The UK timber supply chain has returned to stability. According to the Timber Trade Federation (TTF), after nearly a record year of imports, the UK timber industry may find itself entering a more stable period in 2022.

According to the latest statistics of TTF, the amount of timber imported from January to October 2021 is 28% higher than that in the same period in 2020, reaching a total of 10.3 million cubic meters so far this year. However, despite this milestone, these statistics show significant changes in the pattern of timber imports.

The import volume in October 2021 decreased by 16% compared with the same period in 2020. This indicates that the timber import volume in the first month of 2021 is lower than the corresponding level in 2020, and also marks the end of the 15 month continuous growth of UK timber and panel products import. Softwood imports reflect these changes. Only 557000 cubic meters of softwood entered the UK in October 2021, close to the average import volume of 559000 cubic meters from 2015 to 2018.

These changes in the import pattern of the timber industry may be due to the return of more normal demand for new housing and building repair, maintenance and improvement (RM & I) in the fourth quarter of 2021. As the inventory of the whole supply chain is replenished, TTF sees that the price pressure is decreasing and the import volume returns to a more normal and stable parameter.

All this suggests that some of the market turmoil seen last year is over, when the industry was trying to ensure that high construction demand was met. Due to the increasing demand for low-carbon building products in response to the climate crisis, TTF also expects that wood will remain a key sector for better reconstruction of buildings in 2022. However, due to brexit, shortage of heavy truck (HGV) drivers, destruction of covid-19 in 2019 and labor supply will continue to affect supply and demand, the market is still far from returning to normal.