The Timber Development UK (TDUK) Global Market Conference on 5th November brought professionals from across the timber supply chain together to assess the year’s market performance and look ahead to 2026. Held against a backdrop of continued economic uncertainty and reduced activity in the global timber trade, the event provided a valuable space for discussion about the challenges and opportunities facing the sector.
Opening the conference, TDUK Chief Executive David Hopkins set the scene with an overview of the past year. He acknowledged the difficulties of operating in a subdued market, while highlighting the many ways TDUK has continued to guide and support its members. As the UK’s leading membership organisation for the timber industry, TDUK’s role in “connecting, educating and advocating” for the sector is more important than ever.
From policy development and compliance support to training, research and communications, David outlined how TDUK’s work during this past year has helped the industry stay informed, strengthened relationships with government, and prepare for the next stage of timber’s growth in UK construction. “This year hasn’t been easy for anyone,” he told delegates, “but we’re pushing the industry forward and working hard to help members navigate these complex and fast-changing conditions.”
Throughout 2025, TDUK has kept members informed of important legislative, policy and market changes, including:
- The continuing delays and uncertainty surrounding the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)
- The changing mix log supplies from Spruce to Pine
- Temporary duty suspensions on certain Plywood products
- Ongoing sanctions surrounding Russian and Belarusian plywood and concerns over illegal imports.
TDUK issues regular trade notes featuring the latest updates on these issues, alongside online meetings and in-person events to share this information. In total more than 20,000 minutes of learning have been shared, bringing together experts from government, logistics, and European markets to ensure members are as informed as possible.
David also highlighted TDUK’s collaboration with Confor, the Structural Timber Association and many other industry stakeholders to push forward the Timber in Construction Roadmap, which was relaunched by the government in February. “For the first time, all those things we’ve talked about for years – the carbon benefits of timber – are recognised in policy,” David said. “It’s a very, very good thing that we need to keep pushing away at.”
TDUK now chairs two of the roadmap’s key working groups: one on whole-life carbon and another on the safe and sustainable use of timber. Alongside this policy work, TDUK continues to champion innovation, working with research institutions such as Edinburgh Napier, NMITE, and Built Environment – Smarter Transformation to explore newbuild systems and new ways to use British-grown species.
At the same time, TDUK’s reach has expanded significantly. Its digital platforms now connect more than 24,000 professionals and 9,500 organisations, with 146,000 annual website users and over 500,000 social media impressions. The online Knowledge Library, which contains webinars, case studies, technical knowledge sheets and trade notes has already passed 51,000 downloads, while the Find Your Timber Partner tool is one of the most visited pages on the TDUK website. “Find Your Timber Partner gives you an opportunity to speak to them, and for us to drive them to you,” David said. He also highlighted that TDUK’s reach and ever-growing network now exceeds that of many major commercial newspapers and news organisations, giving TDUK members access to an incredibly valuable resource of potential customers, partners and suppliers.
Education has been another major focus of TDUK’s work in 2025. The newly re-launched Wood Campus learning platform offers more than 60 modules across 80 topics, and has already seen over 700 enrolments and 400 completions since September. “We launched it a month ago,” David told the audience, “and we’ve had 717 enrolments in four weeks, which is fantastic.”
TDUK’s compliance work has also grown, with 130 Responsible Operator badges issued and 23,000 minutes of online training delivered. This has been supported by a new Guide to the Construction Products Regulation, which was released on the day of the conference.
Amid the technical updates, David also celebrated the success of Women in Timber, led by colleagues across TDUK. “It’s been a fantastic initiative and we’re doing all we can to change the image of our sector.”
While acknowledging that “there have been very few rays of light”, for the construction industry this year, David pointed to growing demand from architects and housebuilders as signs of optimism for the future. “More and more architects are winning projects that involve timber and are coming to us in search of information. There’s a real appetite for timber now – and we need to keep building on that.”
Through collaboration, training and tireless advocacy, TDUK has kept the timber industry connected and informed, and David concluded his welcome by encouraging everyone in the room – and the entire TDUK membership – to get involved and make sure they maximise the value of their membership.
