§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether greater use could be made of homegrown timber in the production of wooden flooring; and, if so, what action they will take. [HL3888]
§ Lord WhittyThe Government believe that greater use could be made of home-grown timber in flooring. However, home-grown solid wood flooring has to compete against laminate flooring and timber available on the international market, which can be obtained at relatively low cost.
The Forestry Commission (FC) supports many woodland initiatives throughout the country where local processing is often an objective. Hardwood flooring made and sold locally as a niche market can be successful. The FC has funded market studies and is currently funding the development of a hardwood appearance grading guide which could help producers of small and larger-scale sawmills market their timber to specifiers.
The Wood for Good campaign, supported by the FC and the UK forestry industry, is promoting exposed softwood flooring. The FC is supporting research to test wood hardening techniques on UK species. If successful, this could make them more suitable for exposed floors.