Government commits to increase the use of timber in construction

New, ambitious plans to increase the use of timber in construction to boost the domestic timber industry, economic growth, rural jobs and housebuilding targets, were announced by Environment Minister Mary Creagh at the Timber in Construction (TiC) Summit in London on 28 February, 2025.

Using timber in construction is one of the best ways to reduce emissions from buildings. Around 25% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions are from the built environment, and larger buildings can store up to 400% more carbon when built out of engineered timber products compared to when built with concrete. Currently 80% of the timber the UK currently uses is imported.

The new Timber in Construction Roadmap outlines more ambitious Government priorities and key actions including:

• Encouraging the use of sustainable, low carbon building materials, and ensuring carbon emissions are considering during the design, construction and use of buildings.
• Fulfilling the Government’s commitment to delivering 1.5m homes this Parliament by using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) including the use of timber, to boost productivity in housebuilding and deliver high quality, energy efficient new homes.
• Creating a circular economy by championing timber’s potential for a clean growth future - supporting the construction sector to use the most sustainable, low carbon materials and construction techniques.
• Accelerating economic growth by creating new and diverse green jobs in the productive forestry and timber sectors, as well as stimulating further investment into domestic timber and wood processing supply chains.

These actions will go alongside recommitting to existing plans such as promoting timber as a construction material, boosting skills and capacity across the supply chain and increasing the supply of sustainable timber products.

Environment Minister Mary Creagh CBE MP said, "This Government is getting Britain building. Our Plan for Change will build 1.5 million homes this Parliament. Timber will play a vital role benefitting development and nature.”

Forestry Commission Chief Executive, Richard Stanford who said: "To reach net zero, we must increase timber production from homegrown trees and use that timber in our buildings to sequester carbon. The Timber in Construction Roadmap will propel forestry production in England to ensure timber security, reduce our dependence on imports, and address the nature crisis by boosting biodiversity, improving water quality, and providing more green spaces for people.

Alex Goodfellow, Chair of the Confederation of Timber Industries, and CEO of Donaldson Offsite, represented all industry, when he said: “The Minister’s support for the Timber in Construction Roadmap shows the Government’s firm commitment to a growth agenda: growth for forestry, for housing, for low-carbon skills and for the economy. The timber supply chain is a major economic player in the UK, connecting rural and urban environments.

"Timber frame construction is a well-proven technology and business model for delivering houses rapidly and sustainably while improving quality. By accelerating this growth we can build more low-carbon housing today while providing a market pull for expanding forests. As a supply chain we will support the Government to deliver on all of the goals in the Roadmap and help build a more sustainable future.”

This article was issued via Press Release as 'Increase of domestic timber to boost UK economy and housebuilding' dated 27 February, 2025.

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