The Definition of Timber and Its Uses

The use of timber as a construction material has gained much popularity over the past few years. According to a research that was conducted only recently, there is a high possibility that the next trend when it comes to materials for building new houses in the United Kingdom is going to be wood, instead of the traditional clay brick.

What is Timber?

Timber is the collective word for wood which was harvested and then later made into planks and boards. This is the type of wood that is used as a building material. It could either be manufactured rough or finished, depending on what the need would be. Timber can be classified into two and these are softwood and hardwood.

What are the uses of Timber?

Timber has many uses in our daily lives. Below is a list of the growing number of things that can be done with timber.

1. It can be used to make furniture.
2. It can be used to make paper.
3. It can be turned into boards that can be used for construction and other similar purposes.

There are other modern ways and things that make use of timber and some examples of these include the following:

• Oak beams 
• Oak flooring 
• Oak framed buildings 
• Decking 
• Timber cladding 
• Fencing materials 
• Fuels 
• Carcassing and Landscaping

Timber Industry in the United Kingdom

There has been a dramatic increase in the demand for timber in the UK for the past years. In fact, there were a number of campaigns launched in order to encourage and boost the industry of local forestry in Britain. According to the Forestry Commission, there has been an increase of 22% in the production of timber between the years 2008 and 2012. In addition to this, the Structural Timber Association stated that about 30% of the new houses in England are most likely timber framed in few years’ time. On the other hand, the figure has more than doubled in Scotland, where having timber framed houses has reached 72%.

Due to the rising trend of using timber, the said material’s demand and supply have greatly been affected for the past years, especially in the United Kingdom. Many people are looking into targeting the local forestry into increasing its production in order to meet the high demand. This material is very versatile and can be used in various ways. It could be utilised to make handmade furniture, it could be used as a landscaping and construction material, and other similar functions.