The Headline Numbers for UK Woodland Stats
The UK as a whole created 13,500 hectares of new woodland in the year to March 2026, down from 15,700 hectares the year before. Broken down by country:
- England – 5,250 hectares planted, the second highest total in 20 years
- Scotland – 7,220 hectares, still leading the way despite a dip
- Wales – 680 hectares
- Northern Ireland — 330 hectares
It’s worth pointing out: nearly half of all UK woodland is now under independent forestry certification, with 44% of the total area certified. That’s a quietly impressive number that doesn’t get much airtime. It means a huge chunk of the country’s woods are being managed to proper assured standards.
Why This Matters for Wood Fuel
Tree planting today is wood fuel tomorrow. Not the trees that have just gone in, obviously – those take decades – but the long-term planting pipeline is what keeps a domestic supply chain healthy. More trees in the ground now means more chip, more pellets, more briquettes and more sawmill residues coming through the system in the years ahead. It also means more thinning work in the meantime, which is where a lot of today’s small roundwood and woodfuel actually comes from.
The other thing the stats hint at is the variety of what’s being planted. Broadleaved species made up 8,550 hectares of the new UK woodland, with the rest mostly softwood conifers – and that mix matters. Conifers are the workhorses of UK timber and biomass, growing fast and producing the kind of straight, useful wood that mills and chip producers actually want. Broadleaves bring different value: hardwood timber, firewood and biodiversity. A healthy industry needs both.
The latest market forecast also shows how demand is changing further along the supply chain. UK wood pellet consumption forecast says it is expected to rise by 4% in 2026, although most of that demand comes from large biomass power stations rather than domestic and commercial heating systems.
The Long Game
Planting rates wobble year to year. Weather, grants, contractor availability, the lot. But the longer view is the one that counts. England’s last two planting seasons combined come close to matching four years of the previous decade’s effort. That’s a serious shift in pace, even if the year-to-year graph isn’t perfectly smooth.
For us at Woodyfuel, this is the kind of news worth paying attention to. A strong UK woodland base is what keeps home-grown chip, pellets and briquettes flowing – and what keeps the wagons rolling out of yards across the country with proper British fuel on the back. The stats won’t change anyone’s morning, but they’re a useful reminder that the long pipeline behind every load of chip is still being topped up.
Steady graft from the planters, and a steady supply for everyone downstream. Not bad.
Sources: Forestry Commission and Forest Research, Provisional Woodland Statistics 2026, published 25 June 2026.
