UK forestry values lift to £19,200/ha in 2025

Roughly 9,200ha of forestry land was listed on the market over the past 12 months, with average values per stocked hectare lifting by 3% to £19,200/ha.

The UK Forestry Market Report 2025, published by Goldcrest Land & Forestry Group and Tilhill Forestry, found that the forestry market had started to recover after a slump in sales during the previous year.

This was predominantly driven by several exceptionally large listings coming to the market.

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Commercial forestry was valued at £140m in total, which puts it up by 50% on the year, but still below 2023 levels.

Jon Lambert, partner at Goldcrest, said: “The commercial forestry market is evolving – 2025 was marked by a shift in the age of forests coming to the market, caution among buyers and variations in sale success.

“Some properties sold competitively, generating high prices; others, which we would consider comparable, have stuck on the market and not sold.”

Mixed woodland

Mixed woodland listings were down by 40% at £11m, with an average listing size of 30ha.

The value of mixed woodland listings increased by 3% to £16,200/ha in England, 6% to £13,700/ha in Wales, and 16% to £10,200/ha in Scotland.

Land with potential for commercial forestry planting was attracting about £15,000/ha in England and Wales, although prices in Scotland had eased to between £7,000/ha and £11,000/ha.

Xander Mahony, head of forestry investment for Tilhill Forestry, said: “Forestry and farming have often been slightly uncomfortable bedfellows in the rural space.

“Today, there are perhaps more pressing shared challenges than the relatively minor skirmishes between us.”

The report highlights a number of common issues that are impacting both forestry and farming sectors, including government policy, output prices and cost inflation.

Yorkshire farmer Rebecca Wilson added: “Farming and forestry both have a role to play in tackling climate change, delivering biodiversity, and supporting rural economies.

“The danger lies in treating them as competing land uses, when in reality there is an opportunity for them to complement each other.”