WHERE HAVE ALL THE WOODSMEN GONE? : And Could Sustainable Timber Use in the UK Really Be Sustainable?

INTRODUCTION

We import the vast majority of our construction timber from abroad, some of it from illegally logged sources. Incredibly with our rural economy still in decline we now import even thatching spars from Poland. Meanwhile, many privately owned British woods are used only for tax avoidance, recreation, or firewood and are not producing quality timber. What is the way forward for United Kingdom forestry at a time when even our national forests are vulnerable.