The UK imported £6.4bn-worth of wood products last year, according to new statistics published by the Forestry Commission.
The Forestry Statistics 2005 publication says the imports (including timber, sheet materiasl and pulp) were equivalent to 52 million m3 of roundwood excluding bark.
Britain was the fourth largest importer of forest products worldwide during 2004, after the US, China and Japan.
The publication also says 8.8 million green tonnes of UK timber (logs and small roundwood) were delivered to primary wood processors and others during the year.
The Forestry Commission’s net expenditure on public forests totalled £66m in 2003-04, with a further £99m spent on other activities, including research, administration and grants to woodland owners.
Some 12,000ha of new woodland was created in 2004-05 and there are now 1.2 million ha independently certified as sustainably managed out of a total UK woodland area of 2.8 million ha.
