The UK Forestry Jobs Newsletter shares the best curated forestry jobs in the UK, from tree planting to director level.
If you’ve driven past a petrol station this week, you don’t need me to tell you that fuel prices have gone a bit wild..
The ongoing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has sent Brent Crude over the $110 mark, and we’re seeing the fallout at the pump and the fuel depot. Red Diesel is currently sitting around 135p–138p per litre in most parts of the UK (or more). For forestry (a fuel intensive industry) it’s a direct hit to the bottom line that most didn't budget for in January.
What this means for the woods:
With machinery operating costs going up, most people have no choice but to pass these costs on - either up or down. Margins in forestry are already tight and adding in extra costs with fuel increases is an added challenge that nobody asked for.
Interestingly, with the 12p carbon tax now embedded in fossil red diesel, HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) is becoming cost-competitive. HVO isn’t a magic pill - not all machinery is set up to use it and it can be hard to get hold of.
Operational efficiency starts to matter more: When inputs go up, efficiency must go up. Idle times, through-put, haulage routes, and sharp chains matter more at 138p than they did at 90p.
The Silver Lining? The demand for domestic timber usually spikes when global supply chains get rattled. If we can weather the fuel costs, the "Buy British" argument for timber has never been stronger as pressure builds on imports.
Either way, the world needs a lot of timber, and it’s our job to get it out of the woods and to where it needs to be.
Happy Job Hunting
Jack
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Job Spotlight
In this section we highlight our favourite opportunity each week.
What?: Forest Planner
Who?: Scottish Woodlands
Where?: Central and North Scotland
How Much?: £Competitive + Benefits
In The News…
If you want to take a deeper dive into the potential impacts of the Hormuz Crisis, you can check out this article explains what might happen with shipping, imports fuel - the lot. Check it out here.