Flooring, furniture component and panel group Egger has called on the UK Government to support higher tree planting targets to ensure industry is not left with a shortage of timber and help meet Net Zero ambitions.
80% of wood used in Britain for production purposes is imported, with the country being the third largest net importer of wood in 2021.
The company supports forest regeneration through multi-species tree planting, improving the biodiversity of forests and enhancing wildlife and water quality. Mixed forests are more resilient to pests, diseases, and climatic disturbances, contributing to long-term carbon storage potential and supporting higher levels of biodiversity.
As part of its sustainable operations, it has a buying strategy that focuses on sourcing 90% of its wood supply from within 100miles of its plants, including those in Ayrshire and Northumberland.
‘As a society we need wood, to build and furnish our homes, to package our goods, to write and print on, and in the UK, coniferous forests fulfil some of that need. A modern forest is made up of many tree species as well as open space and provides multiple benefits for everyone. A place to walk, ride your bike and enjoy nature, but also to grow the timber that we all need. We use some of that timber to make useful and long lived products that can be recycled at the end of their use to keep the carbon locked up for decades. We all need wood, we should grow much more of it,’ says Max McLaughlan, Egger (UK), head of wood purchasing and forestry.
‘The wood based panel industry is commercially and environmentally significant to the wider UK economy. With touch points across critically important commercial and consumer market sectors, it is an essential supply chain vital for economic success and environmental security for the country. It is imperative that the government recognises the importance of supporting and improving productive timber planting targets, in order to maintain timber availability to important markets that simply could not exist without supply from the wood panel industry, which in turn could not survive without a reliable timber supply,’ says Andrew Laidler, Egger UK & Ireland sales director, decorative products.
