Breaking News English

A shortage of timber worldwide is causing a [death / dearth] in supply and major problems for the housing and construction [industrial / industry] . The decrease in the availability of timber has caused a [sharp / sharpen] spike in the prices of newly [building / built] homes around the world. In some countries, the price builders pay for timber has shot [sky / up] by about 25 per cent. One of the reasons builders are struggling [on / to] supplies is because people have [being / been] repairing or reforming their homes [while / during] lockdown. Another reason is [that / what] post-lockdown construction and additional DIY projects have created "[extraordinary / extraordinaire] demand". A timber trade federation said suppliers were "working around the clock" but are "struggling to keep up".

Environmental scientists assert that a [majority / major] reason for the shortage is climate change. Global warming is increasing the pressure [on / in] the sustainability [to / of] forests. An increase in the number of wildfires is causing great damage to large [switches / swathes] of forest. Many have been completely [razed / risen] to the ground. The warmer weather has also caused a proliferation [on / in] the number of pests that cause damage [for / to] trees and stunt tree growth. Sweden, which [supplies / suppliers] almost half of the wood used in the UK, has recorded its [lowest / low] timber stocks for 20 years. A solution the UK has come up with is to plant more trees. It said it is "committed to trebling tree planting rates". A builder [joking / joked] that he didn't have time for those trees to grow.