The “Grown in Britain” campaign launched a report detailing proposals to boost Britain’s domestic forestry industry. The construction industry was hoping that the report would contain suggestions for increasing the amount of British grown timber available for new buildings. It was disappointed. Source: The Economist
The report merely suggests that there is a need for “generating more demand” for British wood by improving “wood culture” amongst the general public.
The campaign launched a much awaited “Grown in Britain” week, intended to promote awareness of British produced wood through events ranging from woodland walks for toddlers to mushroom identification lessons for grown-ups. But growing evidence suggests that this sort of strategy is futile.
Although production of sawn timber increased by 22% between 2008 and 2012, according to the Forestry Commission, production is now levelling off due to bottlenecks in the timber-processing industry.
A report in 2011 produced for the government said that 40% of potential British timber production is lost not due to a lack of raw lumber but for a lack of business investment in processing facilities.
Other factors have increased demand for local timber over the last few years.
For instance, a trend to build more houses out of wood rather than traditional clay brick has boosted demand for local supplies. Nearly 30% of new houses in England are soon likely to be timber framed, according to the Structural Timber Association.
In Scotland, the figure has already reached 72%.
New regulations that force companies to use low-carbon materials have also boosted demand for locally grown wood.
New EU labeling codes have encouraged builders to use more locally sourced materials by insisting that “embodied carbon” emissions, due to transporting materials, should be included in the environmental reckoning for new buildings.
Firms have also become fussier about what materials their buildings use since big British companies are now forced to report the level of carbon emissions they produce.
Private-sector house builders and organisations like the NHS now say they need to use more locally-sourced supplies to reduce their carbon footprint. But sourcing wood for new buildings in England has become a particularly tough task in recent years due to supply shortages.
Benedict Binns, at the Centre for the Built Environment, claims that finding English-grown timber has become “very difficult” for their projects.
Even those willing to pay premium prices, like building preservation experts, say they cannot find the locally produced timber they need.
Builders have been forced to innovate by using British-grown low-carbon alternatives to wood.
Britain has become a world leader in using locally-grown hemp as a building material in “hempcrete”, a replacement for concrete.
Hempcrete blocks have been used in projects as diverse as a new housing estate in Letchworth, a primary school in Mildenhall and social housing in Norfolk.
Hempcrete cladding is also being used widely on new commercial buildings, such as at a new Marks & Spencer superstore in Cheshire opened earlier this year.
British builders have also taken to using straw bales in houses— an idea imported from America.
Britain’s National Building Specification was altered earlier this year to describe straw as a “mainstream” material.
Some local councils such as in Lincolnshire, are already using it as a building material for new social housing.
Turf roofs are growing in popularity as a way to increase the amount of green space in built-up areas. It seems Britons are already keen to use more locally produced materials—even if they can’t find the wood for the trees.
