The Home Grown Timber Trade

In the years up to 1939 less than 10 per cent of the timber consumed in the UK was home grown. During the Second World War over 60 per cent was home grown. These two figures express the relative importance commercially and economically of the home grown timber trade in peace and war. There was an immense increase in the home production of softwood, hardwood, pitwood and plywood during the war years. At the same time, it should be remembered that the proportion of land area, about 6.5 per cent, under forest in the UK is very low compared with the timber-producing countries of Europe (Sweden 56.5 per cent, Norway 23.8 per cent, France 19 per cent).