Introduction

This chapter contains statistics on:

• timber prices;
• financial returns from forestry investment;
• gross value added (GVA);
• Government expenditure on forestry; and
• grant schemes.

Estimates for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are included, where possible, in addition to UK or GB totals. Further information on the data sources and methodology used to compile the figures is provided in the Sources chapter.

Most of the statistics presented in this chapter have been previously released. Some of the figures on prices (Tables 8.1 and 8.2, Figures 8.1 and 8.2) and on gross value added (Table 8.3) have been revised since Forestry Statistics 2016. For further details on revisions, see the Finance & Prices section of the Sources chapter.

A copy of all Finance & Prices tables is available to download as an Excel spreadsheet from the Tables for Download page.

Key findings

The main findings are:

• The Coniferous Standing Sales Price Index for Great Britain was 9.7% higher in real terms in the year to March 2017, compared with the previous year.
• The Softwood Sawlog Price Index was 15.7% higher in real terms in the 6 months to March 2017, compared with the corresponding period of the previous year.
• The Investment Property Databank (IPD) UK Forestry Index shows a total return of 13.3% per annum for the three year period 2014 to 2016, and an annual return of 10.7% for 2016.
• Gross value added (GVA) in primary wood processing (sawmilling, panels and pulp & paper) was £1.49 billion in the UK in 2015. GVA in forestry was £0.63 billion.
• Net expenditure on public forests by the Forestry Commission totalled £34 million in 2016-17. A further £103 million was spent by the Forestry Commission on other activities.
• A total of £56.2 million was paid in grants by the Forestry Commission and Natural Resources Wales in 2016-17.