Plywood

HL Deb 17 July 2003 vol 651 cc181-2WA

Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What has been the imported content of plywood used in the United Kingdom over the last five years; whether some grades are being made from home grown timber or from a mixture of home-grown and imported: and whether they consider that plywood should be developed as an outlet for British timber. [HL3887]

Lord Whitty

All the plywood used in the UK is imported, mainly because we do not produce logs of the size and quality required for efficient peeling and processing. However, some UK-grown veneers, sliced rather than peeled, are used in other products. It is unlikely that competitive plywoods will be produced in the UK to provide an outlet for our timber.

The UK does, however, have a mill near Inverness which produces oriented strand board. This product is made from pressing layers of flakes of pine arid is widely used as an alternative to plywood in many construction markets.