Wood production and trade statistics published

National Statistics on UK Wood Production and Trade for 2013 (provisional figures) were released on 15 May in accordance with the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority. These statistics were produced by the Forestry Commission, and include data on production, imports and exports of roundwood and wood products for the UK for the calendar years 2009 to 2013.

The key points for 2013 from the latest release are (with percentage changes from 2012):

Removals (harvesting) of UK roundwood:

• 10.9 million green tonnes of softwood (+8%); • 0.5 million green tonnes of hardwood (-1%); and • 0.4 million green tonnes of softwood under movement licence. Deliveries of UK roundwood to wood processors and others:

• Total: 11.0 million green tonnes of roundwood (softwood and hardwood) (+6%), of which: ◦ sawmills took 6.4 million green tonnes (+5%); ◦ wood-based panels took 1.3 million green tonnes (-1%); ◦ integrated pulp and paper mills took 0.5 million green tonnes (+1%); and ◦ other uses, including round fencing, woodfuel, shavings and exports of roundwood, took 2.9 million green tonnes (+15%). Production of wood products in the UK included:

• 3.6 million cubic metres of sawnwood (+5%); • 3.0 million cubic metres of wood-based panels (+1%); • 4.6 million tonnes of paper and paperboard (+2%); and • 0.3 million tonnes of wood pellets and briquettes (+8%). UK imports:

•5.5 million cubic metres of sawnwood (+6%); •3.0 million cubic metres of wood-based panels (+12%); •5.0 million cubic metres of wood pellets (+128%); •7.2 million tonnes of pulp and paper (-1%); The total value of wood product imports was £6.7 billion (+5%), of which £4.2 billion was pulp and paper(-2%).

UK exports:

• The total value of wood product exports was £1.7 billion (-5%), of which £1.5 billion was pulp and paper (-4%). Breakdowns by country and English region are available for some of these figures.

The full release is available in the statistics area of the Forestry Commission website, www.forestry.gov.uk/statistics , where the publications ‘Forestry Facts & Figures’ and ‘Forestry Statistics’ are also available.

Further information is available from Jackie Watson, statistics@forestry.gsi.gov.uk; tel: 0300 067 5238.

These statistics will next be updated on 25 September 2014, with final results for 2013, and on 14 May 2015, with provisional results for 2014.