Wales launches its first Timber Industrial Strategy today, to capitalise on growing global demand for timber, which is expected to quadruple by 2050.
Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies will be launching ‘Making Wood Work for Wales’ at the Royal Welsh Show [Tuesday 22 July 2025].
The new strategy represents years of collaboration with Wales’s timber sector and follows extensive public consultation.
It aims to increase both the scale and value of timber grown and timber products produced across Wales. Greater use of timber in construction will secure the forest industry’s future, supporting new investment, jobs and improved carbon outcomes.
Recruiting skilled workers is becoming increasingly important as the industry expands. The strategy will improve communication with young people about forestry careers in Wales, working with Careers Wales and organisations such as the Royal Forestry Society.
Huw Irranca-Davies, Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs said:
“I am so proud to be launching Wales’s first ever Timber Industrial Strategy today. I want our forests to be in active, sustainable and diverse use, providing economic, environmental, social and cultural benefits to the people of Wales for many centuries to come and this strategy will play a key role in that.
“As the world works towards net zero, timber and wood fibre can make an immediate and important contribution to the materials transition needed for decarbonisation.”
Woodknowledge Wales is currently delivering the Welsh-government-funded Home-Grown Homes 2 project using timber in social housing, helping to decarbonise construction, support local supply chains and create more sustainable places to live.
Gary Newman, Chief Executive, said:
“Timber is central to building a low-carbon, circular economy – supporting decarbonisation, rural livelihoods, and sustainable development. Housing is one of the clearest use-cases for scaling up the use of Welsh-grown timber.”
