The RFS Best of England Small Woodlands winner, Alvecote Wood near Tamworth, has become the first small woodland in Britain to be awarded the new Grown in Britain licence. The licence is designed to make it easier for growers, processors, specifiers, retailers and the general public to identify home-grown wood products – and boost the amount of British timber entering the UK marketplace.
Sarah Walters and Stephen Briggs, the husband and wife owners of Alvecote Wood, can now label and promote the timber harvested and wood products generated at Alvecote Wood as UK wood grown in accordance with the Government’s UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) and guidelines.
Sarah Walters said: “Becoming a licence holder and supporting the Grown in Britain scheme is really important because I can see it as a major way to stimulate the markets for home-grown wood products and timber.”
The 20-acre woodland is a mixture of ancient semi-natural woodland, new tree planting and wildlife conservation areas. Harvesting at Alvecote provides firewood for local markets and, in the future, higher quality timber will be sent for sawmilling for table tops and benches; all the wood now produced will be branded as Grown in Britain.
The Grown in Britain licensing scheme covers each stage of the supply chain – from seed to store. Every stage of production is independently assessed against the Grown in Britain standard which acts in accordance with the Government’s Timber Procurement Policies.
Anyone involved in the supply chain of British wood can apply for a licence and there is a licence fee waiver for woodlands of less than 20ha. Find out more about applying for a grown in Britain licence at www.growninbritain.org.
