Supply Chain

The Forest

All wood supply chains should start in the forest with good forest management. This may include initial planting or germination of new trees or may start with an assessment of an existing forest area. Each forest is unique in terms of its location, climate, soil and structure. For more information about sustainable forests click here. 

  

Primary Processors  

Once wood is removed from the forest during felling or forest management it is sorted into its potential end-uses with larger higher quality logs usually heading for the sawmill, while smaller logs and forest thinning head off to make paper, biomass fuel and wood based panels like OSB and MDF. Companies undertaking this initial conversion of wood are often called primary processors and are usually based quite close to forest resources. Some TTF Members undertake primary processing in the UK or overseas. For online learning about forests and the production of wood products  Click below .

 

The wood industries pride themselves on minimising waste during production and aim to utilise 100% of all wood extracted from the forest. Any material which cannot be used as solid wood will be converted into wood chips for use in paper, particleboard, landscaping products or biomass fuel, which is often used by sawmills as an energy source to dry wood products.  

 

Transport

Once primary processing has taken place the wood and wood products will normally be packaged for transport which may be by lorry, train or ship. Fortunately, wood takes very little energy to convert and is quite light to transport so although journeys may be long the carbon footprint is still quite small.

Agents

Primary processors overseas will often use Agents based in the UK to represent their interests, as these companies have the expertise to understand the needs of both sellers and buyers. In return for this expertise such companies will earn a commission on each transaction undertaken.

 

Importers

The first owner of wood and wood products arriving in the UK is generally termed the Importer. Such organisations will normally purchase significant quantities of wood which they will break up into smaller lots, either for sale to distributors and merchants, or for secondary processing into semi-finished wood products like machined mouldings, preservative treated fencing and decking.  

 

Merchants and Distributors

These companies represent the link in the supply chain following Importers and traditionally brought and sold smaller quantities of wood and wood products in each transaction, However,  the distinction between the two categories has become increasingly blurred in recent years.