More timber should be used in property development, according to a new government roadmap.
The Timber in Construction Roadmap states that “using timber in construction is one of the best ways to reduce emissions from buildings”.
It points out that larger buildings can store up to 400% more carbon when built out of engineered timber products rather than concrete.
The roadmap aims to not only increase the amount of timber used in construction, but to pivot the industry from imported timber to domestic sources. Currently 80% of the timber used in construction is imported.
Forestry Minister Rebecca Pow said: “Investing in timber is investing in growth and levelling up. The built environment is responsible for a huge proportion of UK carbon emissions, and using home-grown timber in construction is key to reducing emissions.”
She added: “Promoting the use of timber as a building material is a key part of the government’s net zero strategy. It will innovate the economy, play a role in creating green jobs and also help meet our tree-planting targets.”
Key actions set out in the plan include:
- Improving data on timber and whole life carbon
- Promoting timber as a construction material
- Boosting skills, capacity and competency across the supply chain
- Increasing the supply of sustainable timber products
- Addressing fire safety concerns to safely expand the use of engineered mass timber
- Building collaboration with insurers, lenders, and warranty providers
- Promoting innovation and high-performing timber construction systems.
The full document is available here.
Confederation of Timber Industries chair Alex Goodfellow said: “This roadmap is a cast iron commitment to increasing timber use in the UK and is a pivotal moment for our exciting, low-carbon industry.
“However, there are areas of the report, particularly in relation to embodied carbon, which we feel need to be bolder. It is a shame to see the government delay action on this to 2025.”
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