Lord Fearn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Fearn on 2015-12-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which British woods are grown for timber use, if any.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Forestry is a devolved issue, so the answer relates to England only.

Many English woods are grown for timber amongst other uses, including oak and cherry. 2.6 million tonnes of English wood was delivered to primary wood processors and others in 2014. This is a 3% increase from the previous year. Active management of English woodlands at September 2015 was reported to be at 58%, up from 53% in 2013.

This is why this Government strongly supports the work of the Grown in Britain initiative. Its work in support of the woodland economy has helped to grow a £2bn a year forestry and wood processing industry, which employs over 40,000 people.