Natural capital accounts containing information on the extent, condition and ecosystem services for woodlands in the UK have been published by the UK’s Office for National Statistics. They show that the UK land area covered by woodlands increased from 7% in 1965 to 13% in 2023. The asset value of UK woodlands was an estimated £382bn in 2021. While timber and wood fuel is often seen as the main woodland asset, it accounted for just 3.9% or £14.bn.

Greenhouse gas regulating services, woodlands sequestering greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide, was 39% of the total asset value in 2021 (£15bn). The total annual value of UK woodlands ecosystem services was an estimated £10bn in 2021.

The annual non-timber benefits of UK woodlands in 2021 were an estimated £1bn, exceeding the market benefits of timber and wood fuel (£441m) by approximately 23 times.

An estimated 3.2m people gained health benefits from recreation in UK woodlands in 2022, with an annual value of £1bn.