Timber Risk Score: 100 / 100 in 2017. The Timber Legality Risk Assessment contains an evaluation of the risk of illegality in United Kingdom for five categories and 21 sub-categories of law. We found:
- Specified risk for 0 sub-categories.
- Low risk for 16 sub-categories.
- No legal requirements for 5 sub-categories.
This page provides an overview of the legality risks related to timber produced in the United Kingdom.
13% (3.14 million ha) of the UK is covered by forests of which:
- About 23% is naturally-regenerated forest
- About 77% is planted forest.
Roundwood production totalled 10.5 million m3 in 2015 The forestry sector (including wood processing and pulp and paper) contributed US$ 9.5 billion to the economy in 2011, or nearly 0.4% of the GDP.
NEPCon has evaluated the UK as low risk for illegally harvested timber. Companies sourcing timber from the UK should still take care to ensure that risks are not present in their supply chains..
Score: 78 / 100 in 2021
Rank: 11 out of 180 countries in 2021
There are currently no armed conflicts in the United Kingdom according to the Council on Foreign Relations' Global Conflict Tracker
FSC Certified Forest Area: 1,577,258 hectares (31 December 2019)
PEFC Certified Forest Area: 1,577,258 hectares (31 December 2019).
Information gathering
- Find out the different sources of legal timber
- Determine which source type your timber comes from
Timber source | Description of source type |
---|---|
Plantations on ancient forest and ancient semi-natural forest (ANSW) |
Timber from plantations on woodland that has been in continuous existence since 1600 (1750 in Scotland). Ownership can be private or public. No logging permitted except via PAWS (plantation on ancient woodland site). A felling license and forest management plan are required. |
Semi-natural forest (OSNW) |
Timber from woodland with natural characteristics (predominantly native species of trees, ground plants and animals) where wood production is not a primary objective; this term is used rather than natural because the woodland may have originally been planted or have been managed for wood production in the past. Ownership can be private or public. A felling license and forest management plan are required. |
Plantation forest | Timber from plantations on non-ancient forest land. Ownership can be private or public. A felling license and forest management plan are required. |
Risk assessment
Low risk of illegality. We found that any breaches of applicable laws are temporary, unusual, limited in their impact, and effectively controlled by the relevant authorities.
Risk mitigation
We have not identified any specified risks and therefore have not suggested any mitigation actions.