Grown in Britain: The company behind the logo

It would seem the chilly weather is here to stay, so we turn again to our wood-burning stoves and log fires to keep us cosy through the winter. You may have seen the Grown in Britain logo on the packaging for our wood fuel products, and whilst the name ‘Grown in Britain’ speaks for itself, you may have wondered why the logo is necessary and why we use it.

Grown in Britain is a not-for-profit organisation that actively encourages the use of home-grown timber across all areas of our daily lives: in everything from its use in the construction industry, to the products we manufacture and even the Christmas trees we’re about to put up.

Certainly Wood is proud to be GiB certified, and we’re very happy to welcome the CEO of Grown in Britain, Dougal Driver, as our guest blogger this week. Here Dougal explains the need for Grown in Britain, and how looking for the logo can massively help our forests, woodlands and the wider environment. Dougal writes:

At Grown in Britain, our philosophy is to champion the use of timber and forest products that are UK grown. There are areas, such as sawn construction timber and charcoal, where we can’t be fully self-sufficient, but when it comes to firewood logs and kindling, great British companies like Certainly Wood, can provide everything you need, from sustainable UK woods, with absolutely no need for imports.

Well-managed woodlands are vital for renewal and growth. Felling trees for firewood, allows sunlight to reach the forest floor. This creates an eruption of new life: flowers, grasses, insects, butterflies and birds kick into action, pollinating and strengthening our crops and ecosystems in the most natural way possible. In addition, this management gives rise to other products such as timber and fencing, helping us to further avoid the need for unnecessary imports. It really is win-win.

Inactive, unmanaged woodlands produce less resilient trees that are prone to disease and wind blow. These trees will suffer and fail as the climate changes. Managed woodlands, with their varying canopy layers and multiple species, are far more robust and therefore able to resist drought and flood more effectively.

Managing our existing woodlands is vital, and should always be a priority. But woodland expansion also plays an important role in the maintenance of our landscape and for the on-going benefits that more trees will provide to future generations. When planting new trees, we need to start as we mean to go on; so in 2020, Grown in Britain will be launching a new plant certification scheme. This will provide a biosecurity and provenance mark to compliant nurseries and suppliers, ensuring that unwanted pests and disease are not being brought into the UK.