In coming months, all political parties will woo the electorate with promises crafted to appeal to their core voters. We will hear plenty from one side about financial incentives, tax breaks and efficiencies, and equal amounts from the other side on social infrastructure, health and wellbeing.
Yet economic and social benefits don’t need to be mutually exclusive. The forestry and timber supply chain is a great example of a productive UK industry having ripple effects throughout and beyond the financial economy.
For example, commercial woodlands also provide perfect natural spaces for walking, an activity proven to relieve physical symptoms such as high blood pressure and obesity, as well as symptoms of stress and depression. Then there’s the recreational value of having wooded areas close to conurbations for activities such as running, cycling, climbing and dog walking. There are economic benefits too, with around 250 million visits to UK woodlands each year contributing to an estimated recreational value of £484m. Creating new woodland can also help regenerate brownfield sites.
So we need to champion the use of timber production, and commercial forestry as a longterm investment – one which provides returns on multiple levels.
Given that trees take 40 to 60 years to reach maturity, forests can provide long term, beneficial leisure, education and recreation opportunities long-term, as well as the many skilled jobs in both our sector and industries reliant on wood as a resource.
Timber’s impacts also reach further. Physical and mental health, energy levels and overall fitness are also linked to the quality of living and working environments. And recent studies have shown that increased use of timber, particularly in interior design, can have beneficial effects for stress and mental health.
At the Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care at Bath’s Royal United Hospital, designers used exposed timber throughout to differentiate it from more typically cold and clinical hospital environments.
A research project then analysed stress levels of parents visiting the old neonatal unit and the Dyson centre. While they arrived with similar anxiety levels, time spent in the old facility saw them rise in most people. The stress of those in the new centre actually fell. We can also address other social issues. With a political spotlight on the energy sector and prices for homeowners overall and fuel poverty key issues, the benefits of timber’s use as a thermal insulator need to be well presented.
Similarly, timber’s unique advantages in terms of building low-carbon homes, at lowcost and high-speed, should provide political parties of all colours with the details they need to see this as a key solutions provider in boosting the housing market, whatever policy mechanisms they choose to achieve this.
If we are to achieve many of the social goals politicians will highlight in the election run up we need to boost the use of timber across the supply chain. For this we’ll need to have a strong argument to take to policy makers and the market, with different organisations within the industry collaborating to push timber.
That’s where Wood for Good needs the industry’s support – providing one strong voice to communicate the benefits of forests, trees and timber products to policy makers, our clients and the public. In tandem, we need policies favouring the long-term use of timber in the built environment to make this possible for the industry and again this is part of our core plan for 2015.
This has already formed the basis of our campaigns throughout last year, culminating in the launch of "Growing the Low Carbon Economy" report, which focussed on 12 key policy areas that could kick-start economic growth, while reducing carbon emissions and supporting health and well-being.
As the election approaches, and beyond May when a new government should be in power, we want to see forestry and timber play a key part in both economic and social policy and in the coming months we will need continued support from the industry to help us voice these proof points.
