The UK Forestry Jobs Newsletter shares the best curated forestry jobs in the UK, from tree planting to director level.
Here's a number worth remembering: the UK imports more than 80% of the timber it uses. That makes us the second-largest net importer of timber in the world, behind only China.
This week, 31 MPs and members of the House of Lords from across the parties wrote to the Prime Minister asking the government to treat that as the risk it is. The letter was organised by Confor as part of its "Timber Security is National Security" campaign.
What they're asking for
The letter sets out five practical steps:
Count timber as a national security risk. Include timber supply in the National Security Risk Assessment.
Set up a cross-government taskforce. Get Defra, the Treasury, business and housing departments working on timber together.
Give long-term certainty. Treasury-backed confidence for productive woodland investment, recognising that forestry works on decades, not election cycles.
Recognise sawmilling as strategic manufacturing. Put wood processing in the Industrial Strategy.
Report on progress every year. Publish how dependent we are on imports and how much we can produce at home.
One line from the letter stuck with me: the "friendly" countries we rely on for most of our timber are cutting their own production, leaving global supply increasingly reliant on Russia and China. That's not a comfortable position for a country trying to build hundreds of thousands of new homes.
The sawmills are pulling together too
In the same week, the UK's three biggest sawmillers – BSW, James Jones & Sons and Glennon Brothers – joined forces with Confor and Timber Development UK on a campaign called Trust UK C16. Between them they produce the vast majority of the UK's C16, the everyday construction timber used for joists, studs and rafters. Their message is simple: grow it, process it, specify it and build with it here.
Why this matters for jobs
Every tonne of timber we import is work that could be done here: planting, managing, harvesting, hauling, sawing and building. As Confor's Stuart Goodall puts it, we already have the land, expertise, businesses and workforce to produce much more of it ourselves. What's missing is long-term certainty from government.
If ministers listen, the winners won't just be the big mills. It'll be the planting crews, forest managers, harvester operators and hauliers who keep the whole thing moving.
Jack
P.S. Good news to close the loop on our October issues: Gillian Martin confirmed on 6 November that Scottish Forestry will stay as a standalone agency and won't be merged into the new environment body. Thanks to everyone who replied with their views.
🔦 Jobs Spotlight 🔦
In this section, we highlight standout opportunities each week, including selected sponsored listings.
What?: Forest Liaison Officer – Motorsport
Where?: Banchory, Aberdeenshire
How Much?: £36,987–£39,459 a year
What?: Harvesting Machine Operators
Who?: Tilhill Harvesting
Where?: Scotland-wide
How Much?: £Competitive + benefits
Forestry Fact Corner…
🌲 Did you know there's a new online space just for the forestry world? Forestry Connect launched this month as a networking platform for contractors, machine operators, woodland managers and forestry businesses, with profiles, a member directory, discussions and job listings. We've teamed up with them and will be posting jobs there too, so if you fancy a nosey, have a look at forestryconnect.co.uk.
Interested in featuring a sponsored job listing in this newsletter? Email us at [email protected].