The UK forestry and wood industry has launched a national petition campaign calling on the government to reduce the country’s dependence on imported timber and strengthen domestic wood production.
The campaign, launched by Confor’s “Timber Security is National Security” petition, warns that the UK imports more than 80% of the timber it uses, leaving housing, construction and supply chains exposed to global disruptions.
“We call on the UK Government to treat timber as a strategic national material and take coordinated cross government action to reduce import dependency, strengthen domestic timber production, and grow the UK forestry and wood processing supply chain,” the petition states.
The campaign urges the government to recognise timber supply as a strategic issue comparable to energy or food security and to support long-term investment in forestry, sawmilling and wood processing capacity.
The initiative follows a parliamentary report presented earlier this year, Timber: An Issue of National Security and Economic Resilience, which argued that the UK’s structural reliance on imported timber represents a growing vulnerability for the economy and construction sector.
According to the report, rising global demand for wood products, climate-related forest damage, pest outbreaks and geopolitical tensions are expected to tighten timber supply internationally over the coming decades. The report also highlighted disruptions during the COVID-19 period, when timber prices surged sharply across Europe following supply chain interruptions.
The UK currently imports timber products worth around £9 billion annually, while domestic forestry targets continue to fall short and productive forest areas in England continue declining.
Confor Chief Executive Stuart Goodall said the UK’s dependence on imported wood should no longer be viewed simply as a trade issue.
“The UK imports over 80% of the timber we use. That is not simply a trade statistic. It is a structural strategic vulnerability,” Goodall said.
The campaign also calls for timber supply risks to be integrated into national resilience planning and for stronger government support for domestic forestry and wood processing industries.
