories? It’s just odd.”
One of the most senior figures in British forestry added: “When it comes to that factory I mentioned in Mansfield, I am not clear why the sawmill industry is not battering their door down, saying: ‘What are you talking about? We have some really good timber that is not going to warp or twist’.”
In response to Richard’s comments, a Bellway Homes spokesperson said they were “actively” considering supply chain options.
The Forestry Commission’s chief executive was speaking on Forestry Journal’s monthly podcast in support of Confor’s campaign to include timber in the National Security Risk Assessment. During a wide-ranging discussion, he also supported the Grown in Britain-led initiative to incorporate Biogenic Stored Carbon Quotient (BSCQ) into construction projects, saying we needed to be “more ambitious” in how we use the timber we already have.
Stuart Goodall, chief executive of Confor, also appeared on the special episode, where he raised concerns about a recent Forest Research assessment of the UK’s softwood timber supply, which projects a sharp decline over the next 50 years.
“We have time to act now but we have to address that,” he told the podcast. “Let’s make more use of the timber we have. We want to attract investment in by also saying we are going to tackle that issue of longer-term supply.
“In terms of the supply we have, it’s not a fixed point. Within the planting targets we already have, would that give us what we need?”
“We have put huge amount of investment to make Sitka spruce a super tree, starting from a high base. How do we take that research and apply it to other productive species?
“There are so many things we can do that would make the difference to the longer-term supply situation.”
To support Confor’s campaign, visit here: confor.nationbuilder.com/sign_petition?ref=ed_direct
