TV slot for UK timber

BSW Timber is to feature on national television as part of a ConFor-backed campaign showing how the UK’s timber industry is competing with European production.

BSW’s Howie Forest Products site in Dalbeattie will feature on Landward, Scotland’s countryside programme, today on BBC1 at 7.30pm.

The programme will show how the Scottish timber industry has benefited from investment – BSW has invested £7m in the Dalbeattie site recently – and that the resulting end products can compete with imported timber.

Deeside Timber Frame will also feature on the programme, thus demonstrating the entire supply chain, from forestry and sawmiller, to merchant and housebuilder.

“The investment in our Dalbeattie mill underlines our confidence in the growth in the market for British timber,” said Hamish Macleod, head of public affairs at BSW Timber.

“I’m delighed that such investment, which is happening across the industry, is now paying dividends and allowing Scottish and UK timber to actively compete on both quality and price with Scandinavian and other European products.”

ConFor chief executive Stuart Goodall added that investment in what was now a hi-tech sector was addressing the fact that 70-80% of timber consumed in the UK was imported.

“However, for this trend to continue to be reversed over the longer term, we must do more to protect our softwoods – and this means planting more and safeguarding them from rival land uses, such as wind farms.”