Timber: Housing
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the quantity of (a) commercial forest timber and (b) waste wood products that will be needed to achieve the government’s target of 1.5million homes in this parliament; and what proportion of these products are likely to be sourced (i) domestically and (ii) internationally.
Answered by Mary Creagh
We recognise the important role timber can play in supporting Net Zero, including through reducing embodied emissions in construction and storing carbon. The Government relaunched a more ambitious Timber in Construction Roadmap in February 2025 to increase sustainable timber use. The UK currently meets only around a fifth of its timber demand from domestic production, and even with increased planting and improved management, imports will continue to be essential to meet demand and balance wider land use priorities. Using a combination of domestic and imported timber, as well as other construction materials will allow the Government to meet its housing delivery ambitions.
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