Epping Forest in 2008

Electricity wires cut through the forest at Coed Plas-y-Nant (Clwydian Range AONB), Ruthin, Wales

The United Kingdom,^{[Notes 1]} being in the British Isles, is ideal for tree growth, thanks to its mild winters, plentiful rainfall, fertile soil and hill-sheltered topography. In the absence of people, much of Great Britain would be covered with mature oaks, except for Scotland. Although conditions for forestry are good, trees do face damage threats arising from fungi, parasites and pests.^[1][2] The development of afforestation and the production and supply of timber in Wales come under Natural Resources Wales, as set out in the Forestry Act 1967.^[3]

Nowadays, about 13% of Britain's land surface is wooded. The country's supply of timber was severely depleted during the First and Second World Wars, when imports were difficult, and the forested area bottomed out at under 5% of Britain's land surface in 1919. That year, the Forestry Commission was established to produce a strategic reserve of timber. As of 2020, other European countries average from 1% (Malta) to 66% (Finland) of their area as woodland.^{[4][5][6][7][8]}

Of the 31,380 square kilometres (12,120 sq mi) of forest in Britain, around 30% is publicly owned and 70% is in the private sector.^{[Notes 2]} More than 40,000 people work on this land. Conifers account for around one half (51%) of the UK woodland area, although this proportion varies from around one quarter (26%) in England to around three quarters (74%) in Scotland.^[9] Britain's native tree flora comprises 32 species, of which 29 are broadleaves. Britain's industry and populace uses at least 50 million tonnes of timber a year. More than 75% of this is softwood, and Britain's forests cannot supply the demand; in fact, less than 10% of the timber used in Britain is home-grown. Paper and paper products make up more than half the wood consumed in Britain by volume.^{[5][10][11][12]}

In October 2010, the new coalition government of the UK suggested it might sell off around half the Forestry Commission-owned woodland in the UK. A wide variety of groups were vocal about their disapproval, and by February 2011, the government abandoned the idea. Instead, it set up the Independent Panel on Forestry led by Rt Rev James Jones, then the Bishop of Liverpool. This body published its report in July 2012. Among other suggestions, it recommended that the forested portion of England should rise to 15% of the country's land area by 2060.^[8] As of 2021, government plans call for 30,000 hectares of afforestation per annum. Efforts to reach these targets have attracted criticism for planting non-native trees, or trees that are out of place for their surroundings, leading to ecological changes.^[13]

Background

A member of the Women's Timber Corps in the Second World War

Throughout most of British history, people have most commonly created farmland at the expense of forest. Furthermore, variations in the Holocene climate have led to significant changes in the ranges of many species. This makes it complex to estimate the likely extent of natural forest cover. For example, in Scotland four main areas have been identified: oak dominated forest south of the Highland Line, Scots Pine in the Central Highlands, hazel/oak or pine/birch/oak assemblages in the north-east and south-west Highlands, and birch in the Outer Hebrides, Northern Isles and far north of the mainland. Furthermore, the effects of fire, human clearance and grazing probably limited forest cover to about 50% of the land area of Scotland even at its maximum. The stock of woodland declined alarmingly during the First World War^[14] and "a Forestry Subcommittee was added to the Reconstruction Committee to advise on policy when the war was over. The Subcommittee, better known as the Acland Committee after its chairman Sir A. H. D. Acland, came to the conclusion that, in order to secure the double purpose of being able to be independent from foreign supplies for three years and a reasonable insurance against a timber famine, the woods of Great Britain should be gradually increased from three million acres to four and three quarter millions at the end of the war".^[15] Following the Acland Report of 1918 the Forestry Commission was formed in 1919 to meet this need. State forest parks were established in 1935.^{[16][17][18][7]}

Detail of a certificate awarded by the Home-Grown Timber Committee, September 1916

Emergency felling controls had been introduced in the First and Second World Wars, and these were made permanent in the Forestry Act 1951. Landowners were also given financial incentives to devote land to forests under the Dedication Scheme, which in 1981 became the Forestry Grant Scheme. By the early 1970s, the annual rate of planting exceeded 40,000 hectares (99,000 acres) per annum. Most of this planting comprised fast-growing conifers. Later in the century the balance shifted, with fewer than 20,000 hectares (49,000 acres) per annum being planted during the 1990s, but broadleaf planting actually increased, exceeding 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) per year in 1987. By the mid-1990s, more than half of new planting was broadleaf.^[10][19]

Historical woodland cover of England. The Domesday Book of 1086 indicated cover of 15%, "but significant loss of woodland started over four thousand years ago in prehistory". By the beginning of the 20th century this had dropped to 5%. The government believes 12% can be reached again by 2060.^[20]

In 1988, the Woodland Grant Scheme replaced the Forestry Grant Scheme, paying nearly twice as much for broadleaf woodland as conifers. (In England, the Woodland Grant Scheme was subsequently replaced by the English Woodland Grant Scheme, which operates six separate kinds of grant for forestry projects.)^[21][22] That year, the Farm Woodlands Scheme was also introduced, and replaced by the Farm Woodland Premium Scheme in 1992.^[23] In the 1990s, a programme of afforestation resulted in the establishment of Community Forests and the National Forest, which celebrated the planting of its seven millionth tree in 2006.^[24] As a result of these initiatives, the British Isles are one of a very few places in the world where the stock of forested land is actually increasing, though the rate of increase has slowed since the turn of the millennium.^[25]

England Rural Development Programme is the current overarching grants scheme that includes money for forested land within it.

Ancient woodland

Ancient woodland is defined as any woodland that has been continuously forested since 1600. It is recorded on either the Register of Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland or the Register of Planted Woodland Sites. There is no woodland in Britain that has not been profoundly affected by human intervention. Apart from certain native pinewoods in Scotland, it is predominantly broadleaf. Such woodland is less productive, in terms of timber yield, but ecologically rich, typically containing a number of "indicator species" of indigenous wildlife. It comprises roughly 20% of the forested area.^[26][27]

Native and historic tree species

Britain is relatively impoverished in terms of native species. For example, only thirty-one species of deciduous tree and shrub are native to Scotland, including ten willows, four whitebeams and three birch and cherry.^{[28][Notes 3]} This is a list of tree species that existed in Britain before 1900. The sheer number of tree species planted subsequently precludes a complete list.^{[Notes 4]}

Common name	Scientific name	Period	Type	Notes
Ash	Fraxinus excelsior	Native	Broadleaf	-
Aspen	Populus tremula	Native	Broadleaf	-
Atlas cedar	Cedrus atlantica	1800–1900	Conifer	-
Austrian pine	Pinus nigra	1800–1900	Conifer	-
Bay willow	Salix pentandra	Native	Broadleaf	-
Beech	Fagus sylvatica	Native	Broadleaf	-
Bird cherry	Prunus padus	Native	Broadleaf	-
Black cottonwood	Populus trichocarpa	1800–1900	Broadleaf	-
Black poplar	Populus nigra	Native	Broadleaf	-
Black walnut	Juglans nigra	1600–1800	Broadleaf	-
Box	Buxus sempervirens	Native	Broadleaf	-
Caucasian fir	Abies nordmanniana	1800–1900	Conifer	-
Cedar of Lebanon	Cedrus libani	1600–1800	Conifer	-
Coast redwood	Sequoia sempervirens	1800–1900	Conifer	-
Common alder	Alnus glutinosa	Native	Broadleaf	-
Common juniper	Juniperus communis	Native	Conifer	-
Common lime	Tilia x vulgaris	1600–1800	Broadleaf	-
Common silver fir	Abies alba	1600–1800	Conifer	-
Common walnut	Juglans regia	pre-1600	Broadleaf	-
Corsican pine	Pinus nigra	1600–1800	Conifer	-
Crab apple	Malus sylvestris	Native	Broadleaf	-
Crack willow	Salix fragilis	Native	Broadleaf	-
Cricket-bat willow	Salix alba, var caerulea	1600–1800	Broadleaf	-
Deodar cedar	Cedrus deodara	1800–1900	Conifer	-
Douglas fir	Pseudotsuga menziesii	1800–1900	Conifer	Tallest tree in the UK
Downy birch	Betula pubescens	Native	Broadleaf	May have been the first tree to grow in Britain after the ice age
English elm	Ulmus procera	pre-1600	Broadleaf	Despite the name, not a native species
Eucalypts	Eucalyptus species	1800–1900	Broadleaf	-
European larch	Larix decidua	1600–1800	Conifer	-
Field maple	Acer campestre	Native	Broadleaf	-
Giant fir	Abies grandis	1800–1900	Conifer	-
Giant sequoia	Sequoiadendron giganteum	1850s– Present	Conifer	- Found in botanical gardens and private estates
Grey alder	Alnus incana	1600–1800	Broadleaf	-
Grey poplar	Populus x canescens	pre-1600	Broadleaf	-
Hawthorn	Crataegus monogyna	Native	Broadleaf	-
Hazel	Corylus avellana	Native	Broadleaf	-
Holly	Ilex aquifolium	Native	Broadleaf	-
Holm oak	Quercus ilex	pre-1600	Broadleaf	-
Hornbeam	Carpinus betulus	Native	Broadleaf	-
Horse chestnut	Aesculus hippocastanum	1600–1800	Broadleaf	-
Italian alder	Alnus cordata	1800–1900	Broadleaf	-
Japanese larch	Larix kaempferi	1800–1900	Conifer	-
Large-leaved lime	Tilia platyphyllos	Native	Broadleaf	-
Lawson cypress	Chamaecyparis lawsoniana	1800–1900	Conifer	-
Lodgepole pine	Pinus contorta	1800–1900	Conifer	-
Lombardy poplar	Populus nigra var. italica	1600–1800	Broadleaf	-
London plane	Platanus x hispanica	1600–1800	Broadleaf
Maritime pine	Pinus pinaster	pre-1600	Conifer	-
Midland thorn	Crataegus laevigata	Native	Broadleaf	-
Monkey puzzle	Araucaria araucana	1600–1800	Conifer	-
Monterey cypress	Cupressus macrocarpa	1800–1900	Conifer	-
Monterey pine	Pinus radiata	1800–1900	Conifer	-
Noble fir	Abies procera	1800–1900	Conifer	-
Norway maple	Acer platanoides	1600–1800	Broadleaf	-
Norway spruce	Picea abies	pre-1600	Conifer	Supplanted as most common forestry species by Sitka spruce
Oriental plane	Platanus orientalis	pre-1600	Broadleaf	-
Pedunculate oak	Quercus robur	Native	Broadleaf	Also called the English Oak
Red alder	Alnus rubra	1800–1900	Broadleaf	-
Red oak	Quercus rubra	1600–1800	Broadleaf	-
Robusta poplar	Populus x robusta	1800–1900	Broadleaf	-
Rowan	Sorbus aucuparia	Native	Broadleaf	-
Sallow (Goat willow)	Salix caprea	Native	Broadleaf	-
Scots pine	Pinus sylvestris	Native	Conifer	-
Serotina poplar	Populus x serotina	1600–1800	Broadleaf	-
Sessile oak	Quercus petraea	Native	Broadleaf	-
Silver birch	Betula pendula	Native	Broadleaf	-
Sitka spruce	Picea sitchensis	1800–1900	Conifer	Most common forestry species
Small-leaved lime	Tilia cordata	Native	Broadleaf	-
Smooth-leaved elm	Ulmus carpinifolia	pre-1600	Broadleaf	-
Southern beech	Nothofagus antarctica	1800–1900	Broadleaf	-
Swamp cypress	Taxodium distichum	1600–1800	Conifer	-
Swedish whitebeam	Sorbus intermedia	pre-1600	Broadleaf	-
Sweet chestnut	Castanea sativa	pre-1600	Broadleaf	-
Sycamore	Acer pseudoplatanus	pre-1600	Broadleaf	-
Turkey oak	Quercus cerris	1600–1800	Broadleaf	-
Wellingtonia	Sequoiadendron giganteum	1800–1900	Conifer	-
Western hemlock	Tsuga heterophylla	1800–1900	Conifer	-
Western red cedar	Thuja plicata	1800–1900	Conifer	-
White poplar	Populus alba	pre-1600	Broadleaf	-
White willow	Salix alba	Native	Broadleaf	-
Whitebeam	Sorbus aria	Native	Broadleaf	-
Wild cherry (Gean)	Prunus avium	Native	Broadleaf	-
Wild service tree	Sorbus torminalis	Native	Broadleaf	-
Wych elm	Ulmus glabra	Native	Broadleaf	-
Yew	Taxus baccata	Native	Conifer	-

Threats

White Rot Fungus, Heterobasidion annosum

In 2021, a report by Woodland Trust assessed that only 7% of the UK’s native woodlands are in good condition.^[29]

Most serious disease threats to British woodland involve fungus. For conifers, the greatest threat is white rot fungus (Heterobasidion annosum). Dutch elm disease arises from two related species of fungi in the genus Ophiostoma, spread by elm bark beetles. Another fungus, Nectria coccinea, causes Beech bark disease, as does Bulgaria polymorpha. Ash canker results from Nectria galligena or Pseudomonas savastanoi, and most trees are vulnerable to Honey Fungus (Armillaria mellea). The oomycete Phytophthora ramorum (responsible for "Sudden oak death" in the USA) has killed large numbers of Japanese Larch trees in the UK.^{[30][31][32][33][34][35][36]}

Acute oak decline has a bacterial cause. Beetles, moths and weevils can also damage trees, but the majority do not cause serious harm. Notable exceptions include the Large Pine Weevil (Hylobius abietis), which can kill young conifers, the Spruce Bark Beetle (Ips typographus) which can kill spruces, and the Cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha) which eats young tree roots and can kill in a dry season. Rabbits, squirrels, voles, field mice, deer, and farm animals can pose a significant threat to trees. Air pollution, climate change, acid rain, and wildfire represent the main environmental hazards.^[37][38] In 2021, winter storms destroyed about 12,000 hectares of forest in Britain.^[39]

In November 2023, a study conducted by 42 researchers, with 1,200 experts consulted, warned that UK forests are heading for “catastrophic ecosystem collapse” within the next 50 years due to multiple threats including disease, extreme weather and wildfires. The study suggested action plans to save the forests including increasing the diversity of tree species, planting trees of different ages, promoting natural regeneration, managing deer populations and more.^[39]

Timber industry

In 2013, the UK produced 3,582,000 cubic metres of sawn wood, 3,032,000 cubic metres of wood-based panels and 4,561,000 tonnes of paper and paperboard. The UK does not produce enough timber to satisfy domestic demand, and the country imports 80% of its timber and paper from abroad, as the world's second largest timber importer after China.^[40] The majority of sawn softwood imports come from the Baltic, in particular Sweden (42%), Latvia (16%) and Finland (14%).^[41] In 2008 the country imported sawn and other wood to a value of £1,243 million and exported £98 million; imported £832 million of wood-based panels and exported £104 million; and imported paper and paper-based products to a value of £4,273 million and exported £1,590 million. In 2012 approximately 15,000 people were employed in forestry and 26,000 in primary wood production in the country, resulting in a gross value added to the country of £1,936 million. Most of the domestically produced construction timber is spruce graded to the strength class C16.^[42] With the ongoing closure of sawmills, the biomass industry is likely to be a key driver for future growth.^{[5][43][44][45][46][8]}

Transportation

A timber train at Greenholme, near Kendal

Currently, the vast majority of Britain's timber uses road haulage. As forests are located in rural areas, the heavy timber vehicles have severely damaged many single lane tracks, especially in the Highlands. In order to combat this, companies are being forced to provide funding for repairs, as well as using alternative transport systems such as rail and coastal shipping. Despite the number of forest railways plummeting after the Beeching Axe, rail's share of timber transport has risen from 3% in 2002 with the opening of new lines in Devon, the Pennines, Scotland and South Wales by Colas Rail.^{[60][61][62][63]}

Land values

The price of woodland has risen out of proportion to its productivity, and in 2012 reached peak prices over £10,000 per acre. Woodland prices are affected by its very favourable tax treatment and its high amenity value.^[8]

See also

• List of forests in the United Kingdom
• List of Great British Trees
• List of renewable resources produced and traded by the United Kingdom
• English Lowlands beech forests
• Woodland Carbon Code
• Natural Forest Standard
• Forestry in Scotland

References

Footnotes

Citations

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Forestry in the United Kingdom.