Draft Growth and Value Strategy 2027-2031

You can read our Draft Timber Sales and Marketing Plan 2027-2031

As a quick reminder, our draft key commitments for 2027-2031 are:

• Governance standards We will continue to manage the WGWE to the UK Forestry Standards (UKFS), audited annually as set out in the UK Woodland Assurance Standard (UKWAS). We will retain independent verification from both the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC ®). We will apply and evolve our Timber Sales Governance Standard, to secure safe, accessible, fair, open, competitive, and transparent sale of timber.
• Market volume: We will increase the volume of harvested timber from the Welsh Government Woodland Estate (WGWE). We will identify where we need more investment on the WGWE to enable industry access for further volumes of timber. This will include an action plan and funding proposals and opportunities.
• Production and forecasting: We will ensure that timber production remains an objective in our Forest Resource Plans to continually analyse our growing stock of the Welsh Government Woodland Estate (WGWE). We will continue to provide an accurate timber production forecast to inform future availability and secure investment and growth in the timber processing industry.
• Market value commitment: We will commit to a timber volume to be brought to market, aligned to the GB Production Forecast 2026-2031, providing commitment to the wood processing sector whilst ensuring we enhance the environment for the people of Wales and nature.
• Sales and marketing: We will continue with the standing timber sale offer as the preferred contract model for the delivery of harvesting programmes, with some direct production harvesting where greater control is necessary. We will market open tender eSale events during the period of this plan and explore alternative methods of timber sale.
• Resilience: We will develop flexible risk plans for significant events, such as in plant health, windblow, and markets, and to involve collaboration with contractors and processors. We will publish a Restocking for Resilience Statement for the marketplace, working with Forest Research on trials of wider productive conifer species.
• Safety: We will work in partnership with the forest sector to continually drive and improve standards of safety, health, health, and well-being.
• Partnership working, we will work collaboratively with our staff, partners, stakeholders, industry customers, and communities to pool our collective insight, knowledge and expertise, build trust, and work together on shared goals.
• Performance reporting: We will publish timely reports, updates and achievements from this Timber and Marketing Plan to maintain market confidence in supply.