Key findings
- The area of woodland in the UK at 31 March 2025 is estimated to be 3.29 million hectares; 1.44 million hectares (44%) are independently certified as sustainably managed.
- 15.58 thousand hectares of newly created woodland were reported in the UK in 2024/25.
- 10.4 million green tonnes of UK roundwood (softwood and hardwood) were delivered to primary wood processors and others in 2024, representing a 6% increase from the previous year.
- Wood products imported into the UK in 2024 were valued at £9.2 billion and included 6.3 million cubic metres of sawnwood, 3.1 million cubic metres of wood-based panels, 9.3 million tonnes of wood pellets and 5.1 million tonnes of paper.
- Over two thirds (70%) of respondents to the UK Public Opinion of Forestry Survey 2025 had visited forests or woodlands in the last few years. Of those, 32% reported an increase in the number of visits in the last 12 months.
- The Business Register and Employment Survey reported average employment in 2023 of 21 thousand in forestry.
- Gross Value added (GVA) in primary wood processing (sawmilling, panels and pulp & paper) was £1.93 billion in the UK in 2023. GVA in forestry was £0.88 billion.
- The UK was the second-largest net importer (imports less exports) of forest products in 2023, behind China.
Chapters
PDFs of individual chapters can be downloaded from the chapter landing pages linked below:
- Introduction and Glossary
- Chapter 1 – Woodland Area & Planting
- Chapter 2 – UK-Grown Timber
- Chapter 3 – Trade
- Chapter 4 – Carbon
- Chapter 5 – Environment
- Chapter 6 – Social
- Chapter 7 – Employment & Businesses
- Chapter 8 – Finance & Prices
- Chapter 9 – International Forestry
- Chapter 10 – Sources & Methodology
Forestry Facts & Figures 2025
Forestry Facts & Figures 2025 can be downloaded or a hard copy ordered (free) online.
Accompanying data sets
The tables within each chapter (including data for charts) are available on the landing page for each chapter. Longer time series (for some topics) are available to download in spreadsheet format from Time Series
Details
Coverage: United Kingdom
Geographical breakdown: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Tel: 0300 067 5238
Email: statistics@forestresearch.gov.uk
Next update: 24 September 2026
Pre-release access: Information on pre-release access to this publication can be found at Pre-Release Access to Official Statistics.