The forestry sector has enjoyed an unexpected boom, with the value of commercial woodland surging by 35-40% in the past year. Financial Times

Forest owners have seen the value of their woodlands more than double in the past four years, according to research carried out by Savills and UPM Tilhill, a forestry management company.

Nearly 16,000 hectares of woodland were sold in the UK last year, at an average price of about £4,250 per hectare – an increase of about 80% in value compared with 2006.

Farmland prices have risen strongly in recent years, partly owing to growing interest from overseas farmers in expanding into the UK.