Wales wants to ramp up the number of timber-frame houses under construction, from 1,400 last year (just 28% of residential dwellings), and is laser-focused on boosting timber production (including C16 and other mass timber products) from local forests. That is according to a new government strategy which wants to Make Wood Work for Wales.
Launched by Huw Irranca-Davies, Deputy First Minister for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, at the Royal Welsh Show, the strategy aims to increase the scale and value of timber grown and produced across the country: “I am so proud to be launching Wales’s first Timber Industrial Strategy,” Irranca-Davies said. “I want our forests to be in active, sustainable and diverse use, providing economic, environmental, social and cultural benefits to the people of Wales for many centuries to come, and this strategy will play a key role in that.”
Wood Central understands that the new strategy, which leans on timber to create green jobs, will help Wales build thousands more sustainable homes and assist policymakers in meeting net zero commitments. Split into six parts, it aims to increase timber supply, enhance forest resilience, promote resource efficiency and a circular economy, instil confidence in demand, develop sector capacity, and push behavioural change.
“As the world works towards net zero, timber and wood fibre can make an immediate and important contribution to the materials transition needed for decarbonisation.”
Huw Irranca-Davies, Deputy First Minister for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, who launched ‘Make Wood Work for Wales’ at the Royal Welsh Show yesterday.
As it stands, Wales offers favourable growing conditions for softwood and hardwood species: “However, resources provided by Welsh woodlands are underutilised,” the 32-page strategy said. “Demand is increasing with the drive to deliver low-carbon, high-performance materials needed to meet Welsh housing needs, yet Welsh timber processing is currently misaligned with demand, particularly for structural construction products.”
“To secure a reliable source that is fit for purpose for the future, in the face of increasing pressure on global markets, Wales must take steps to increase sustainable yields of Welsh-grown timber and wood fibre,” the strategy said. “Current forecasts show a continued drop in future timber yields; therefore, we need to use a combination of afforestation and increasing productivity from existing forests to increase sustainable yields of timber to meet future demand and mitigate risks to timber security.”
In Wales, just 4% of harvested timber is used directly for structural timber, with the vast majority of products being exported to the UK and sold into fencing and pallet markets. “The challenge is (therefore) to increase demand for structural products,” the strategy said. “Most home-grown Sitka spruce meets C16 strength-grading requirements, but specifier confidence remains low, and over-specification remains a barrier, mainly in the repairs, maintenance and improvements market.”
According to Greg Newman, CEO of Woodknowledge Wales—the body behind the Home-Grown Homes 2 project, “housing is one of the clearest use-cases for scaling up the use of Welsh-grown timber,” with public procurement and public housing driving demand: “Timber homes store carbon, reduce emissions through material substitution, and align with modern, high-performance construction methods,” the strategy said. “We need to actively encourage the increased supply of timber available for long-life uses, including graded structural timber, as well as supporting existing markets and supply chains that already rely on the steady supply of Welsh timber,” it said. “We will promote production in Wales of wood-based products with increased value, extended durability and climate resilience.”
- To learn more about the UK government’s plans to scale up timber in construction, including homegrown C16 softwood timbers, as a “fit-for-purpose solution” for engineered wood products, click here for Wood Central’s special feature from March 2025.
