Confor statement on NRW challenges

As Natural Resources Wales (NRW) faces a challenge to manage its finances, forest industry body Confor has proposed that NRW should seek to manage its valuable economic resource of productive forests to its full potential.

“The Welsh Government Woodland Estate (WGWE), which is managed by NRW, is managed for sustainable timber production and holds a great economic asset for our country,” said Confor National Manager Elaine Heckley. “The WGWE holds the majority of the current timber volume in Wales, and it is vital it is managed to enhance the viability of Wales’s forestry and wood processing sector, and to support the Welsh economy.”

NRW faces potential job cuts and the closure of visitor centres. Over the past 10 years, the volume of NRW timber placed on the market from the WGWE has consistently fallen well below what could be made available on a sustainable basis - the volume of timber harvested has been below what these wood producing woodlands can produce annually.

With targeted resource, further timber volumes could be placed on to the market from the WGWE that would help address, not only the current financial shortfall, but also enable NRW to support much needed further investment in Wales.

Confor, as the representative body for the forestry and wood industry, is confident that the desire from Welsh wood using businesses to continue purchasing timber from the WGWE is high.

Elaine concluded: “This is not a ‘silver bullet’ for NRW as it faces current financial challenges, but by utilising the current growing resource of the WGWE in a sustainable manner the industry can help NRW and the Welsh Government, and deliver much needed benefit for the economy.”