Building with England's Hardwoods: Putting Our Homegrown Timber to Work

By Mark Gilbert | Managing Director, East Brothers (Timber) Ltd.

England has a wealth of hardwood timber growing in its woodlands, yet much of it never reaches the construction industry. Instead, significant volumes are used as firewood or biomass, despite the potential for these species to play a much greater role in the buildings we construct.

At East Brothers, we believe there is an opportunity to change that.

As a trained forester and qualified visual timber grader, I've followed the Building from England's Woodlands research with considerable interest. Its central message is one I strongly agree with: creating better markets for homegrown timber can help support better-managed, more resilient woodlands.

If we can establish reliable structural markets for English hardwoods, we can make better use of the timber we already grow while encouraging woodland owners to manage their forests for the long term.

Unlocking the Potential of English Hardwoods

The Building from England's Woodlands project, led by NMITE in collaboration with Edinburgh Napier University, BE-ST, Ecosystems Technologies and dRMM Architects, has explored the structural potential of several English hardwood species.

Researchers carried out more than 2,000 small clear-specimen tests on species including oak, ash, beech, sycamore, birch, sweet chestnut, alder and poplar.

The results were encouraging. Birch, ash and sycamore demonstrated particularly promising strength and stiffness properties, suggesting they could provide alternatives to imported softwoods in certain structural applications.

This is particularly relevant when we consider that broadleaved woodland accounts for approximately 77% of England's woodland area, yet much of the hardwood harvested in the UK is used for fuel rather than higher-value timber products.

There is clearly an opportunity to make more effective use of this resource.

Combining Hardwoods and Softwoods

One of the most interesting findings from the research is the potential for hybrid engineered timber.

Rather than manufacturing structural components entirely from hardwood, researchers explored combining hardwood and softwood within the same product.

In glulam beams, for example, hardwood can be positioned in the outer layers, where bending stresses are greatest, while softwood forms the core.

This approach makes use of the properties of both materials, potentially producing stronger, more efficient structural components without unnecessarily increasing timber consumption.

Testing demonstrated that some hybrid components could achieve equivalent stiffness with sections approximately 10–15% slimmer than conventional alternatives.

The concept has already moved beyond the laboratory. A hybrid spruce-and-ash glulam beam was installed at NMITE's Skills Hub in Hereford, replacing a previously specified imported beam.

It is an exciting demonstration of what could become possible with a more developed homegrown hardwood supply chain.

The Challenge: Turning Research into Regular Production

While the results are promising, there are still obstacles to overcome before English hardwoods can be routinely specified for structural applications.

Many species do not yet have the formal strength-grade assignments and supporting testing required for widespread structural specification. Further full-scale testing and product development will therefore be essential.

There is also the practical challenge of establishing a reliable supply chain.

Structural timber manufacturers need consistent quantities of accurately sawn, dried and graded material. Bringing together woodland owners, sawmills, kiln operators, manufacturers and testing organisations can be complicated and expensive.

This is where we believe established sawmills such as East Brothers have an important role to play.

How East Brothers Can Help

Every engineered timber product begins with the raw material.

At East Brothers, we've been processing timber since 1886, and our experience lies in understanding how to get the right timber for the right job.

Operating from our sawmill near Salisbury, we have the facilities and expertise to take roundwood through the various stages of processing required for structural and engineered timber applications.

Our capabilities include:

• Sawmilling at scale: Processing hardwood and softwood logs into accurately sawn sections, with the capacity to support larger projects and repeat orders.
• Kiln drying: Drying timber to specified moisture contents suitable for further manufacturing.
• Timber grading: Qualified visual timber graders working on site, with experience selecting and assessing timber for its intended application.
• Machining and planing: Producing accurately dimensioned timber to customers' requirements.
• Certified timber: Grown in Britain, FSC and PEFC certified material available where applicable and subject to supply.

We already regularly process species such as Douglas fir, larch, oak and ash, giving us experience with both the softwoods and hardwoods being explored in this research.

Having these processes available on one site helps reduce the additional handling, transport and coordination that can otherwise make developing new timber products more difficult.

We are also continuing to invest in our facilities. In 2027, we plan to install a new primary breakdown line, increasing our sawmilling capacity and strengthening our ability to support future demand.

Working Together to Develop New Markets

For this research to have a lasting impact, it needs to translate into commercially viable products and reliable routes to market.

We would particularly welcome conversations with glulam and CLT manufacturers exploring hybrid timber products, researchers undertaking further structural testing, and architects or engineers considering homegrown hardwoods for future projects.

Equally, we would like to hear from woodland owners and forest managers looking to develop better markets for their broadleaved timber, particularly ash.

The opportunity is not simply to find another use for hardwood. It is to establish a supply chain that makes better use of England's woodland resources while supporting the future management of our forests.

Looking Ahead

For 140 years, East Brothers has worked with timber, adapting to changing markets while maintaining the same fundamental principle: the right timber for the right job.

We see the development of structural markets for English hardwoods as an opportunity for the next chapter of the British timber industry.

The research has demonstrated considerable potential. The next challenge is bringing together the people, materials and manufacturing expertise needed to turn that potential into everyday practice.

We would like to be part of making that happen.

If you're developing a project involving homegrown hardwoods, hybrid engineered timber or new structural timber applications, we'd be pleased to hear from you.