Woodknowledge Wales

Woodknowledge Wales

Inspiring innovation through collaboration

Projects & Ventures

Learning to build better homes

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Since the formal end of the Home-Grown Homes Project in March we’ve been applying the learning from it with social landlords. We’re moving from research into implementation – inviting social landlords to identify projects we could support them on. We have also formed a community of practice for our member development teams which has so far focussed on the key challenges in creating net zero carbon housing solutions. Our WoodBUILD events programme has been focussed on supporting social landlords and their partners to meet the new Welsh Development Quality Requirements 2021. The events have mostly been held virtually and have brought together experts in the field to contribute their thinking on action each organisation can take to respond.

The 2021 WDQR – Creating Beautiful Homes and Spaces

For readers unfamiliar with the new housing standards social landlords have to meet, they represent a significant change of approach for Welsh Government, which both funds and regulates them. It’s been a long-awaited review and its outcome is ambitious. They set minimum standards but encourage something better. And it’s not just about the homes but the spaces created around them.

WoodBUILD

The Launch Event kicked off with a welcome from Shayne Hembrow of Wales & West who with Welsh Government are WoodBUILD sponsors. It brought together Deputy Climate Change Minister Lee Waters, Campbell Lammie, one of the new standard architects and Pobl’s Neil Barber.

Exciting people about trees

100 virtual delegates heard Lee express his admiration for Woodknowledge Wales’ contribution to the ‘deep dive’ into tree planting. Society’s view on trees, wood, timber and forests he described is atrophied and not mature. ‘We need to excite people about trees and what they can do for us’. He talked of an alliance for change to get things done on tree planting where we needed to plant 86 million trees in 9 years, the enormity of which he thinks we haven’t yet grasped and which wasn’t helped by the ‘alien’ perception farmers have of tree planting. He wants to build a wood economy at the heart of which is creating 20,000 homes using MMC and timber solutions. He also sees an industry needing to adapt and to ask what the best use of trees is – garden fences or homes that displace carbon? As far as he is concerned, we need to plant more trees and make better use of the ones we do plant, to maximise the economic value – a genuinely exciting and huge challenge which he promised to drive forward with the deep dive group.

Raising the bar for new developments

Campbell Lammie gave a quick summary of the WDQR 2021, the first change in standards since the launch of the Development Quality Requirements in 2005. He described them as ‘raising the bar’ in a non-prescriptive way which, he hoped would produce better designs and a dialogue with the sector, given the need to respond to the climate emergency, move away from fossil fuels, favour a fabric first approach and encourage the use of timber. Campbell outlined the opportunities for using timber, an approach which he felt was made more likely by the consideration of upfront embodied carbon assessment likely in his view to be something which would become mandatory in the future with Net Zero Carbon taking more of a ‘front seat’. He was aware of the ambition in England to introduce whole life carbon assessment and ‘Part Z’. The target for projects to reach EPC A, with a fabric focus and an end to the use of fossil fuels could Campbell acknowledged be at odds with the ambition to lower carbon and this is where alternative approaches like Passivhaus came into play. Space standards were being mandated for the first time, gigabit broadband and attaining Secured by Design Gold standard were also features which would be included in a review in 2023.

Dealing with increasing complexity

Neil Barber, in responding identified several positives including clarity of policy, significant funding and alignment of funding streams, ambition in scale and requirements on quality, space and sustainability.  He identified the role of social landlords: creating timber system coherence, confidence, certainty and demand for the supply chain, sharing endeavour and moving beyond pilots. He described opportunities in standardisation, designing for manufacturing and assembly (off site), apprenticeships and training, investing in local economies and communities and recognition of timber as a low carbon material along with sustainably managed forests as a carbon store. He acknowledged the need for urgency in saying ‘we’ve kicked the can down the road for too long’. The delivery challenges included increasing complexity in the development process, lack of resources across many areas, rapid change, material price hikes and delivery delays.
Delegates posed questions on extending the standards to all homes, the availability of passivhaus type metrics, the skills challenge and tree planting performance. This is only the start of an ongoing dialogue. If you would like to be part of this conversation, please get in touch with david.hedges@woodknowledgewales.co.uk.

Investing in Afforestation—Economic aspects of woodland creation for timber production | Briefing Papers

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The decision to invest in an afforestation project with the primary aim of producing timber may involve many personal and environmental factors alongside financial considerations. Adoption of a forestry enterprise within a farming unit represents a change in land use and a long-term investment of land, labour and resources. Financial evaluation provides a structured and objective means to inform the decision and allows comparison of afforestation with other economic uses of land.
Afforestation projects can take a number of forms, from planting steep areas or wet corners of a farm to integrating timber trees with agricultural production or establishing plantation woodlands. Some afforestation projects such as commercial plantation woodlands have the potential to produce quality timber products alongside diversifying farm incomes and providing other environmental benefits such as carbon sequestration and flood risk mitigation.
This series of guidance notes provides practical information for farmers and other landowners interested in investing in forestry. It is designed to help develop a first understanding of economic evaluation of afforestation projects. The six guidance notes of the series introduce the basic steps involved in the assessment of such projects to allow some preliminary due diligence when considering an investment in forestry. This does not replace a full assessment and advice by a chartered forest manager.
BRIEFING PAPERS →

Wood Fibre Insulation – Specification Guidance

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A building’s thermal performance is now as important an aspect of the building’s design and construction as its structure. Energy prices and climate change are often cited as the principal reasons for the increased energy and CO2 reduction standards required of our built environment. Less known is the fact that insulation can also play a major role in our health, safety, comfort and wellbeing.
When higher levels of thermal performance are required, this has a significant impact on building physics and other dynamic elements of a building’s performance.
Woodfibre insulation has a number of properties that enables it to provide a multifunctional role within the construction of a home. When specified and installed correctly, woodfibre provides protection against summertime overheating, enhanced acoustic performance and moisture control. The latter provides a building fabric with additional insurance against potential moisture problems that could otherwise undermine the integrity of the building and the health of the occupants.
Woodfibre is highly sustainable, locking up considerably more CO2 than is produced in manufacture. It can therefore play an essential part of a strategy for mitigating climate change.
This document provides information for specifiers and procurement specialists working on social housing projects. It is designed to help with the specification of wood fibre insulation within a social housing context. It provides performance criteria and indicates what needs to be considered when specifying woodfibre insulation.
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5 Essential Strategies for an Emerging Forest Nation

Wales is not a forest nation. Wales is a sheep, beef and dairy nation. Wales is a steel nation.

Like many nations, Wales is the economic country it is, not by political design but largely because of historical accident. Additionally, Wales has been held back by financial subsidies that have maintained the status quo; particularly but not exclusively through the Common Agriculture Policy and the fashion for laissez-faire economic policies. A more purposeful approach is required to achieve the net zero carbon goals set by Welsh Government.

We have now left the European Union. We have declared a Climate Emergency. There has never been a better time or more reason to change.  

We are proposing five integrated strategies how Wales can achieve a just transition to become a high-value forest nation. A transition that would create substantial employment – particularly in rural areas – and a transition for which Wales has many natural advantages.

BRIEFING PAPER →

Strategy 1: Construction

Introduce policies to deliver net zero whole life carbon construction

Welsh Government should adopt a clear framework for delivery of net zero carbon housing by changing the Welsh Building Regulations. This framework aligns with the Net Zero Whole Life Carbon definitions developed by the World Green Building Council and aligns with the RIBA 2030 challenge. Clear policies focused on delivering this framework to decarbonise construction will lead to a substantial increase in demand for timber. The following requirements should be introduced in full into the Welsh building regulations for all new developments announced in 2021 and fully implemented by 2025. Social housing new build should with Welsh Government grant be first exemplars of the efficacy of the new regulations.

Policy Recommendations

Timber is the exemplar low carbon construction material. Policies should initially demand measurement and then introduce embodied carbon reduction targets. In particular we recommend the adoption of an Upfront Carbon emissions target of <300kgCO2e/m2 as per the RIBA 2030 Challenge

See ▸▸ Embodied Carbon Guidance.

Timber is proven as the exemplar structural material for high performance homes built to the Passivhaus standard. Part L should be amended to require a space heating demand of 15kWh/m2/year (as per the RIBA 2030 Challenge).

See ▸▸ Zero Carbon Homes: Timber Solutions for Wales

Net zero means not using fossil energy. However, we recommend Welsh Government review the support given to wood burning (as the least carbon efficient use of timber) in favour of wind, solar and tidal alternatives. Equally the biomass subsidy as currently applied is diverting timber away from the manufacturing and construction sectors and doing little to bring under-utilised woodland into management.

To encourage better building and more manufactured approaches to delivery construction policies and regulation should move away from design standards alone and require post completion performance measurement.

See ▸▸ Building Performance Guidance.

To deliver net zero whole life carbon an element of offsetting is required. Afforestation is widely recognised as a robust means to offset emissions. We also believe that stored biogenic carbon in the building should also be recognised as an equally robust means of offsetting. In that respect we recommend that Welsh Government seek a one-year moratorium on ratifying the Emissions Trading Scheme to enable the Welsh Government to take evidence in favour of carbon credits for wood in buildings.

▸▸ Capturing Carbon Investing in Woodlands
▸▸ Illustrative Carbon Storage Contract

Welsh Government have funded a scoping study for a Zero Carbon Building Performance Hub under Innovative Housing Programme (IHP) year four funding. However, it is essential to provide ongoing revenue funding for such a hub. The hub will act to provide the necessary definitions, training, guidance, methodologies and benchmarks so that all actors in the construction supply chain in Wales can have a common and shared understanding of the zero-carbon journey (for both new build and retrofit, domestic and non-domestic). The hub funding could be enabled through the Social Housing Grant (SHG).

Building on Net Zero Whole Life Carbon definitions by the World Green Building council and LETI these five principles ensure that measures to address upfront carbon, energy demand, use of renewable energy and embodied carbon individually do not have an adverse effect on whole life carbon. 

Strategy 2: Manufacturing

Enable high value timber manufacturing and integrate with construction demand

Without interventions, the demand for timber products that will flow from decarbonisation strategies outlined above will be met almost exclusively by imported products. The lack of added value processing of timber in Wales represents a substantial market failure. We produce no structural Glulam. We produce no Cross Laminated Timber. We produce no timber I-beams, no Laminated Veneer Lumber, no Oriented Strand Board and no Wood Fibre Insulation. The list goes on. All these products have two key features in common. Firstly, they are all critical components in high-performance low-carbon buildings that displace steel, plastics, concrete and other high carbon and often toxic materials. Secondly, they are all made from the type and grade of timber we grow in Wales.

Policy Recommendations

As a matter of urgency Welsh Government should recognise forestry and timber as a foundational industry and create a green industrial strategy for wood. Such a strategy must integrate new and expanding timber growing, processing and manufacturing with the substantial demand within the Welsh Government construction and infrastructure programme. However, we should also aim to supply the export market to England to help address its own chronic shortage of home-grown timber products and to build capacity and scale that is possible in Wales.

NOTE: Timber frame manufacturers are already choosing to locate in Wales due to proximity to larger English markets and the availability of labour.

Welsh Government should seek to create strategic public private partnerships, or targeted procurement and supply agreements, with Welsh companies and or European producers to establish advanced product manufacturing in Wales to service both the Welsh and wider UK markets. Three of the many opportunities are outlined below.

  • Opportunity 1: Wood Fibre Insulation Factory: Currently, wood fibre insulation has between 5% and 10% market share in France and Germany. In the UK these products represent less than 0.1% of what is in excess of a £1 billion insulation market. UK customers are being poorly serviced by a European market for which demand is outstripping their ability to supply. Furthermore, transport costs of low-density products like insulation means high prices to UK customers. The retrofit programme, required for existing homes, is a great opportunity to deliver healthy and low-carbon homes by investing into the healthy and low carbon building material supply chains.
  • Opportunity 2: Wood Windows Factory. We estimate that the Welsh Government and Welsh housing associations pay for the installation of approximately 85,000 new plastic windows every year in their retrofit and newbuild programmes. Which also means that a approximately 70,000 plastic windows go to landfill each year. Currently no Welsh timber window manufacturer can supply this market as they lack the certification requirements of Secure by Design.
  • Opportunity 3: Glulam Factory. Glulam is a wood based structural material which can and is being used as an alternative to structural steel for low and medium rise (particularly non-domestic) buildings. Glulam should become the healthy, low carbon structural material of choice for hospitals, schools and other low rise non-domestic buildings.

The timber frame sector in Wales is expanding. The timber frame sector represents the manufacturing bedrock for the rapid evolution of offsite MMC net zero carbon housing in Wales. However, in part as a result of the timber frame sector operating as a subcontractor to the main contractor, manufacturing margins remain below 5%. This limits the timber frame manufacturers’ ability to invest in automation, training and innovation and leaves the sector vulnerable to economic downturns. Welsh Government should introduce targeted and specific policy interventions to enable manufacturers to be at the heart of housing delivery in Wales, rather than the periphery.

Welsh Government should also proactively position Wales as a nation of excellence in timber frame manufacturing specifically targeting the English market. This can be achieved through procurement of timber frame to a national performance specification currently being developed by Woodknowledge Wales in collaboration with Welsh local authorities and the timber frame sector.

These activities should be supported with an allocation of timber supply from NRW and/or local sawmills, allowing wood processors and timber frame manufacturers to establish a base line production at lowest risk to all. This approach will help to position Wales as a nation of excellence (and leadership) in advanced timber frame manufacturing, delivering necessary scale by strategically targeting the English market.

To reflect the economic, social and environmental benefits for Wales of using timber in construction and stimulating afforestation we believe that the Welsh Government should adopt a Wood First Policy (e.g. in France by 2023 50% of all public buildings must be based upon timber) and create a ‘Charter for Timber’ in a similar manner as the charter for UK manufactured steel. This would liberate markets for products such as Glulam as a key structural material in non-residential construction.

Strategy 3: Wood Processing

Influence primary processing decisions to better benefit Wales

The Welsh state has historically subsidised forestry. The Welsh Government Woodland Estate provides the majority of the timber to industry and Welsh Government provides the grants to landowners to incentivise planting and management. But the private sector (in the form of the primary processor – the sawmiller) determines what happens to the trees.

In our opinion, wood processing in the UK is a de-facto public private partnership. But to date the Welsh Government has never sought to influence what happens to this critically important resource. Partly as a result, the vast majority of Welsh timber that is grown for industrial applications is used for relatively low-value fencing, packaging and garden products. These timber markets are important, but the absence of the higher added-value construction materials should be viewed as a both an industrial failure and a failure of policy.

We estimate that only 4% of Welsh timber is used as construction sawnwood. This low value outcome matters. Not only are the returns insufficient for Welsh landowners to invest in tree planting without the need for grants, but also the current markets, although essential, are massively sub-optimal in terms of climate change mitigation and social returns. The Welsh Government needs to use its role as both the regulator and the grower to achieve better outcomes for Wales.

Policy Recommendations

Natural Resources Wales (responsible for managing the Welsh woodland estate) have just completed a consultation on their sales and marketing plan for 2021-2026. The proposal is to move from a sales strategy based on the highest bidder to a triple bottom line approach. We believe that NRW should go beyond the difficult to police triple bottom line approach and proactively ring-fence a proportion (e.g. 10% per annum of the 525,000 m3/annum in 2019) for strategic adding-value processing by Glulam, timber windows, and wood fibre insulation factories, into the valuable products required by a low-carbon UK.

Welsh Government should support the establishment of a coordinating agency to ensure that Welsh grown timber is available for the use of the timber frame manufacturing and joinery and other value adding sectors. This coordinating agency could for example consolidate demand from the Welsh timber frame sector and the housing association retrofit programme and link this demand directly to the provision of timber from the Welsh Woodland Estate. This coordinating agency will in essence bring supply, demand and processing into more purposeful alignment. NOTE: Woodknowledge Wales have established that housing associations are prepared to demand Welsh timber and timber frame manufacturers are prepared to use Welsh timber.

Strategy 4: Forestry

Increase forest area and incentivise forest management for high value applications

The failure of Welsh Government to achieve a significant expansion of forest area in the past 10 years has been well documented and is in stark contrast to our near Celtic neighbours (Eire and Scotland). The production of timber in Wales is forecast to fall over the coming decades whilst that of Eire will double. This decline needs to be addressed through a huge afforestation plan for Welsh landowners of all sizes, particularly farmers.

There is no shortage of private funds available to purchase Welsh land to grow trees. Growing trees already makes economic sense to the longer-term institutional investors with deep pockets. A laissez-faire approach to afforestation will likely mean the sale of Welsh land to wealthy individuals and pension funds, especially given the anticipated post-BREXIT economic challenges likely to be faced by livestock farming.

A key challenge in becoming a successful forest nation is therefore to ensure that our woodlands are both expanded in area and managed in a way that maximises the benefit to Welsh farmers, communities and broader society. Directing investment, both public and private, into partnership with existing farmers to plant a range of woodlands including, crucially, those managed for timber production, will deliver the timber supply needed by new housing and value-added industries, while offering them the opportunity and means to adapt for the future. We believe that private investment is available and ready for deployment.

That of course means we need a balance between the management of woodlands for timber production and for biodiversity, recreation and other benefits such as carbon and water management. It also requires that the productive output is put to best use. Critically, it means that Welsh people should have an economic interest in the trees as well as being able to access woodlands for their wellbeing. Otherwise, we fear that the productive forests will continue to be regarded with suspicion by a society that that has little stake in them. Welsh society currently views degraded treeless landscapes as ‘natural’ and coniferous woodlands as ‘alien’. This is in stark contrast to most other countries in northern and central Europe, despite the comparability of their environmental conditions. It goes without saying that every effort should be made to ensure Welsh society is fully supportive and engaged in the changes ahead. In that respect the National Forest presents a great platform for education and change. But the opportunity for Wales is much bigger: to become a high-value forest nation. We support the BBC Wales initiative with the endorsement of the Prince of Wales to plant Britain as well as Wales specifically, but the key is not only combating climate change. It is to provide meaningful jobs for the future.

Policy Recommendations

Welsh Government should explore the alignment of both public and private investment to enable the scale of investment necessary for substantial afforestation on Welsh farmland (preferably without transfer of land ownership). We believe that the private investment is available, and equitable partnership models between investors and landowners are readily available.

Review the operation of the Woodland Carbon Code, to make it possible for Welsh organisations (e.g. housing associations) to directly invest in Welsh afforestation as part of their offsetting strategies.

See ▸▸ Capturing Carbon: Investing in Woodlands.

Strategy 5: Socio-Cultural Change

Maximise the benefit in becoming a high-value forest nation to Welsh communities

To help overcome barriers to change, to increase the understanding of woodlands in general and the acceptance of productive forestry in particular it is essential that the benefits flow explicitly to Welsh communities – particularly those communities surrounded by trees. Woodlands have proven benefits for education (nature-based learning), well-being and leisure (walking and cycling etc.) as well as the meaningful employment that is implicit in the other four strategies.

Policy Recommendations

Where the Welsh Government Woodland Estate is located near to communities, parcels of forest land should be sold or leased to local organisations in a way that leverages increased social, economic and environmental value (e.g. as demonstrated successfully by the Skyline project). Such an approach would draw more communities into forestry and create greater diversity in forest management and timber processing. NRW should then also be tasked with procuring land to enable the agency to maintain overall productivity levels from their directly managed forest.

Welsh Government should support the creation of designated Forest Towns. Such a designation should come with responsibilities and rewards. Once a designation is achieved, it should enable access to investment in community-based forestry related activities that would benefit the community in terms of employment, wellbeing, education and leisure. The first designated forest town could be Treherbert (which is behind the skyline concept).

Zero Carbon Homes—Zero Carbon Timber Solutions for Wales

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What is the zero carbon timber housing solution for Wales?
This document proposes a range of timber build solutions. Results are based on the analysis of an appropriate and future proofed definition for ‘zero carbon’, followed by design and calculation to develop an understanding of the quantifiable factors of embodied and operational carbon. Using a fabric first approach, an examination of existing and alternative timber construction methods, materials and systems offers a range of developed timber solutions that are capable of meeting the target fabric specification. These include information on whole carbon emission and offsetting calculations for a range of key typologies demonstrating the routes to Zero.
The detailed report presents findings from the Home-Grown Homes Project including actions for further detailed design, training and skills, technical development and testing, design and modelling tools. These may be relevant for designers, manufacturers, specifiers and clients.
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5 Essential Strategies for an Emerging Forest Nation

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Wales is not a forest nation. Wales is a sheep, beef and dairy nation. Wales is a steel nation.
Like many nations, Wales is the economic country it is, not by political design but largely because of historical accident. And there has never been a better time or more reason to change. We have left the European Union and have also declared a Climate Emergency. A more purposeful approach is now required to achieve the net zero carbon goals set by Welsh Government
Therefore, we are proposing five integrated strategies for how Wales can achieve a just transition to become a new high-value forest nation. A transition that would create substantial employment and a transition for which Wales has many natural advantages.
Wales has suitable and available land for afforestation, fantastic climate for growing the kind of trees that industry needs, the land and workforce for new industries and proximity to almost limitless export markets for high-value timber products.
Wales must move towards more sustainable low-carbon industrial and land-use options that are geared to meeting the resource needs of the low-carbon society and that are economically viable.
Wales is starting from a long way back. This paper sets out how our slow start can be turned to our strategic advantage if Welsh Government decides to lead in the adoption of integrated economic policies outlined in this paper that are purposefully aligned across our construction, manufacturing and land-use sectors.
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The role of our own conifer forests for building a sustainable society in Wales

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Despite wide recognition of their value, plantation forests are critically misunderstood and undervalued in Wales. Plantation forests comprise around 7% of the planet’s forest area whilst sustainably supplying over 50% of industrial roundwood. This report looks at myths and tropes around home-grown timber and considers research results from wood science and socio-economic aspects across planting, forest management, timber grading and processing.
Modern British sustainable forest management techniques were established 150 years ago and are still appropriate for efficiently growing construction grade softwoods. Exemplar stands of high grade Douglas fir in north Wales grow some of the largest conifer trees existing in Europe. Older conifer stands across Wales have great potential to produce high grade joinery softwood. Sitka spruce forests are routinely denigrated, nevertheless over 95% of Welsh spruce sawlogs can be graded to strength class from C16 to C27 because of Sitka spruce’s high strength to weight ratio. Yet, quality is regularly used as a weasel word in order to reinforce negative views about Welsh homegrown softwoods.
The FAO reported in 2013 that current trends in European forest management could result in an over-supply of wood from broadleaved species, as well as a shortfall of coniferous timber. Planted forests are exposed to socio-economic risks due to governance failures. These risks comprise a weak or inadequate forest policy framework including insecure investment conditions.
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Wooden Windows-Specification guidance for timber windows

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Windows provide an outlook on the world. They help set the tone and character for a building and the area in which it stands. Windows define natural lighting levels and thermal comfort essential for the wellbeing of residents. They offer sound protection and keep homes safe from intrusion. Windows are an essential part of the building fabric and as such contribute to a development’s overall energy performance.
Modern factory-finished timber windows have a better environmental performance than any other window material. They have a longer service life and lower whole life costs than uPVC windows. Wooden windows can be repaired and recoated throughout their lifetime and are the best option for achieving zero carbon buildings. They can be sourced from local manufacturers using home-grown timber and support economic recovery in Wales.
The multiple benefits wooden windows deliver over their life-span in terms of maintenance, durability, embodied carbon, and other social and environmental aspects make them excellent value for money.
This document provides information for specifiers and procurement specialists working on social housing projects. It is designed to help with the specification of low-carbon timber windows in a social housing context. It provides performance criteria and indicates what needs to be considered to achieve these in practice. Windows are an essential element of the building fabric and should not be discussed in isolation. They should be considered very early in the design process when deciding what build system to use.
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More and Better Home-Grown Timber—The role for a consolidator

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What might a business plan for the supply of home-grown timber to the Welsh housing sector look like, if it is to be closely integrated with the ownership and management of the timber resource in Wales?
Additional capacity in the sector has been identified in three key areas: secondary processing capacity; in undermanaged forestry and woodland; and a vast potential for greater tree planting in Wales, for a range of drivers.
This outline of a proposed business plan builds upon a previous analysis, which identified low integration between the supply and processing of Welsh timber, against the increasing demands of the construction sector.  In order to deliver a reliable supply of timber, consolidation is required at a point in the supply chain.  This could be achieved at two basic levels, either/or by stock of sawn timber collected from a number of small or medium mills, or consolidation of roundwood at a saw log level feeding predominantly one larger mill. The options for investment in both are discussed in this document. The authors seek not to decide at this stage which is better or worse, but to outline the conditions under which each would be viable.
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More and Better Home-Grown Timber—The financial case for existing landowners to plant woodland

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From the TV presenters of Countryfile to the ever-escalating claims of political parties in the last UK elections, it seems everyone wants to plant more trees. Reasons vary from carbon capture, amenity, and biodiversity to production of usable timber, as do levels of ambition.
Amongst the most widely quoted targets, The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) say that UK needs 30K Ha of new woodland a year to 2050 as part of a suite of land use changes to meet the UKs commitment to become Zero Carbon. This afforestation is predicted to account for the largest share of the forecast £39 Bn cost, the majority of that being spent on land acquisition. This presumes that either we expand the public estate or encourage land acquisition by external investors.
Experience from solar and wind farms suggests that this will be expensive, slow, and unpopular with some existing landowners, particularly farmers. Nonetheless there is considerable pressure on farmers from Brexit and existing financial challenges particularly of upland farming are severe in Wales.
Based upon the above, our approach is to solve two problems together. Woodland creation for a range of benefits, providing the means for farm transformation, while avoiding the expense and social disruption of land acquisition.
Promising lower costs of delivered woodland and a wide range of associated benefits, the approach has much to recommend it, subject to its financial viability.
This report reviews opportunities and challenges through the lens of financial viability.
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