We’re skipping forward a few decades. We won’t worry too much about exactly how much older we all are, but let’s just say we look great, for our age. We are here to explore a future scenario for wood; and some may be glad to hear that this sector has done very respectably on the pay rise front.

Here, in the future, the UK no longer holds the dubious accolade of a silver medal in importing wood products. In fact, following a series of discrete, seemingly unconnected events, mass shipping of goods abruptly declined. Some say the distributed economy of locally owned production became inevitable the moment Elon Musk started giving away 3D printers in a concerted campaign to undermine Jeff Bezos’s Amazon empire, and thus win the space race. Others, more versed in economics, cite the rising carbon costs and risks of long supply chains. Or perhaps the Ever Given was the butterfly whose trapped wings gave the Right to Repair law the flutter it needed. Either way, a circular economy of reuse, remake and recycle combined with more efficient use of local resources has emerged, giving whales their oceans back

Agile local companies have thrived, and with local ownership has come regional innovation. Courtesy of new levels of customisation, even ill-fitting underwear has been consigned to history. Robotic farms can be found on roof-tops, gardens and basements. In some areas 3D-printed mud houses rise from the ground whilst in others lofty flats are elevated by lab grown wood. Forestry is flourishing. Data, robotics, and renewed penchant for venison have unlocked the prevalence of continuous cover silviculture and diverse forests. Sawmills and workshops have burst forth to craft homes and furniture. “New build” is actually a compliment, a term of quality design, low embodied carbon and running costs rather than shorthand for a Lego brick with an enduring snagging list.

Coming swiftly back to the present day, this may once have sounded a fanciful narrative defying the past century’s trends of economies of scale and vested interests; maybe 3D printing is yet to catch up with its hubris, but who doesn’t want bespoke underwear woven from their favourite wood? We can take inspiration that if craft beer can become a force to be reckoned with, then so too can localisation in other industries. Plus, as we all now comprehend, things can, and do, change quickly.

This year, in the 2021 Scottish Public Opinion of Forestry, 81% of those surveyed agreed a good reason to support forestry with public money was “So that Scotland can buy less wood products from abroad”, an increase from 45% in 2017. So how can we capitalise on this growing support for the forestry economy? Sourcing home grown wood can be quite a challenge. Current timber shortages, linked to a recent enthusiasm for DIY, aside; for those in the industry it often ensues a series of well-timed phone calls; for those outwith, whatever a quick google brings forth. To make better use of our home-grown wood we need to work with its variability but simultaneously meet the requirements of burgeoning industries such as offsite timber construction. It needs to be worthwhile to split out small volumes of higher quality conifers, to process hardwood for long-term products, and to manage small woods. There are numerous associations, communities and businesses who already make this happen; CloudForest’s ambition is to make it easier for these organisations to carry out business, for new businesses to get started, and to bridge the gap between our distributed forest resource and its customers.

Through our online marketplace we have created a place where businesses and their customers can easily connect and share. Where do we hope further development of the marketplace will take us? Collectively small wood businesses should benefit from a lot of the efficiencies available to larger businesses, whilst maintaining their flexibility and personal touch. These will include logistics and operations synergies; purchasing and marketing power; and supply chain planning. We can help bridge any mismatch between buyers and sellers in terms of scale, specifications, sales terms, and timing. In turn, small businesses collectively can offer a more resilient supply chain, with heightened use, reuse, remaking and recycling of wood. With the increasing realisation that home-grown wood is a key to the green recovery there is significant scope for renewal of our local wood culture. So here’s to a future where businesses can source wood locally and whales can sleep soundly.