The winners of the Confor Awards 2026 were honoured and celebrated by the industry at an event in Edinburgh on Wednesday 11 March. Among the special accolades of the evening was the first ever Confor Chair Award, given to the groundbreaking Trust UK C16 Timber Campaign. Lord Ian Duncan of Springbank, Chair of Confor, noted that the campaign has real future potential to positively impact the perception of homegrown timber and drive growth in its use, especially in the construction and housing sectors.
A highlight of the annual industry calendar, the Confor Awards recognise those driving progress for forestry and the wood-using sector, through leadership, communication, resilience and sustainability. Confor Chief Executive Stuart Goodall commented that the industry is “walking the talk” by investing in a sustainable future for forestry and timber, and by making a positive impact on the attitudes of the public and policymakers.
Speaking ahead of the Awards, he said: “In these times of global insecurity and economic and climate challenges, our industry can make a valuable contribution that ticks so many economic and environmental boxes. There are barriers to overcome, not least those related to misinformation and often polarised debate. The sector needs great people and businesses who can promote the industry and who can demonstrate excellence and drive growth – those shortlisted for this year’s awards fit the bill.”
Building on their groundbreaking campaign to champion UK timber, the country’s three largest sawmillers – BSW Timber, James Jones & Sons, and Glennon Brothers recently announced a partnership with the country’s leading construction industry bodies. As a collective, the C16 Campaign is now working strategically with the RIBA, Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) and Institute of Structural Engineers (IStructE).
Aimed primarily at architects and structural engineers, the renewed campaign seeks to raise awareness of the benefits and strategic importance of domestically grown and manufactured timber across the construction industry, reducing the UK’s reliance on imported materials. At the heart of the campaign is C16 graded timber, grown and manufactured in the UK. C16 timber is suitable for most standard construction applications, offering strength, versatility, and lower embodied carbon than many imported alternatives, such as C24 timber.
John Ward, Corporate Partnerships Manager at RIBA, said: “We are delighted to be aligned with the Trust UK C16 Timber Campaign. We look forward to supporting the delivery of this important initiative to the architectural community, highlighting the economic and sustainability benefits of growing, manufacturing and specifying UK-grown timber.”
Stuart Goodall, Chief Executive at Confor, added: “The response we’ve seen to our campaign so far has been staggering, which really goes to show the impact we can make when we unite as an industry. We’re delighted to be extending this collaboration to IStructE, RIAS and RIBA, the UK’s leading bodies for structural engineers and architects. If we want to futureproof our domestic timber supply for the built environment, and become more self-sufficient, it’s vital to have buy-in from the planning stages, all the way through to completion. We’re excited to continue bringing UK timber to the forefront.”
