Glossary

Woodland which has been in continuous existence since 1600 (1750 in Scotland).

Status for a Woodland Carbon Code project or group that is undergoing assessment by a certification body.

Energy from any fuel that is derived from biomass.

Material that is derived from living, or recently living, biological organisms.

A set of precautions that aim to prevent the introduction and spread of harmful
organisms. These may be pests, pathogens or invasive species.

Branch wood and leaf material that is generally too small in diameter to be considered part of the timber product from a harvesting site.

Similar to wood pellets (see elsewhere in this Glossary) but larger, briquettes are made from compressed wood fibres and used for heating.

Trees that do not have needles or cones, such as oak, birch and beech. A few, such as alder, have cone-like structures for their seeds which are not true cones.

Sheet material manufactured under pressure, based on wood and other vegetable particles bound with hydraulic cement and possibly containing additives.

(see Particleboard).

Sites where all trees have been felled at once. In non-clearfell areas, only some trees are felled at any one time.

A sampling technique where the entire population is divided into groups, or clusters,
and a random sample of these clusters are selected. All (or a selection of)
observations in the selected clusters are included in the sample. Cluster sampling is
often used when a random sample would produce a list of subjects so widely scattered
that surveying them would prove to be far too expensive.

An estimated range of values that is likely to include an unknown population parameter (i.e., a fixed value for the population as a whole). The confidence interval around an estimate is derived from the sample data and is used to indicate the reliability of the estimate.

Confederation of Forest Industries.

Trees with needles and cones, such as spruce, pine and larch.

Numerical factor by which a quantity that is expressed in one set of units must be multiplied in order to convert it into another set of units.

Trees that are cut near ground level (or sometimes higher, in which case they are called pollards), causing them to produce many small shoots. These shoots are harvested every few years at a relatively early age for products such as staves, fencing, fuel and charcoal. “Coppice with standards” includes scattered trees that are left to grow as normal (“standards”).

Non-living woody biomass not contained in the litter, either standing or lying on the ground. For wood carbon reporting, the minimum was 15 cm diameter for standing and lying deadwood, and 7 cm dbh (diameter at breast height) for fallen trees.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The quantities of UK-grown roundwood that are delivered to processors (mills) or for other uses (such as woodfuel and exports). Note that for sawmills and round fencing mills, the deliveries figure reported is actually the quantity of roundwood consumed by the mill, which may differ from the true deliveries figure if the levels of input stocks vary.

A factor applied in the calculation of confidence intervals to take account of the survey
design (clustering, weighting, stratification) used in selecting the sample. A design
factor of 1.5 is commonly assumed by market research companies for omnibus
surveys of the population.

Timber that is sold after the trees have been felled by the woodland owner or their contractors.

The first five to ten years or formative period that ends once young trees are of sufficient size that, given adequate protection, they are likely to survive at the required stocking.

European Union. It currently comprises 27 member states: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

The statistical office of the European Union, situated in Luxembourg. Its task is to provide the European Union with statistics at European level that enable comparisons between countries and regions.

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, responsible for the Forest Resources Assessment and for compiling international statistics on production and trade of wood products.

Panel material with thickness equal to or greater than 1.5mm, manufactured from lignocellulosic fibres with application of heat and/or pressure. The bond is derived either from the felting of the fibres and their inherent adhesive properties or from a synthetic binder added to the fibres.

In the UK, there is no formal definition of “forest”; the term is often used for large woodland areas (especially conifers) or for old Royal hunting preserves such as the New Forest or the Forest of Dean.

The Forestry Commission agency responsible for forestry and tree related research (including statistics).

An executive agency of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). Forest Service fulfils DAERA’s legal obligations for forestry in Northern Ireland.

The Scottish Government agency responsible for managing the national forests and lands in Scotland, created on 1 April 2019.

The government department responsible for forestry matters in England. The Forestry Commission’s functions in Wales transferred to the Welsh Government and to Natural Resources Wales on 1 April 2013. The Forestry Commission’s functions in Scotland transferred to Scottish Forestry and to Forestry and Land Scotland on 1 April 2019. The Forestry Commission is supported by two agencies: Forestry England and Forest Research.

The Forestry Commission agency responsible for managing the national forests in England. Prior to April 2019, Forestry England was known as Forest Enterprise England.

Forest Stewardship Council.

Gross Domestic Product at market prices deflator. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a measure of the total economic activity. Growth in GDP reflects both growth in the economy and price change (inflation). Applying a GDP deflator to time series of prices or price indices removes the effects of inflation to enable a comparison of changes in price that are not caused by inflation.

Grown in Britain.

England, Wales and Scotland.

The weight measurement of timber freshly felled before any natural or artificial drying has occurred.

A measure of the contribution to the economy of each individual producer, industry or sector in the UK.

The volume of timber in living trees. It is also often referred to as the standing volume.

The wood of broadleaved trees, such as oak, birch and beech; a term sometimes used for the broadleaved trees themselves.

The UK’s tax, payments and customs authority.

Unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres (100 m by 100 m), approximately equivalent to 2.47 acres.

Genetically improved Sitka spruce and Scots pine stock raised from seed of seed
orchard origin and by vegetative propagation of parent material derived from
controlled crosses. Further detailed information is provided on page 6 of this release.

The growth rate of standing trees.

A protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that set binding obligations on the industrialised countries to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases.

Non-living biomass with a diameter less than the minimum for dead wood, lying dead in various states of decomposition above the soil.

Sales of roundwood, felled or standing, to customers over a period of more than one year. The second and subsequent years of a long-term contract are negotiated after the sale of the first year’s volume.

Wood fibreboard made by a dry process in which the primary bond is derived from a bonding agent, and having a density usually exceeding 600 kg per cubic metre.

Species that have arrived and inhabited an area naturally, without deliberate assistance by man. For trees and shrubs in the UK usually taken to mean those present after post-glacial recolonisation and before historic times. Some species are only native in particular regions – hence locally native.

The creation of new woodland by natural means, i.e., without sowing or planting.

The regeneration of existing woodland by natural means, i.e., without sowing or planting.

The organisation responsible for advising the Welsh Government on the environment, created on 1 April 2013.

Establishing woodland on ground that was not woodland in the recent past.

National Forest Inventory.

Northern Ireland.

National Inventory of Woodland and Trees (1995 to 1999).

Refers to prices at the time of sale. See also “real terms”.

Office for National Statistics.

Multi-layered board made from strands of wood of a predetermined shape and thickness together with a binder. The strands in the external layers are aligned and parallel to the board length or width.

The volume of wood including the bark. Can be either standing volume or felled volume.

Panel material manufactured under pressure and heat from particles of wood (wood and chipboard flakes, chips, shavings, sawdust), with the addition of an adhesive.

Pay-as-you-earn tax.

Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.

Fungus-like pathogen of plants that causes extensive damage and mortality to trees (including Japanese larch) and other plants.

Twelve month period running from 1st October to 30th September.

Wood-based panel consisting of an assembly of layers bonded together with the direction of the grain in adjacent layers, usually at right angles (not currently made in the UK).

A measure of the proportionate, or percentage, changes in a set of prices over time. Commonly used indices include the Laspeyres index, Paasche index and Fisher index.

A weighted percentage.

A fibrous material produced by mechanically or chemically reducing wood into their component parts from which pulp, paper and paperboard sheets are formed after proper slushing and treatment or used for dissolving purposes (dissolving pulp or chemical cellulose) to make rayon, plastics, and other synthetic products. Sometimes called wood pulp.

A method of sampling where interviewers are each given a fixed number of subjects of
specified type to interview.

Refers to prices at a common date. Prices in real terms are derived by applying a deflator to remove the effects of general inflation to enable a comparison of changes over time that have not resulted from inflation. See also “nominal terms”.

Either industrial process by-products (e.g., offcuts or fines from a board manufacturing mill, furniture factory, joinery or construction) or from post-consumer waste wood (e.g., pallets, construction waste) after the stage of recovery or reclamation for purposes of recycling.

The replacement of trees on areas of woodland that have been felled; this can be done either through replanting or natural regeneration.

Sales of timber after harvesting. The owner is responsible for getting the trees felled and extracting them to the side of the road, ready to take away.

Trunk or branch wood, generally with a top diameter of 7 cm or more. Can be in the form of logs (14 cm top diameter or more) or small roundwood (7 to 14 cm).

Material of at least 14 cm top diameter that is destined to be sawn into planks or boards.

Materials including wood chips, sawdust and bark which arise during the conversion of logs to sawn timber. Most are used as inputs to other wood processing industries, sold for bioenergy or sold for other uses. Formerly called sawmill residues or co-products.

Sawn timber – timber that has been cut into planks or boards from logs.

Species of coniferous tree, native to Great Britain.

The Scottish Government agency responsible for forestry policy, support and regulations, created on 1 April 2019. Scottish Forestry also has responsibility for managing the UK Woodland Carbon Code on behalf of the Forestry Commission in England, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Forest Service.

The executive branch of the devolved government of Scotland.

Area of poorly formed trees or bushes unsuitable for conversion to timber.

Orchard where trees are grown for seed production rather than timber.

Young tree grown from seed, prior to being transplanted or planted out in the forest.

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.

An energy crop, usually consisting of densely planted, high yielding varieties of willow or poplar.

The care and cultivation of forest trees.

Species of coniferous tree, not native to Great Britain.

Material of 7-14cm top diameter. Main uses include the production of wood-based panels, paper, round fencing and for woodfuel.

The wood of coniferous trees, such as spruce, pine and larch; a term sometimes used for the coniferous trees themselves.

A relatively uniform collection of trees (from either planting or natural regeneration) composed, for example, of a single species or a single age class.

Sales of timber while the trees are still standing. The buyer is responsible for getting the trees felled and removed from the site.

Measurement of quantity before trees are felled. Usually expressed as cubic metres overbark standing.

A statistical assessment of whether observations reflect an actual pattern rather than just chance.

Statutory Plant Health Notices, requiring the felling of infected trees, are issued by the Forestry Commission/ Scottish Forestry/ Natural Resources Wales/ Forest Service to prevent the spread of pests and diseases. They are currently being issued to control the movement of material infected with Phytophthora ramorum.

Wood from the stem and main branches of a tree, excluding the stump and small branches.

Area stocked with living trees. This differs from the woodland area (see below) in that felled areas awaiting restocking and areas of integral open space are generally excluded from the stocked area.

A sampling technique where the entire population is divided into groups, or strata, and a random sample is selected within each group. Stratified sampling is often used to ensure that sufficient numbers from each group are included in the overall sample, particularly where results are required for each group.

Trees in and along streets in urban areas (towns or cities).

The above-ground base part of a tree that would usually remain after felling.

A proportion of stems removed in order to give the best stems space and light to grow into a more valuable crop. This is usually carried out some time after canopy closure and may be repeated at intervals. A temporary reduction in standing volume will result.

Emissions and sequestration can be presented as tonnes carbon or tonnes carbon dioxide (CO₂) equivalent. To convert from tonnes CO₂ to tonnes carbon multiply by 12/44.

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, responsible for compiling international statistics on production and trade of wood products for Europe, the Russian Federation and North America.

The volume of wood excluding the bark.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Trees and woodland located in towns or cities. Includes street trees, as well as trees in
urban woods, parks, gardens and other urban areas.

The initial evaluation of a project or group against the requirements of the Woodland Carbon Code. Upon completion a project/ group will receive a ‘Validation Opinion Statement’. The project/ group will then be certified for a period of up to five years.

Value Added Tax.

Reproduction by cuttings, layering or grafting and not involving fertilisation.

A thin layer of wood, produced by peeling or slicing, used for decorative purposes. Veneers are usually applied to less expensive or less attractive substitutes including solid timber, wood-based sheet materials, etc.

Verification is the evaluation of a Woodland Carbon Code project as it progresses to confirm the amount of CO₂ sequestered to date as well as that it continues to meet the requirements of the Code.

A set of factors assigned to survey responses to ensure that the resulting weighted results are representative of the population as a whole.

The executive branch of the devolved government of Wales.

Sawdust or wood shavings compressed into uniform diameter pellets. They are often burned for heat or energy, but may also be used for other purposes (such as horse bedding or cat litter).

Land under stands of trees with a canopy cover of at least 20% or having the potential to achieve this, including integral open space, and including felled areas that are due to be restocked. Generally (including the UK) woodland is defined as having a minimum area of 0.5 hectares.

The volume of trees required to produce a wood product. Can be measured underbark or overbark.