Wood pellets accounted for nearly 19.6% of U.S. forest products exports in 2024, up from 1.6% in 2010, according to data released by the USDA. The vast majority of U.S. wood pellet exports are destined for the U.K.&nbsp;The USDA on March 20 published a report focused on the first three years of the EU-U.K. Trade and Cooperation Agreement. That agreement, which entered into force in May 2021, established a framework for trade and cooperation between the U.K. and EU following Brexit.&nbsp;According to the USDA, Brexit marked the beginning of a new era in European trade, with implications for global commerce as the U.K. has sought to broaden its import sources for agricultural commodities. The agency’s analysis aims to quantify the degree of change in the trade dynamic across a range of agri-food and related commodity groups.&nbsp;Regarding wood pellets, the report indicates that the U.K. has imported 71% of U.S. wood pellets since 2012. The U.S. provided 64% of all U.K. wood pellet imports in 2022.The report explains that the U.K.’s climate and energy strategy to achieve net-zero carbon emissions is the primary driver of the country’s wood pellet demand. The imported wood pellets are used to produce energy in converted coal power plants, producing renewable electricity.&nbsp;The report shows that the U.K. began importing wood pellets in 2012. Since that time, U.K. wood pellet imports have increased 419% and accounted for 19% of all U.K. forest product imports in 2023.A full copy of the report is available on the USDA <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/chart-detail?chartId=111199">website</a>. &nbsp;

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Wood pellets accounted for nearly 19.6% of U.S. forest products exports in 2024, up from 1.6% in 2010, according to data released by the USDA. The vast majority of U.S. wood pellet exports are destined for the U.K. 

USDA: UK wood pellet demand is a boon for US forest product exports

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