IT is "no longer morally acceptable" for the UK to continue to import 81 per cent of its timber, a senior forestry figure has said. 

Scottish Woodlands' Stuart Wilkie has also argued the country needs “a new 1919” – the year the Forestry Commission was created to reforest the nation and provide a future wood supply.

Speaking in the first of a new series of videos launched by the firm, the environment and certification manager said the global timber supply crisis must be considered in tandem with the climate and biodiversity crises.

“Firstly, we have to realise the three crises are interlinked - and good, sustainable, well-balanced forest management will address all three,” he said. "We've increased woodland cover, but we're still only a third of the European average. We only have 13 per cent trees, which is very low, and we need to up our woodland cover.”

He added that it was “no longer morally acceptable - or environmentally or economically sustainable” for the UK to continue to import so much of its wood when global timber demand is soaring.

He also highlighted  the biodiversity found in wood-producing conifer forests.

He said: “You'd be surprised how often you come across protected species in these forests; they are home to golden eagles, white-tailed eagles, ospreys, goshawks, red kites and buzzards. 

"It's doubtful the UK would have a viable population of red squirrels were it not for commercial forests. All the major red squirrel reserves are in commercial woodlands."

He added: “The wildcat didn't find a haven in commercial forests by accident. It's because they're largely undisturbed and like a clear fell site where there are lots of voles and mice, as do short-eared owls. Species richness in beetles and spiders in a Sitka spruce forest can be just as diverse as in a natural woodland. We need to recognize that these forests play a big role in biodiversity across the UK.”

Stuart also highlighted how wood-producing forests can help tackle the climate crisis, saying: “The faster the tree grows, the faster it absorbs carbon.

“Research shows fast-growing conifers will be two and a half to three times more effective at removing carbon from the atmosphere than native woodlands, and that's down to the growth rate. You then have to use that timber sensibly and lock up carbon in construction. More architects are coming to the conclusion that using timber and engineered timber in new and novel ways is the best way to lock that carbon up.”

However, he stressed that it’s not all about planting single-species forests and insists that approach is firmly consigned to the past.

“It's about planting lots more trees of different species,” he said. “We haven't planted blanket spruce plantations for well over 30 years now, and we need a mixture. The vision is a large interconnected network of both productive woodlands and those serving biodiversity. If we can manage that and work together to achieve that aim, we will address the three crises.”

One of the secrets to success, he says, is consistency from policy-makers: “We've had too much chopping and changing and that affects everything from supply of trees from nurseries through to people working in the forest.

“I brought up three children in a rural Highland village and sent them to the local school, and could only do that because there was consistent policy at the time. If it chops and changes, we lose people. So actually, in terms of not only the environment, but rural populations and rural economy, it's vital that we get a stable approach to forestry from the government.”

Watch the first in Scottish Woodlands' Expert Insights series here.