Wimbledon is upon us and once more British hopes are pinned on one man. And, call me cynical, but I suspect many of us are watching his progress more in hope than in expectation.
That may not be the neatest segue into a discussion about the economy, but it does sum up many of the conversations we’ve had with the timber industry recently – there is certainly more hope, but absolutely no-one is counting their chickens.
But in an economy where confidence is crucial, hope, however tentative, can be a powerful commodity. There is even a glimmer of hope in the housing sector, with the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply noting signs of a slowdown in the contraction of the construction sector and “murmurs of a possible upturn in housebuilding” – and mortgage lending is slowly increasing.
Back in the day, hints and murmurs wouldn’t have been much to go on, but these days we’ll take what we can get.
One sector that is continuing to grow despite, or perhaps because of, the recession is wood energy, the subject of this week’s special focus.
Greater carbon awareness, the price volatility of fossil fuels and the issue of fuel security have all driven demand for wood-fuelled biomass and the market is seeing new entrants every day. As a result, the sector is working hard to ensure its business is regulated and sustainable.
It’s good to see such dynamism while so many of us are in the doldrums, but not everyone’s an unconditional fan. Government subsidies for renewable electricity mean the sector has the ability to pay higher prices for co-products than other buyers and this is contributing to worst-case scenario fears of good quality timber being “slung in the boiler” at the first opportunity.
When the upturn comes, we’ll be needing that timber to build all those new houses we’ve been promised.
