Import firewood into England, Scotland or Wales
Find out how to import firewood, such as logs and kindling, into England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain).
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
You must notify the Forestry Commission if you, your agent or broker plan to import non-regulated solid fuel wood into England, Scotland or Wales.
This helps prevent harmful tree and forestry pests and diseases being introduced.
Solid fuel wood (firewood) includes:
- logs
- kindling
- twigs
- billets
- faggots
You, your agent or broker must make sure any regulate or non-regulated firewood meets import requirements in England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain) before it’s exported.
Find out what the firewood import rules are in Northern Ireland.
The Forestry Commission will decide if there’s a risk that your firewood could introduce harmful tree pests or diseases into the UK. They may inspect your consignment before allowing it to cross the border.
Register with the Forestry Commission
Before you notify the Forestry Commission about your non-regulated consignment, enrol on the Statutory Firewood Notification Scheme. You’ll get an enrolment number to use in further correspondence. Enrolment is not compulsory, but you’re encouraged to enrol. You can only do this online.
Notify the Forestry Commission about your import
You must provide the Forestry Commission with a notification before the non-regulated consignment arrives in England, Scotland or Wales or no later than 4 days after it’s landed.
Submit a notification online
You can submit your notification online.
If you cannot notify the Forestry Commission online use an Excel form to email or post.
Once you’ve completed and submitted the form for each new consignment, you’ll be sent an automated email reply with a unique reference number for that consignment. Use this number in any correspondence with the Forestry Commission.
How to complete the form
Most of the information required in the notification form is self-explanatory, but these notes are provided for clarification.
Estimated date of arrival
Enter the estimated date of the material landing at a port or airport in England, Scotland or Wales.
Place of arrival
Enter the specific port, airport or Channel Tunnel terminus in England, Scotland or Wales where the consignment will be arriving. This should be the first point of arrival in the country of final destination. You should be as specific as possible as some ports cover a number of locations, so specify exact ports if known. This might also be the location of any inspection by a plant health inspector if it’s deemed necessary, although inspections might also take place at the first destination.
Name of importer
Enter the full name of the importer.
Address of importer
Enter a detailed postal address, including postcode.
Address of first destination after landing
Enter the details, including a postcode, of the first destination point after landing at a port or airport in England, Scotland or Wales. This could be a distribution centre or a final destination for the consignment, depending on the importer’s requirements.
The shipping container
Enter a number or numbers, if appropriate. You can leave this field blank.
Genus and species
Ideally, you should state botanical names of tree species if you know them. If not, you can use common names. Use the list of frequently used names for tree species if you’re unsure of the botanical name:
| Conifers/softwoods – common name | Botanical name |
|---|---|
| Norway Spruce | Picea abies |
| Sitka spruce | Picea sitchensis |
| Scots pine | Pinus sylvestris |
| Corsican pine | Pinus nigra |
| European larch | Larix decidua |
| Japanese larch | Larix kaempferi |
| Hybrid larch | Larix eurolepsis |
| Douglas fir | Pseudotsuga menziesii |
| Silver fir | Abies alba |
| Western red cedar | Thuja plicata |
| Non-conifers/hardwoods – Common name | Botanical name |
|---|---|
| Ash | Fraxinus |
| Oak | Quercus |
| Birch | Betula |
| Willow | Salix |
| Maple/Sycamore | Acer |
| Beech | Fagus |
| Chestnut | Castanea |
| Alder | Alnus |
| Poplar/Aspen | Populus |
Type of material being imported
Enter whether the solid fuel wood is in the form of logs, kindling, or other.
Quantity
Enter the quantity in tonnes as accurately as possible.
Country where the material is imported from
Enter the country from where the solid fuel wood was last moved. This is not necessarily the country where the firewood was grown.
Country where the material was grown
Enter the country where the wood was originally grown and harvested.
Phytosanitary treatments
Enter details of the phytosanitary (plant health) treatments, which might have been applied to the solid fuel wood or associated wood packaging material before export. Example treatments include bark free, heat treatment and kiln drying. These could be treatments that comply with ISPM15 regulation of wood packaging material in international trade.
Updates to this page
Published 26 September 2018Last updated 13 January 2021 + show all updates
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post brexit information added
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Day 1 changes: EU Exit
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Updated information on when you must notify the Forestry Commission about importing solid fuel wood into England or Scotland has been added to this page.
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The link to submit your Statutory Firewood Notification online has been updated.
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First published.