Unlocking timber’s role in construction: policy signals and industry implications

Timber has long played a critical role in sustainable construction. Now, it is beginning to receive stronger recognition at the policy level, with formal government frameworks designed to expand its use across the built environment.

The UK Government has set out a clear intent to increase the use of timber in construction as part of a wider effort to reduce embodied carbon, promote sustainable materials, and support domestic forestry and manufacturing industries. This is a welcome move that aligns policy direction with what progressive parts of the construction sector have already been doing for years.

At the heart of this policy evolution is a recognition that timber—when sourced responsibly and used with technical rigour—can help meet net zero goals, support jobs in rural economies, and contribute to a more circular and regenerative construction industry.

Strategic alignment: timber in construction roadmap

A key milestone in this journey is the development of the Timber in Construction (TiC) Roadmap1 , produced by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in collaboration with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), the Forestry Commission, and industry stakeholders. The Roadmap outlines government- supported actions to:

• Increase timber’s market share in appropriate building types
• Enhance technical guidance and performance understanding
• Build UK supply chain resilience
• Improve skills and training across the construction sector
• Align regulatory and planning processes to reflect timber’s potential

The Roadmap builds on extensive industry consultation and evidences a shift from viewing timber as niche, to seeing it as a scalable, mainstream material for modern construction

TDUK’s role: technical foundations and advocacy

At Timber Development UK (TDUK), we have long advocated for timber’s technical credibility and environmental performance to be acknowledged in policy frameworks. Through our partnerships, we have contributed data, case studies, and analysis to support the government’s work on the Roadmap and related initiatives.

We continue to:

• Develop free-to-access technical resources that help specifiers, contractors, and manufacturers integrate timber safely and effectively.
• Promote education and upskilling, whether in-person CPDs, online learning on our new and improved Wood Campus, or our designTimber webinars.
• Work with regulators and policymakers to ensure timber is fairly represented in standards and guidance, especially in areas like fire safety, moisture performance, and whole-life carbon.
• Champion responsible sourcing and transparency, through our industry leading Responsible Purchasing Policy system, and supporting assurance schemes like Grown in Britain along with FSC/PEFC certification.

Our industry is ready to scale. But that growth must be built on robust understanding—not marketing hype or untested assumptions.

A time for joined-up thinking

Government support is an important step. But policy alone cannot deliver the transformation our industry needs. Timber’s increased use must be supported by:

• Better design-stage decision-making
• Open collaboration across disciplines
• Consistent supply of home-grown timber
• Investment in processing and R&D
• Transparent lifecycle analysis and specification tools

Encouragingly, we are seeing this alignment emerge—through programmes like Innovate UK’s Net Zero Built Environment Mission, the Welsh Government’s Timber Industrial Strategy, and industry-led projects such as the Whole Life Carbon Standard and Reuse Readiness frameworks.

Moving forward with clarity and care

The construction sector stands at a turning point. If we are to shift toward regenerative practices, natural materials like timber must be at the centre—not as a token gesture, but as part of an integrated, technically credible system.

Our role as an industry is to ensure that timber is not only seen as a low-carbon material—but also as a reliable, resilient, and responsibly deployed one. This means focusing on knowledge, not noise. It means working across professions,

sectors, and policy domains to ensure timber thrives in practice—not just in principle.

At TDUK, we remain committed to supporting this transition— through research, resources, and shared understanding.