shortage of timber worldwide is causing dearth in supply and major problems for housing and construction industry. decrease in availability of timber has caused sharp spike in the prices of newly built homes around world. In some countries, the price builders pay for timber has shot up by about 25 per cent. One of reasons builders are struggling to get supplies is because people have been repairing or reforming their homes during lockdown. Another reason is that post-lockdown construction and additional DIY projects have created "extraordinary demand". timber trade federation said suppliers were "working around clock" but are "struggling to keep up".
Environmental scientists assert that major reason for shortage is climate change. Global warming is increasing pressure on the sustainability of forests. increase in the number of wildfires is causing great damage to large swathes of forest. Many have been completely razed to ground. The warmer weather has also caused proliferation in number of pests that cause damage to trees and stunt tree growth. Sweden, which supplies almost half of wood used in UK, has recorded its lowest timber stocks for 20 years. A solution the UK has come up with is to plant more trees. It said it is "committed to trebling tree planting rates". builder joked that he didn't have time for those trees to grow.
