Recovery Green - FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - Confor

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Recovery Green - FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - Confor
FORESTRY &
TIMBER NEWS
October 2020 Issue 101

     Making strides to a

                 Green
     Recovery
Recovery Green - FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - Confor
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Recovery Green - FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - Confor
CONTENTS
                                                                                   36 | WOODLAND CARBON
                                                                                   UNDERSTANDING UK’S
Confor is a membership organisation                                                WOODLAND CARBON MARKET:
that promotes sustainable forestry and                                             PART ONE OF A FIVE-PART SERIES
wood-using businesses. Confor mem-
                                                                                   51 | NURSERIES
bers receive Forestry and Timber News
for free as part of their membership. For                                          FORESTRY REVOLUTION DOES
more information on membership, visit                                              AWAY WITH DECADES-OLD
www.confor.org.uk/join-us                                                          PRACTICE
Past issues and articles can be accessed                                           52 | PLANT HEALTH
online at                                                                          EVERY CLOUD... A PLANT
www.confor.org.uk/news/ftn-magazine                                                HEALTH PERSPECTIVE FROM THE
Non-member subscriptions:                                                          HARVESTING SECTOR
£62/(£67 overseas)                                                                 CONTROLLING DAMAGE BY PINE
Please contact Liz@confor.org.uk                                                   WEEVIL

                                                   NEWS & COMMENT                  59 | PESTICIDES
                                                                                   FSC UNVEILS NEW PESTICIDES
CONFOR CONTACTS                                    5 | EDITORIAL                   REGULATIONS
           Stuart Goodall                          6 | GREEN RECOVERY              61 | TIMBER TRANSPORT
           Chief Executive
           stuartg@confor.org.uk                   HOW THE FORESTRY AND THE        TIMBER TRAIN TRIAL IN FAR
           T: 131 240 1416
                                                   WOOD PROCESSING SECTOR CAN      NORTH
                                                   AID A GREEN RECOVERY
           Andy Leitch
                                                                                   62 | RURAL ECONOMY
           Deputy Chief Executive                  10 | NEWS
           Andy.leitch@confor.org.uk
                                                                                   MAKING WOOD WORK FOR WALES
           Mob - 07881510171                       CONFOR RESPONDS TO ENGLAND
                                                   TREE STRATEGY                   65 | FOREST DESIGN
           Stefanie Kaiser                         TREE PLANTING AND WOOD USE      WOODLAND CREATION ON
           Communications and editor FTN
           T: 0131 240 1420                        AT HEART OF SCOTTISH GREEN      CAIRNHILL FARM
           E: stefanie.kaiser@confor.org.uk        RECOVERY
                                                   £10M FUNDING WINDFALL FOR       67 | OBITUARY
           Dr Eleanor Harris                                                       BEDE HOWELL
           Policy Researcher                       WELSH FORESTRY
           T: 0131 240 1417
           E: eleanor@confor.org.uk
                                                   NATURAL RESOURCES WALES         69 | SMALL WOODLAND OWNER
                                                   CONSULTS ON TIMBER SALES &
                                                   MARKETING PLAN                  71 | FORESTRY IN PICTURES
           Caroline Ayre
           National manager for England
           M: 07500 927482                         21 | CONFOR
           E: caroline@confor.org.uk
                                                   WHAT HAS CONFOR DONE FOR
                                                   YOU IN 2020? ASK OUR MEMBERS.
           Jamie Farquhar
           National manager for Scotland           24 | BREXIT
           M: 07817 374906
           E: jamie.farquhar@confor.org.uk         THE END OF THE TRANSITION
                                                   PERIOD: UPCOMING CHANGES
           Anthony Geddes                          AND WAYS TO PREPARE
           National manager for Wales
           T: 074 94079305
           E: anthony@confor.org.uk                REGULARS

                                                   14 | Q&A
        Confor head office and editorial office
        59 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2JG        Q&A LORD IAN DUNCAN OF
                                                   SPRINGBANK, INDEPENDENT
        0131 240 1410                              CHAIR OF CONFOR
                                                                                   FEATURES
         info@confor.org.uk
                                                   16 | NEWS FROM MEMBERS
                                                                                   38 | ENVIRONMENT
                                                   18 | MEMBER PROFILE             FORESTRY TRANSPORT
        www.confor.org.uk                          BOTHY BRILLIANCE                - ZERO HEROES
        For the latest news of forestry and wood   22 | LETTER TO THE EDITOR       CARBON AND CLIMATE UPDATES
        sign up to #forestandwood on Twitter
                                                   CCF GROUP RESPONDS TO           FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE BY
                                                   BIODIVERSITY REPORT             CREATING UK FORESTS
Published by Countrywide Publications,
Fountain Way, Reydon, Suffolk IP18 6SZ                                             CARBON PLANNING FOR FUTURE
on behalf of Confor.                               26 | MARKETS                    GENERATIONS
For advertising, contact Laura Munnings            A VOYAGE INTO UNCHARTED         EDUCATING THE WORKFORCE ON
01502 725866                                       WATERS                          IMPACT OF DIFFUSE POLLUTION
laura.munnings@micropress.co.uk                    FOREST MARKET REPORT            TUBE TRIALS: ALTERNATIVES TO
Printed by Micropress Printers Ltd                 TIMBER MARKET REPORT            PLASTIC
Recovery Green - FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - Confor
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Recovery Green - FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - Confor
EDITORIAL

            Quo Vadis
            STUART GOODALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CONFOR

            A
                         s a child, I remember       to provide you with valuable
                         watching Quo Vadis (not     information to help in decision
                         on its 1951 release!) and   making and to represent your
                         loved it. The film, which   interests, to give the sector a voice.
            helped forge a life-long love of         I’m pleased to see that the profile
            the cinema, was such a box office        of our sector has risen significantly
            success, that it’s credited with         over the last decade and we’re
            saving the near bankrupt MGM             seeing real progress in planting
            studios.                                 targets, in support for businesses,
              I had no idea what the title meant     greater demand for wood, better
            – a common translation is “Where         regulation and much more.
            are you going?”, and that question          In the coming months we will
            now comes to mind as I reflect on        invest more in technical support
            how Confor’s 2021 Business Plan          for Members and in membership
            should look amidst the current           services. We’re also making changes
            market and policy landscape.             to the Board so that all parts of the
              In this issue of FTN the market        supply chain and all parts of the UK
            reports convey a sense of strong         can be represented. We are your
            demand in construction and fencing,      voice, but we also need to hear what
            with weakness in energy markets          Members want.
            and pallets, and a mixed picture in         With this new structure in place
            hardwoods. In the softwood sector        we can develop a stronger business
            there is general optimism for this       plan and better answer the question
            year, with real uncertainty over         “Where are you going?”, and while I
            2021. In policy circles, we have the     can’t promise box office success, I’m
            development of post-CAP rural            confident we can deliver even more
            support schemes, a ramping up of         for you in the years to come.
                government carbon reduction             So, if you have received a renewal
                  targets, demand for greater        invoice, please pay it promptly. We
                   re-use of materials and much      want to keep helping you to be
                    talk of a green recovery from    successful.
                    lock-down.                          Oh, and by the way, the name of
                       I’m sure I’m not alone in     the leading actor in Quo Vadis was
                    seeking to trace a future path   Robert Taylor, whose real name was
                   in among many moving parts.       Spangler Arlington Brugh. I can’t
                      At Confor, we aim              think why the studio changed it…
Recovery Green - FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - Confor
GREEN RECOVERY

How the forestry and the
wood processing sector
can aid a Green Recovery

A
                    s society slowly adapts      a green recovery across a wide range of
                    to the new normal            interconnected strategic drivers including        New ideas will emerge     HAVE
                    and       Governments        climate change mitigation and enhancing
                                                                                                   and we will follow up     YOUR
                    within the UK wrestle        the circular economy.
                                                                                                   on the topic in coming     SAY
                                                                                                   issues of FTN. We are
                    with      how       they        The rest of this four-page article
                                                                                                   keen to hear your thoughts on
                    balance their nation’s       will outline how further investment in
                                                                                                   other opportunities where our
                    economy with the             innovation and R&D could enable our               sector can contribute positively
health of its people, industries are looking     sector to contribute effectively to a             to a successful Green Recovery.
to the future, many with an eye on survival      green recovery in the short and longer            Get in touch with the
and the more fortunate ones looking for          term. We will expand on many of these             Stefanie.Kaiser@confor.org.uk
opportunities for growth. If there are           subjects in future editions of FTN.
such opportunities out there it seems               This summary provides an insight to
that successful sectors will be those that       short- and longer-term opportunities              SEE ALSO
can contribute to a Green Recovery and           focussing on the potential for our sector         Carbon and climate updates, p35
achieving Net Zero by 2045. With that            to have a positive impact on climate              Forestry Transport – Zero Heroes
view Confor has been working diligently          change mitigation and enhancing the               - Decarbonising timber
to ensure that the UK wood supply chain          circular economy, many of which are               transport, p38
is at the heart of governments’ Green            being embedded in industry strategic              Carbon planning for future
Recovery plans; promoting our sector as          documents such as Scotland’s Roots for            generations, p41
being in a strong position to deliver for        Further Growth.

  POTENTIAL FOR INCREASED CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION

 Greater Carbon Sequestration
 Increased carbon sequestration by increasing tree cover and wood use
 and growing more efficient trees.

        OPPORTUNITY                                               OPPORTUNITY
        Wider tree planting and wood use                          Increased tree quality & productivity
Sustainably managed forestry and the increased use         We mustn’t forget there is already nearly 3.2 million
of wood in construction is now widely acknowledged         hectares of woodland cover in the UK and timeous
by governments and many climate change bodies as           restocking with the appropriate productive species is
key contributors to climate change mitigation, with        just as important for locking up more carbon as trees
Scotland predictably leading the way. This is evidenced    which will eventually be processed into low carbon
in the UK by the published ambitions of the Climate        wood products.
Change Committee and the Scottish Government                   If we could improve the productivity and quality of
Climate Change Action plan, which includes targets for     the trees we grow through tree breeding, this could
greater wood use and tree planting. In September, the      provide the opportunity for economic growth as well as
Scottish Government raised its ambition further setting    carbon sequestration. We are already seeing evidence
a target of 18,000ha/year of new woodland creation by      of increased yields from improved Sitka Spruce crops
2025 and an increase of wood use in construction.          and if research projects such as the Oxford University
    If UK governments’ planting targets can be achieved,   led Sitka Spruced are successful coupled with the
then it offers the opportunity to sequester more carbon    continued good work of Forest Research Tree breeding
and provide additional feedstock for downstream            team, Future Trees Trust and the Conifer Breeding Co-
processing and manufacture into long life wood             op, this should lead to further improvements to yields
products. This in turn increases economic activity and     and quality and potentially shorter rotation lengths.
jobs, and potentially, additional investment.

6 FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • October 2020                                                                              CONFOR.ORG.UK
Recovery Green - FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - Confor
USE MORE WOOD
                                IN CONSTRUCTION                        BIOECONOMY
                              • Increase demand for             • More R&D into replacing oil-
                                 existing products                based products with lower-
                            • Create new, wood-based             carbon wood fibre materials.
                              construction elements
                             to replace carbon dense
                                     materials

                RESOURCE EFICIENCY                                                        EXTEND LIFE OF

                                          GREEN
                    • Recover more                                                      WOOD PRODUCTS
                   wood fibre from                                                      • Design with re-use
                    harvesting sites                                                    of materials in mind
                   • Efficient timber                                                   • Recovery recycled
                 processing according
                     to cascade of
                       wood use
                                           RECOVERY                                       wood (eg pallets)
                                                                                      • Use residues for heat
                                                                                       and power in place of
                                                                                             fossil fuels

                                 WIDER TREE PLANTING
                                     AND WOOD USE                             RESTOCK
                                 • Clear identification and           • Replant harvested trees
                                  access to suitable land              and use the opportunity
                             • An effective planning process           to continuously improve
                               • A resilient forest nurseries          the quality of the forest
                              sector to meet the additional             for economy, environ-
                                       plant demand                        ment and people
                               Breed more efficient trees

                                                                                 CASE STUDY
                                                                                 Future Trees Trust improving
                                                                                 planting stock
                                                                        In the absence of full genetic gain or realized gain trials
                                                                        data, Future Trees Trust have undertaken juvenile/
                                                                        mature correlations and have deduced that even
                                                                        modest improvements of planting stock for stem form
                                                                        and growth rate can result in significant increases in
                                                                        timber yields - up to 20%. So tree improvement can
                                                                        not only help store 20% more carbon, but reduce
                                                                        rotation times significantly too, helping to mitigate
                                                                        against climate change. Future Trees Trust are aiming
                                                                        to establish demonstration plots, with improved stock
                                                                        planted alongside unimproved material, to show these
                                                                        gains and the benefits of investing in tree improvement.
                A typical hectare of wood-producing                     www.futuretrees.org
                      forest in the UK results in

                      7.6 tonnes
                  of CO2 sequestered and stored1.
                   This is about the same as the
                  average annual carbon footprint
                           of a UK home2.

                                                                                                                Continued overleaf

CONFOR.ORG.UK                                                                    FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • October 2020 7
Recovery Green - FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - Confor
GREEN RECOVERY

 POTENTIAL FOR INCREASED CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION

Carbon Storage and avoided carbon
Increasing carbon storage and substitution of higher embodied carbon construction
materials through the increased use of wood-based products in construction and beyond.

                                                                 OPPORTUNITY
                                                                 Build with more wood
                                                         Increasing the use of wood products in construction
                                                         is achievable by increasing market demand for
                                                         existing products such as sawnwood, panel board,
                                                         cladding, and engineered products such as I-joists, and
                                                         manufacturing new low-carbon products. At present,
                                                         the sector continues to focus on raising awareness of
                                                         the benefits of timber in construction with construction
                                                         professionals though initiatives such as Wood for Good.
                        An average three-bed,            The current Wood Co2ts Less campaign is having great
                    timber frame house sequesters        success in promoting the carbon benefits of wood
                   and stores the equivalent of up to    products. However, if we are to accelerate and increase
                                                         the use of wood in construction in response to the

                            19 tonnes                    climate change emergency, we urge governments to
                                                         consider introducing public policies that will influence
                of CO , more than the average annual
                        3                                the construction sector to use renewable materials first.
                       2
               carbon footprint of two UK households4.       In addition, with continued Research and
                                                         Development and support for innovation there
                                                         are opportunities to manufacture more wood-rich
                 Every tonne of wood used instead of
                                                         construction products and systems such as wood fibre
                         concrete saves over             insulation, solid laminate engineered wood products

                            2 tonnes
                                                         and other engineered products which in turn will
                                                         substitute higher embodied energy materials and
                                                         imports. A lot of good work is underway at Edinburgh
                            of CO2 emissions5.
                                                         Napier University and Wood Knowledge Wales
                                                         with industry partners to explore opportunities for
                                                         commercialising these new products, which we will
                                                         report on in future editions.

                                                                 OPPORTUNITY
                                                                 Using wood-fibre to replace
                                                                 petrochemical products – the
                                                                 bioeconomy
                                                         Looking elsewhere in the world, there is evidence of
                                                         increased investment in emerging industries such
                                                         as wood biorefining where wood-fibre is used as
                                                         a feedstock to manufacture products to replace
                                                         petrochemical based materials such as plastics, textiles,
                                                         high value chemicals and fuels.
                                                            The nearest biorefineries are currently in Norway
                                                         and Finland and outputs of these facilities range from
                                                         bioethanol to industrial sugars, vanillin and textiles. In
                                                         Norway, they are already testing manufacturing fish
                                                         food and other proteins derived from wood fibre.
                                                            There are companies in Britain actively exploring
                                                         new efficient processes for breaking down wood-
                                                         fibre and it is a subject matter of increasing interest
                                                         to academics in this country; there are currently two
                                                         active PhDs at St Andrew’s University and Edinburgh
                                                         University.

8 FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • October 2020                                                         CONFOR.ORG.UK
Recovery Green - FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - Confor
ENHANCING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

A circular economy is an economic system                        Demand for wood fibre is growing across
aimed at eliminating waste and providing                      the globe and in the UK we already import
for the continual use of resources. The                       nearly 80% of the wood-based products we
circular economy aims to keep products,                       consume. Wood is not only a low carbon
equipment and infrastructure in use for                       renewable resource but a reusable one
longer, thus improving the productivity of                    and therefore is well placed to help society
these resources.                                              enhance its circular economy.

        OPPORTUNITY                                                   OPPORTUNITY
        Resource efficiency                                           Extending the life of wood products
One key area we could improve is wood fibre recovery                  through re-use and then recyling
from harvesting; there is no doubt that on many of our        There are very good examples of good practice within
post-harvesting sites a significant amount of ‘usable’        the UK wood supply chain of minimising waste and
wood fibre is left on the hill. In fact, new businesses are   reusing wood fibre material, such as using residues for
developing that remove that material as a secondary           heat and power in place of fossil fuels and recovering
operation, mainly for the energy market. In addition,         recycled wood to produce paper products, panel board
there are potential volumes of fibre left above ground        and wood energy.
in the stumps.                                                   However, can more be done in our wood supply
    Exploring and adopting viable new practices and           chain? Can we extend the life of wood products such
felling systems may allow us to unlock that volume in         as carcassing, engineered wood products, panel boards
the first pass of harvesting.                                 and pallets? There is an increasing demand across
                                                              Europe for deconstruction and re-use of materials to be
                                                              designed into the construction of new building.
        CASE STUDY
        EGGER
EGGER utilises approximately 40% recycled wood
                                                                      CASE STUDY
in its production of over 1.1m m3 of particleboard at                 InFUtureWood
its two manufacturing sites in the UK. The recycled           Edinburgh Napier University are currently participating
wood material comes from furniture, pallets, wood             in a transnational project called InFUtureWood, where
packaging and suitable parts of construction and              they are exploring how recovered construction timber
demolition timber and is sourced by a subsidiary              products can be re-used for structural purposes.
company, Timberpak Ltd, which has four processing             If successful, this could result in an increase in the
sites strategically located within the UK. They grade the     availability of structural timber to the market. At the
recycled wood supplies which includes the separation          other end of the market, how many lives could a pallet    REFERENCES
and disposal of any contaminated materials such as            have through repair before being moved downstream         (1) Confor
metal, glass, sand, plastic and MDF before processed it       for other purposes such as panel board or energy?         Eskdalemuir report
into clean woodchips in several steps. www.egger.com          www.infuturewood.info                                     www.confor.org.
                                                                                                                        uk/news/latest-
                                                                                                                        news/eskdalemuir-
                                                                                                                        carbon-report/
               Across the UK there is potential to recover estimated
                                                                                                                        (2) CCC Fifth

      500,000-1,000,000 tonnes
                                                                                                                        Carbon Budget
                                                                                                                        www.theccc.org.
                                                                                                                        uk/wp-content/
      of wood fibre from harvesting sites, including unrecovered small                                                  uploads/2016/07/
                                                                                                                        5CB-Infographic-
  roundwood, brash and in stumps above ground. This additional material                                                 FINAL-.pdf
   could feed into wood energy, panel board manufacture and potentially                                                 (3) https://
                new markets such as biorefining. Andy Leitch                                                            woodforgood.
                                                                                                                        com/news-and-
                                                                                                                        views/2014/09/
                                                                                                                        22/uk-could-store
                                                                                                                        -3.8-million-tonnes
                                                                                                                        -of-co2-annually
                                                                                                                        -in-new-build-
                                                                                                                        timber-homes/
                                                                                                                        (4) www.
                                                                                                                        theccc.org.uk/
                                                                                                                        wp-content/
                                                                                                                        uploads/2016/07/
                                                                                                                        5CB-Infographic-
                                                                                                                        FINAL-.pdf
                                                                                                                        (5) https://
                                                                                                                        woodforgood.com/
                                                                                                                        behind-the-facts-
                                                                                                                        fact-4

CONFOR.ORG.UK                                                                             FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • October 2020 9
Recovery Green - FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - Confor
NEWS

Confor responds to
England Tree Strategy
Confor has submitted a detailed response        England, similar to the Mackinnon Review        approvals process.
to the first England Tree Strategy for 13       in Scotland, which kick-started a tree plant-      “We also need a similar clear focus on
years. It consulted widely with members         ing surge north of the border. Scotland is      supporting management of woodland –
through a webinar, survey and meetings,         currently planting more than 80% of all         stronger markets for wood will help, as
and submitted a strong triple message           new woodland in the UK.                         will finally taking the substantive action re-
to bring together the whole forestry and            Carolione Ayre, England Manager for         quired to tackle deer and squirrel damage.”
wood supply chain:                              Confor, said: “Our response is not just            Confor’s response says the consulta-
• Plant more trees                              about tree planting, but about better           tion presents “an excellent opportunity to
• Manage more of our                            management of the forests we have, and          produce a Strategy for our economy, envi-
   existing woodland                            greater wood use. The three must be ap-         ronment and society at a time when policy
• Use more home-grown wood.                     proached in a joined-up way; that’s how we      interventions delivering multiple benefits
   The response also calls for tree plant-      will deliver multiple benefits.                 must be prioritised”.
ing targets to be enshrined in legislation to       “However, planting trees is the starting-      It continues: “As the UK plots a way for-
show a clear commitment by UK Govern-           point - and targets are just numbers on a       ward beyond the pandemic, our forests
ment to meeting them. Confor suggests           page, when it is about trees in the ground.     and woods have a vital role in delivering a
this could be done with an amendment to         That’s why we think enshrining the targets      Green Recovery - as well as a crucial part
the Environment Bill.                           in legislation is a great first step for the    to play in meeting longer-term targets, in-
   Confor also wants a review of applica-       UK Government to show its commitment,           cluding the UK’s ambition to be Net Zero
tion and approval processes for planting in     combined with an external review of the         by 2050 to tackle the climate emergency.”
                                                                                                   The consultation response says the key
                                                                                                to unlock these multiple benefits is “an ap-
 MORE CONFOR CONSULTATION RESPONSES

Committee on Climate Change                     The importance of migrant labour
Sixth Carbon Budget
UK Government launches its sixth carbon
                                                Confor has surveyed nursery and tree
                                                planting businesses to establish the extent
                                                                                                 £10m funding
budget ahead of COP26 in Glasgow next           of the sector’s reliance on migrant labour       Confidence in the forestry sector in Wales
year. This is a significant moment to dem-      from the EU, and whether our workforce           has been handed a further boost with a
onstrate serious intent to reach net zero.      could be threatened by Brexit. We are using      new funding package of £10m for wood-
The UK Committee on Climate Change              the results to lobby government to allow         land creation.
(CCC) has launched a consultation with a        flexibility in the rules to ensure businesses       Anthony Geddes, Confor’s National
view to making proposals on a budget later      can access labour. It is also an opportunity     Manager for Wales, said he was delight-
this year. Confor prepared an initial brief-    to remind businesses to ensure eligible EU       ed with the support for round 10 of the
ing, recommending that the budget ex-           citizens have applied for settled or pre-set-    Glastir Woodland Creation and Restoration
plores the potential for more short-rotation    tled status.                                     scheme, as well as a new round of the Tim-
forestry on farms, and clarifies the carbon         All Confor’s consultation responses are      ber Business Investment Scheme.
benefit of using more harvested wood            available on our website. You are warmly            The announcement came less than a
products from UK forests. Chris Stark, CEO      encouraged to submit your own responses          month after new figures for applications
of the CCC, speaks at Confor’s AGM on 24        to open consultations to strengthen the          under round 9 of Glastir showed a huge
September.                                      forestry and timber voice.

10 FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • October 2020                                                                                  CONFOR.ORG.UK
Tree planting and wood
                                                  use at heart of Scottish
                                                  Green Recovery
                                                   The Scottish Government has pushed up            tion target to 18,000ha by 2024/25 shows
                                                   its woodland creation targets significantly      real ambition and a growing recognition of
                                                   as it announced increased investment in          the importance of Scotland’s forestry sec-
                                                   forestry and put tree planting and wood          tor for the country’s Green Recovery, its fu-
                                                   use at the heart of a Green Recovery.            ture prosperity and its net zero ambitions.
 proach to public policy and funding which             An overall investment of £150m suports       It’s excellent to see the related ambition to
 works in tandem with woodland owners’             plans to plant 18,000ha of new woodland          increase the use of Scottish wood in con-
 and businesses’ interests. Doing that will        by 2024/5, a 20% increase on the previous        struction.”
 ensure benefits are sustainable and endur-        target of 15,000 hectares annually.                  Mr Goodall added: “With around 90% of
 ing, not just for the lifetime of a grant or          The Programme for Government, pub-           new tree planting being done by the pri-
 specific initiative.”                             lished in early September, also pledged to       vate sector, the onus will be on Confor’s
    The Tree Strategy is linked closely to the     increase the use of Scottish wood in con-        member businesses to deliver these ambi-
 development of ELMs, post-CAP funding             struction - from 2.2m cubic meters in 2018       tions facilitated by further improvements
 for environmental land management Eng-            to 2.6m cubic meters in 2021/2022.               to the current grant scheme - and we can
 land, in which Confor is closely involved.            Scotland’s Rural Economy Secretary           see a strong planting pipeline already over
 While this only applies to England, other         Fergus Ewing said: “Having created more          the next few years.”
 nations will watch its development and tri-       than 22,000 hectares of new woodland                 As the planting target goes beyond the
 als closely, and use the outcome to develop       in the last two years, we are continuing to      lifetime of the current Scottish Parliament,
 their own rural environmental policies.           invest in nature-based solutions to climate      Confor is calling on all parties ahead of next
    As a key stakeholder, Confor has an            change. The forestry sector makes a huge         year’s election to incorporate the same
 assigned Defra representative who is              contribution to the rural economy - over         level of ambition into their own policy plat-
 keen to visit forestry sites along with           £1bn Gross Value Added and 25,000 jobs.          forms.
 the Rural Payments Agency and ELMs                This demonstrates the scale of activity in           “With the UK Government aiming for
 communication team. Laura Hender-                 Scotland’s forests, and the potential for        30,000ha of new woodland creation by
 son of Forestry Commission is working             making a significant contribution to the         2025, it is clear Scotland will continue to
 within Defra to ensure forestry is inte-          green recovery.”                                 deliver the vast majority of this. This posi-
 grated in the scheme. While it is often               Stuart Goodall, Chief Executive of Con-      tive statement of purpose puts the onus
 frustrating to see forestry overlooked or         for, welcomed the commitment, which in-          very firmly on the other countries in the UK
 misunderstood in a policy which is mainly         cludes £100m in planting grants over the         to deliver their part of the overall target.”
 focused on agriculture, the process is a          next five years, £30m to Forestry and Land           Mr Goodall said the Scottish Govern-
 tremendous opportunity to improve the             Scotland to expand national forests and          ment had a strong understanding of Con-
 understanding of forestry and wood within         land and £20m to increase the supply of          for’s three-pronged and joined-up ap-
 Defra.                                            young trees. He said: “This is great news for    proach - to plant more trees, manage
    We will look to set up visits with Confor      Scotland’s environment and economy. The          existing woodlands better and use more
 members in coming months.                         commitment to increase woodland crea-            home-grown wood.

windfall for Welsh forestry
appetite to plant trees among farmers and        issued to successful applicants before the        mand to plant from the round 9 applica-
landowners.                                      31st December 2020.                               tions and this new funding means we can
    The Welsh Government opened the                 Mr Geddes said: “These are hugely en-          look forward to a strong planting pipeline
ninth round of Glastir Woodland Creation         couraging figures which show that there           developing in 2021.”
(GWC) in March - and when the window             is enormous hunger to plant trees among               He thanked Lesley Griffiths, Minister for
closed on 31 July, there had been 379 ex-        farmers and landowners in Wales.                  Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, for
pressions of interest received, to a value of                                                      her commitment to forestry and continued:
£17.5m. The applications equate to 4200ha        Confidence                                        “This is another significant step towards
of potential tree planting with a budget to      Reflecting on the financial support for           meeting decarbonisation targets - and
achieve just over half of this.                  Glastir round 10, Mr Geddes said: “This will      goes hand in hand with the economic ben-
    Applications are going through eligibil-     give real confidence to investors, landown-       efits this will bring to our rural areas and
ity checks, before a formal scoring and se-      ers and managers to create new woodland           our preparation to grow more timber to
lection process. Contracts to plant will be      in Wales. We know there is significant de-        meet a future surge in demand.”

 CONFOR.ORG.UK                                                                               FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • October 2020 11
NEWS

Natural Resources Wales consults on
Timber Sales & Marketing Plan
Natural Resource Wales released the con-
sultation for their Timber Sales & Market-          CONSULTATION KEY POINTS
ing Plan for the period of 1 April 2021 – 31
March 2026 on 1 September. The consulta-            A shift to a ‘triple bottom line’ approach in respect of timber sales, ensuring
tion seeks feedback on how the plan once            economic, environmental and social sustainability. Measures to deliver this include:
written will increase the scope, process and        A desire to see more support and opportunity for community-based enterprises,
impact of the products sold from the Welsh          small and medium sized businesses, and micro-businesses
Government estate.
                                                    Seeking to gain the greatest value for money for the public purse
    The text of the document is a combina-
tion of ambitious concepts and requests             Exploring opportunities and options available for alternative land management
for feedback on proposed new directions.            A 20,000m3 drop in timber supply to 830,450m3 marketable volume each year
    For the harvesting and processing in-           A shift away from direct production to nearly 90% Standing Sales
dustry in Wales and the Marches it is cer-
                                                    Four programmed sales per year with potential for additional interim sales
tain that the next Timber Marketing Plan
will bring change. Potential reduction in           A commitment to improvement of safety culture in the industry
timber availability and increased standing          New performance indicators relating to delivery of Timber Sales.
sales will also impact upon private sector
timber producers. As Confor we want to
encourage all our members to get involved
and ensure change is beneficial for the in-
dustry.
    For some business, the shift away from
direct production creates an opportunity.
The reduction from the current programme
of circa 100,000m3 per annum will un-
doubtedly create greater competition for
what remains.
    On the other hand, the overall reduction
in available timber is a challenging mes-
sage for our industry and 20,000m3 p.a.
represents the consumption of a small mill,
and the whole sector would suffer should
this result in a drop in processing capacity.    of safety and quality to which professional      industry voice is heard. To support this,
Our industry response must question how          businesses adhere . Any forestry operation       Confor will be holding a Consultation We-
the productivity of the estate has fallen        carries a risk and all social enterprises or     binar in the week commencing 5th October
by significantly more than just the volume       community interest groups must be re-            2020 open to all members.
of infected larch harvesting and whether         quired to work to the high standards re-            NRW advise that there will be customer
there are systemic management issues that        quired of our members.                           & stakeholder engagement webinars but
risk production, and NRW’s income, falling          There are many positive opportuni-            not dates have been released as yet. Please
further.                                         ties for the industry to engage with and         keep an eye on E-News for further details.
    Whilst the consultation will take feed-      embrace, not least the acknowledgement              Contact Anthony@confor.org.uk for
back on the proposed harvesting targets          from within NRW that the industry needs          details on the consultation.
it is also looking for guidance on the role      them to provide better performance indi-
NRW plays in developing the market for           cators and reporting. This is an opportu-
it products. There are questions on top-         nity to look at your business and share the
ics covering brash recovery and the role         methods and performance indicators that
                                                                                                             CONFOR WELCOMES
of Natural Resources Wales to encourage          help manage your timber supply.                             NEW MEMBERS
more Welsh timber use within the Welsh              For the first time this is a public consul-
housing market.                                  tation so anyone can go to the website and        Matthew Cope, Perthshire
    Strong consideration must be given to        respond. It is hugely important that along
                                                                                                   Bothy Stores, Edinburgh
NRW’s aspiration to be an exemplar public        with the Confor response, as many mem-
body, promoting and maximising oppor-            bers of the industry as possible also submit      Leyton UK, Edinburgh
tunities for social enterprises, skills devel-   their thoughts and views. We have been            Murray Snell LLP, Edinburgh
opment, and the promotion of well-being          told that numbers will count, even if they        Tayside Forestry Ltd, Dundee
through the land they manage and influ-          simply repeat the Confor response!
                                                                                                   Treelike Ltd, Swansea
ence, and the way they run our business. It         We are committed to taking the feed-
will be important to secure the high levels      back from our members to ensure that the

CONFOR.ORG.UK                                                                               FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • October 2020 13
CONFOR

                                               What attracted you to the role of Chair of
                                               Confor?                                         PERSONAL INTERESTS
                                               My grandfather was a sawmiller at Kirkie’s      Favourite film/ TV show?
                                               Mill in Perthshire, so trees and timber were    It’s a Wonderful Life or Some Like it
                                               a big part of my childhood. The resin-          Hot; Yes Minister or Dr Who
                                               rich scent of cut wood still transports me
                                                                                               Favourite music?
                                               back to the mill – now sadly derelict – that
                                                                                               Bach’s Cello Concerto No 1 in G major,
                                               stood below the High Kirk in Alyth. I still
                                                                                               Johnny Cash Ring of Fire
                                               have my grandfather’s Hopus’s Measurer in
                                               the house.                                      Favourite tree?
                                                   Over the years I have worked for a          The Fortingall Yew or Mary Queen of
                                               range of outfits – BP, Scottish Fishermen,      Scots Thorn in St Andrews
                                               various parliaments, I was even the short-      Favourite forest walk?
                                               lived production manager of a caravan           The Den o’ Alyth
                                               manufacturer – but I have always returned       Favourite holiday destination?
                                               to broad environmental issues. Being            Florence, Italy, or Virginia, USA
                                               unshackled from government gave me
                                                                                               Favourite sport?
                                               the opportunity to explore which issues I

   QA
                                                                                               I like to run long-distance
                                               wished to champion, just at the time that
                                               Confor was looking for a chair…                 What are you most likely to be found
                                                                                               doing when not working?
                                                                                               Drawing or painting
                                               What are your first impressions of
                                               Confor and how do you see your role as
                     &                         a ‘Member’s Champion’ evolving in the
                                               coming months?
                                                                                                 And then there are the grander
                                                                                              challenges: climate change; post-Covid
                                               Confor represents an intriguing amalgam        expectations, Brexit and its implications
                                               of tradition and innovation, rural forests
    Lord Ian Duncan of                                                                        for trade, increasing prevalence of tree
                                               and urban demand, environmental                diseases and restrictions on the chemical
   Springbank has been                         solutions and environmental challenges.        solution.
 named as the independent                      In many ways Confor and its members               In the months and years to come it will
                                               are the answer to any government’s
     Chair of Confor.                          problem checklist: jobs in rural areas,
                                                                                              be vital that the forestry sector speaks
                                                                                              clearly with one voice.

A
                                               the ingredients of greener buildings, a
         ppointed a working peer by UK
                                               sustainable economic resource, a carbon
         Prime Minister in 2017, Ian is cur-
                                               sink, an necessary escape in a Covid world.    Confor has a small team compared to
         rently Deputy Speaker of the
                                               The question is how to position ourselves      other land-use and industry bodies, and
House of Lords.   Previously Ian was a UK
                                               to gain maximum value and traction from        the voice of environmental groups are
Government Minister, serving in each of the
                                               what we have to offer.                         much louder and more often trusted
territorial departments (Scotland, Wales &
                                                   The next few months I hope to be able      by the public, how can we be heard in
Northern Ireland) and latterly as Minister
                                               to meet the members face to face. So far       presenting the true story of modern
for Climate Change with responsibility for
                                               it has been all Zoom. There is no substitute   forestry and wood?
international negotiations. Before joining
                                               for hearing directly from the folks at the     In my experience it is not size by which
the Government, he spent over a dozen
                                               sharp end, and I look forward to that          you are judged. A small, talented group,
years in Brussels, finally as an MEP. Dur-
                                               possibility.                                   focused and well deployed can move
ing his time in the European Parliament,
Ian sat on the committees responsible for                                                     mountains. To give an example. I worked
Environment and for Energy. He was the                                                        for the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation
                                               Given your political background, what
Parliament’s chief negotiator on the reform                                                   during the height of the cod crisis. The
                                               do you see as the biggest political
of EU carbon markets and was his group’s                                                      problems confronting us were legion.
                                               challenges and opportunities facing
chief negotiator on nine pieces of environ-                                                   Political interest was dialled up to eleven.
                                               forestry and tree planting in the UK, and
mental legislation. During his tenure he                                                      The media were constantly asking for
                                               how can we best tackle them?
was ranked the 10th most influential MEP                                                      comment. There were daily calls with
                                               The big challenge across the UK is             ministers. And the entire operation
on environmental policy and 6th on energy
                                               governments’ setting challenging tree          consisted of me and Hamish the CEO.
by Votewatch; and 15th most influential in-
                                               planting targets but failing to recognize      We were of course able to draw upon the
dividual in the EU on Energy by Euractiv.
                                               that there isn’t the land available to meet    experience and talents of the membership
Ian previously worked for BP, the Scottish
                                               the targets. Getting to the bottom of why      (much like Confor) but we knew our stuff,
Refugee Council, the Scottish Fishermen’s
                                               not will be critical; examining the grant      had a clear strategy, and were focused on
Federation and the University of Bristol. He
                                               support and simplifying the procedure,         outcome. In my time with the Federation
is also Chair of the National Forest and a
                                               addressing the failures in communicating       were able to turn the industry around.
board member of the Schwarzenegger In-
                                               the advantages to landowners, ensuring         But there were only ever two of us in the
stitute.
                                               support is commensurate with the range         office.
                                               of asks. A lot will be riding on the English
                                               Tree Strategy.

14 FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • October 2020                                                                                CONFOR.ORG.UK
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NEWS FROM MEMBERS

Fuelwood Scotland to host demonstration days
This year’s APF would have formed the
cornerstone in the business plan for many
of the UK’s forestry machinery suppliers.
Its cancellation leaves tens of thousands of
customers unable to view machinery first
hand and benefit from working demonstra-
tions.
    The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic
has forced many businesses to diversify
and develop imaginative solutions to con-
tinue to provide their services. Treeline
Woodlands in West Linton and Fuelwood
in Warwick have joined forces in an at-
tempt to produce smaller, regional alterna-
tives to the APF.
    Working together as FUELWOOD
SCOTLAND, the two companies will host
two demonstration open days at their spa-
cious, outdoor premises in West Linton,            nil grapple saws, Exac-One tree shears,          of forestry and firewood machinery avail-
near Edinburgh on 9th and 10th October             Blacks’ cone splitters, Lucas Mill sawmills,     able in Scotland during 2020!
2020.                                              AMR saws and log splitters, and Japa and
    This free event will enable all visitors to:   Fuelwood firewood processors and kin-
                                                                                                                                    9/10
have safe, socially distanced discussions          dling machines.                                   All those interested in      October
with the Fuelwood team; see full working              They will also make sure to include ex-        attending the event are
demonstrations; and have hands on experi-          amples of many associated accessories             asked to register by
ence of the full Fuelwood range of machin-         such as timber grapples, timber decks             calling 01968 660 698 or completing
ery.                                               and racks, dust extraction systems, and           the registration forms at www.fuel-
    The team will be showcasing an impres-         log cleaning systems. The final jewel in the      wood.co.uk/Fuelwood-Open-Days.
sively wide range of wood fuel and forestry        crown will be a selection of Valtra, Fendt,       aspx, so that we can manage attend-
machinery including Heizohack chippers,            Predator, Caterpillar and Kubota machinery        ance and ensure that all relevant social
Plaisance mulchers, FTG Moheda and Aves-           also on display. This event promises to be        distancing measures will be in place.
ta Vagnen timber trailers and cranes, Meca-        the most comprehensive working display

Tilhill launches carbon                                                                             New Chair
business division                                                                                   appointed to
This September has seen the launch of new
carbon offsetting business CarbonStore, a
                                                   too. This offers market leading value for
                                                   landowners while also securing an honest
                                                                                                    Scottish timber
business division of Tilhill.
    CarbonStore will be utilising its unique
                                                   price for companies whilst helping them
                                                   maximise the virtues of their carbon offset-     industry group
partnerships with Tilhill and Maelor Nurser-       ting ambitions.
ies (both part of the BSW group) to unite              The team is led by David McCulloch who       Guy Watt has taken on co-Chairing the
landowners, who are looking to sell wood-          has a BSc (Hons) in Accounting, Finance          Scottish Forestry & Timber Technologies
land generated carbon units, with compa-           and Economics and 18 years’ experience in        Leadership Group with the Cabinet Sec-
nies that are keen to offset their carbon          the financial sector based in London and         retary for Rural Economy and Tourism, Mr
emissions. The objective being to provide a        Tokyo, initially as an equity salesman and       Fergus Ewing, following the retirement of
woodland-based carbon offsetting service           latterly as a corporate analyst. David is sup-   Martin Gale.
that is unique not only in the strong part-        ported by Andy Baker MICFor, who has a              Guy brings with him 40 years of experi-
nerships it enjoys, but the benefits it offers     BSc (Hons) in Ecology and Environmental          ence in forest economics, forest investment
its clients and its trustworthy ethics.            Science and gained his wide ranging for-         and rural economic development both in
    CarbonStore will also be offering land-        estry experience within Tilhill with carbon      the UK and overseas.
owners the opportunity to use the Car-             sequestration having been the driver of his         He is highly regarded throughout the
bonStore website to openly market their            forestry career. Andy also represents the In-    Scottish wood supply chain and beyond
woodland carbon, enabling them to secure           stitute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) on the      and was the author of “Roots for Further
an equitable price for their woodland car-         Woodland Carbon Code Advisory Board.             Growth” the current industry strategy for
bon that is potentially free of any charges        https://carbonstoreuk.com                        economic growth and the recipient of the
                                                                                                    Confor award for Dedicated Service to For-
Please send your news to stefanie.kaiser@confor.org.uk                                              estry Award in 2019.

16 FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • October 2020
MEMBER PROFILE

Bothy                                                                              THE BOTHY
                                                                                   A standard bothy is 16.5m2 in size, with
                                                                                   a sleeping maisonette, a composting
                                                                                   toilet adjacent to the building, and
                                                                                   an outdoor shower. A larger version

brilliance
                                                                                   would include an extension at the end
                                                                                   with plumbed bathroom and a bed on
                                                                                   the ground floor. Turnkey price for a
                                                                                   standard both finished inside and out
                                                                                   starts at £29,000.
                                                                                   Right: Bothy Project bothy at Inshriach
                                                                                   estate
                                                                                   Below: Artist Bothy at Balcaskie estate
                  Stef Kaiser talks to Bobby Niven,
                 founder of Bothy Stores, a hi-spec
                   hut imagined as a work of art.

B
            othy Stores sells architect-   land and beyond.
            designed     prefabricated         Bothy Stores is supported by
            cabins, alongside a range      Scottish Enterprise and Social In-
            of products developed ex-      vestment Scotland.
clusively by a selection of prominent          The Artist Bothy is an evolu-
artists, designers and makers.             tion of the Bothy Project network
    Its signature product is the Art-      of off-grid artist residency spaces.
ist Bothy – a compact multipurpose         Designed by the project’s found-
cabin that can be installed on al-         ers, artist Bobby Niven and architect
most any site to provide a comfort-        Iain MacLeod, it was developed in
able and sustainable private retreat.      response to demand for a multipur-
Sales of the Artist Bothy help to          pose self-contained cabin that can
fund Bothy Project – a network of          be located almost anywhere.
artist residency spaces across Scot-       www.bothystores.com

                                                                                            How did you go from being an artist to de-
                                                                                            signing wood cabins?
                                                                                            I was trained as an artist at Glasgow School
                                                                                            of Art. In the art world, the challenge is sus-
                                                                                            taining practice and you end up working for
                                                                                            other artists and galleries. And in doing so,
                                                                                            you gain experience in working with differ-
                                                                                            ent materials. While building timber con-
                                                                                            structions for gallery spaces, I started to
                                                                                            enjoy joinery and carpentry and got inter-
                                                                                            ested in learning more about working with
                                                                                            different types of wood or wood-based
                                                                                            materials. From there, I started to get more
                                                                                            and more involved in projects that required
                                                                                            building wooden structures.

                                                                                            What are your considerations when sourc-
                                                                                            ing timber for your bothies?
                                                                                            For Bothy Stores, we chose only trusted
                                                                                            suppliers that we had experience working
                                                                                            with before. For the cladding, we work with
                                                                                            Russwood. As standard, they supply Scots
                                                                                            larch for the gable end and the Russwood
                                                                                            oak engineered floor, which is of Europe-
                                                                                            an origin. For other timbers we have just
 Artist and builder Bobby Niven (right) pictured with architect Iain MacLeod                started to work with Vastern Timber, who

18 FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • October 2020                                                                            CONFOR.ORG.UK
THE BOTHY BUILDING BLOCKS
                                                                                      The Artist Bothy is constructed using a digitally-
                                                                                      manufactured building system designed in partnership
                                                                                      with Blok Build. The superstructure of these bothies
                                                                                      is made out of closed-panel cassettes which are free
                                                                                      of studwork. “It’s a technique that could be using for
                                                                                      housing but I haven’t seen it being used in Scotland,
                                                                                      Says Bobby Niven.
                                                                                          Sheets of OSB are cut into labelled parts on a CNC
                                                                                      machine and assembled by hand into cassettes before
                                                                                      being fully insulated and sealed. For the gable form the
                                                                                      cassettes are joined by lap joints. This system is used
                                                                                      for both the prefabricated and flat-pack version of the
                                                                                      Artist Bothy.
                                                                                          The advantage of this construction technique is
                                                                                      efficiency in both on-site construction and in resource
                                                                                      use. The cassettes, which are made of OSB, don’t rely
                                                                                      on construction grade timber but use a lower grade
                                                                                      sawmilling by-product, therefore maximising the carbon
                                                                                      stored from a harvested tree.

offers a really great range of British timbers,   the domestic supply chain and be able to         this metal sheeting is of 156 years, accord-
including oak.                                    specify it. Smartply was chosen for its qual-    ing to the supplier.
   For us, price of materials is an issue         ity and suitability, but is being processed in
because we face fierce competition from           Ireland.                                         Who are your buyers?
mainstream garden centres and other sup-                                                           A recent example of a Bothy installation is
pliers of off-the-shelf cabins. For them, cost    What makes your bothies special?                 at Inverlonan estate, just outside Oban. The
is all that matters, not provenance of raw        Following the trend of diversification of        larger estate had been split up into smaller
material, so that’s who we compete with.          rural estates, glamping has become popu-         plots of land and they were looking to set
   However, we’d like to use local or at          lar and as a result, there is quite a range of   up a Bothy hotel. The main farm steading
least British timbers only and we are almost      pods, cabins and yurts on the market. De-        was converted into a hotel centre with a se-
there. In some cases it is challenging to find    sign and longevity is what differentiates our    ries of bothies along the side of Loch Nell.
suitable quality products at a competitive        bothies.                                         Two bothies were installed at the start of
price, and we are still working a fair bit with       Aesthetically, they clearly stand out from   this year and they are being used as “rough
Siberian larch, simply because of the ex-         the rest of glamping pods that are com-          luxury” cabins. The resort was launched this
cellent quality. The bulk of timber we use        monly seen around our country. They are          year and demand is strong, especially given
for our standard bothies is Scottish larch,       architect-designed for a new, contempo-          the staycation scenario. There is a key op-
which is fairly cost-effective and easy to        rary look, featuring minimalist shapes and       portunity for landowners and events venues
source. If customers specify oak then there       a corrugated metal sheeting with an at-          who need to move away from large gather-
will be a mark up in price and it becomes a       tractive rust patina. Culturally, and in the     ings towards smaller self catering units.
more exclusive designer product.                  context of the big Scottish vernacular, it is        For the landlord, the return on invest-
   Currently, the OSB used in our cassettes       this look that appeals to people, it reminds     ment for a cabin can be quite good, we’re
is made from Smartply. I’d like to get more       them of the countryside, of holidays in the      looking at 1.5 – 2.1 years to recover the cost
insight into provenance, energy efficiency        Hebrides.                                        of the bothy. But the benefit of the bothy
and carbon footprint of the materials used.           The bothies are designed to last a life-     over some other glamping pods is the re-
I would prefer it if the raw materials of the     time and built with with energy efficiency in    turn over the lifetime, because you can have
Blok Build cassettes were sourced from            mind. Under ideal conditions, the lifespan of    it for 60 years.

 CONFOR.ORG.UK                                                                                FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • October 2020 19
+44 2838 330011
info@oakleafforestry.com
35a Derryall Road, Portadown, Co. Armagh BT62 1PL
CONFOR                                                                                                ANNUAL UPD
                                                                                                                ATE 2020

                                                                                                    What does Co
                                                                                                                                                                       nfor do for me
                                                                                                   Confor is working
                                                                                                   year, illustrating
                                                                                                                        for you all year
                                                                                                                      the real value of
                                                                                                                                         round. These are
                                                                                                                                                           a few highlights
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               ?
                                                                                                                                         your membersh                        from the past
                                                                                                                                                         ip contribution
                                                                                                                                                                           to Confor.
                                                                                                   A Stronger Voi
                                                                                                                     ce: Political Eng              Th

What has Confor done
                                                                                                                                                      e Future
                                                                                                                                      agement                  is Forest
                                                                                                                                                                        ry
                                                                                                                                                                                TACKLING

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            £110m+
                                                                                                                                                                                               CLIMATE
                                                                                                                                                                                                         CHANGE
                                                                                                                                                                               A CONFOR                           WITH TREE
                                                                                                                                                                                          MANIFE
                                                                                                                                                                                                STO                           S
                                                                                                • Our 2019 elect
                                                                                                                   ion manifesto
                                                                                                   the UK Governme                   anticipated
                                                                                                                      nt’s planting targe
                                                                                                   30,000 ha/year                         t of                                                                                             secured in addit
                                                                                                                   by 2025.                                                                                                                                  ional
                                                                                               • The SNP gover                                                                                                                                  funding for
                                                                                                                  nment joined with
                                                                                                  to 18,000 ha/yr                     us to commit                                                                                          woodland creat
                                                                                                                    in Scotland (by                                                                                                                           ion
                                                                                                  has committed                       2025), and                                                                                             across the UK as
                                                                                                                  to increasing the
                                                                                                 in construction.                    use of wood                                                                                              a direct result

for you in 2020?
                                                                                              • We supported                                                                                                                                 of our lobbying
                                                                                                                the Welsh Gove
                                                                                                 developing a £1.5m              rnment in
                                                                                                                       Welsh Forest Indu
                                                                                                Recovery Sche                               stry
                                                                                                                me to support
                                                                                                chain.                           the supply

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           £2m
                                                                                                                                                   • Our re-launche
                                                                                             • We are worki                                                          d Westminster
                                                                                                             ng with Northern                        group of MPs                     all-party
                                                                                               Poots to deliver                 Ireland Minister                    and Peers has
                                                                                                                9,000 ha of plant                    events with UK                 held online
                                                                                               2030.                                ing by                          forestry minister
                                                                                                                                                    Goldsmith and                     Lord
                                                                                                                                                                    Lord Deben (Chai
                                                                                                                                                    Committee on                      r of the                                             funding made
                                                                                                                                                                   Climate Change).
                                                                                             Cha     nging Attitud                                                                                                                          available to

Ask our members.
                                                                                                                             es: Promoting                                                                                               support nurseries
                                                                                                                                                       Forestry and Wo
                                                                                                                                                                                  od                                                       and planting
                                                                                           • Confor conti                                                                                                                                   businesses
                                                                                                           nues to receive
                                                                                              to appear in the              frequent reque
                                                                                                               media – from broad           sts
                                                                                              newspapers and                         casters,
                                                                                                               online publication
                                                                                          • We launched                           s.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        £7m
                                                                                                           our influential Biodi
                                                                                             Forestry and Woo                    versity,
                                                                                                                  d report to demo
                                                                                            the true benefits                      nstrate
                                                                                                              of productive forest
                                                                                            climate and natur                      ry for the
                                                                                                               e.
                                                                                         • Interviews                                                                                                                                 was successfull
                                                                                                        and coverage
                                                                                                                         with:                                                                                                                        y
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    distributed throu

 With this FTN issue, you will have received a copy of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     gh
                                                                                                                                                    • We have produ
                                                                                                                                                                      ced over 80 press
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    the Scottish Timb
                                                                                                                                                                                         releases on
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      er
                                                                                                                                                      issues important                                                              Transport Sche
                                                                                                                                                                        to our members,                                                             me,
                                                                                                                                                      people now see                     and 90,000                                 with a further £1m
                                                                                                                                                                       our tweets on avera

 our annual report of Confor’s work and achievement
                                                                                                                                                      month.                               ge each                                       awarded
                                                                                                                                                   • A media proto
                                                                                                                                                                     col was updated
                                                                                                                                                     to ensure inqui                  in early 2020
                                                                                                                                                                    ries were handled
                                                                                                                                                     efficiency and profe              with speed,

 on behalf of our membership. But don’t just take our
                                                                                                                                                                         ssionalism.
                                                                                                                                                  • In 2020 we                                                                    Lobbied successfull
                                                                                                                                                                 launched a new                                                                        y
                                                                                                                                                    account @fore                 Instagram                                          for the revision
                                                                                                                                                                   stsandwood
                                                                                       Building Marke                                                                                                                                 of the Glastir
                                                                                                                  ts and Tacklin
 word for it, see what our members are saying about
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Woodland Sche
                                                                                                                                          g Regulation                                                                            to ensure all of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    me
                                                                                     • With our partn
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   the
                                                                                                     ers in Wood for                                                                                                                   increased

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          £10m
                                                                                       promoting Woo                  Good we are
                                                                                                       d CO2ts less, an                      • We successfully

 the value of being a member of Confor.
                                                                                       campaign that                    industry-wide                          lobbied for the
                                                                                                      demonstrates that                        use of red diese                 continued
                                                                                      wood can reduc                      using more                            l in forests and
                                                                                                      e CO2 in the atmo                        seeking the same                  we are now
                                                                                                                         sphere.                                 in mills.
                                                                                                                                            • We ensured                                                                  budget is allocated
                                                                                                                                                           new legislation
                                                                                                                                              products on the               on placing timbe                               into deliverable
                                                                                                                                                              market was light              r
                                                                                                                                                                                 touch.                                       schemes

                                                           “The function that Confor
                                                           carries out is essential to the
                                                           work programmes of Scottish
                                                           Woodlands and all the associated
                                                           contract work force. Confor’s
                                                           lobbying strength and success in
                                                           raising issues with Government
                                                           officials to try and streamline
                                                           approval processes has been vital
                                                           to the progress we are seeing
                                                           today.”
                                                           Ralland Browne is the Managing
                                                           Director of Scottish Woodlands
“It is a lonely life, being a forester. Kit, contract,     Ltd. Scottish Woodlands is
Corvid, colleagues; and all that before you have even      a predominantly employee-
cut the tree. You cannot do it all by yourself; you        owned company providing a
need a decent union behind you. I turn to Confor at        comprehensive range of forest,
all levels in my business; it has a great team.”           estate and land-related services                                    “Forestry is a diverse business
Jack Hanbury, Pontypool Park Estate                        over Scotland, North England,                                       sector that is changed and
                                                           Wales and Ireland. Ralland became                                   influenced by many government
                                                           a Director of Confor on 1 August                                    and wider industry factors. Confor
                                                           2017. He joined the Board having                                    membership gives me a place
                                                           been a member for many years                                        to access current information
                                                           and was keen to participate                                         concerning my business area, both
                                                           and contribute toward Confor                                        online and in Forestry and Timber
                                                           becoming an increasingly strong                                     News. The range of services on
                                                           representative body in the UK                                       offer and benefits of membership is
                                                           Forestry Industry.                                                  extensive and constantly evolving
                                                           www.scottishwoodlands.co.uk                                         demonstrating a progressive and
                                                                                                                               focused approach to all aspects
                                                                                                                               of the timber industry. During
                                                                                                                               lockdown we had cause to engage
                                                                                                                               the services of Confor and they
 “As a small independent in an ever increasing industry                                                                        assisted us to resolve an issue with
 that is swamped by red tape and bureaucracy, by                                                                               swift and practical help that has
 joining Confor I feel someone is listening to my                                                                              provided us with a sound footing
 concerns and as a recognised forestry organisation                                                                            for the future. The assistance of
 they will be better placed to raise my concerns and                                                                           Confor was invaluable.”
 help forge a path for the future of our forests.”
                                                                                                                               Alan King is the Company Director
 Patrick Turk is a sawmiller with a background in                                                                              of A & G King Timber Ltd, a
 bespoke furniture making. His knowledge of furniture                                                                          successful family owned business
 gives him the insight to get the best out of a saw log,                                                                       supplying sawn timber products to
 not from a quantity point of view but from a quality                                                                          a variety of UK customers from its
 one, cutting planks that in their own right would be                                                                          base in South West Scotland. He has
 classed as works of art.                                                                                                      more than 30 years’ experience in
 www.forest2furniture.co.uk                                                                                                    the timber industry.

CONFOR.ORG.UK                                                                       FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • October 2020 21
LETTER TO THE EDITOR

CCF Group comments on Confor’s Biodiversity,
Forestry & Wood report
Dear Editor,                                We have prepared a short paper
I am writing on behalf of the Contin-   setting out our criticisms of this as-
uous Cover Forestry Group (CCFG)        pect of the report. This paper and
to draw your readers’ attention to      supporting references is freely ac-
our concerns about some assertions      cessible on the CCFG website at
made in the recent Confor report,       www.ccfg.org.uk/wp-content/up-
Biodiversity, Forestry and Wood         loads/2020/09/CCFG_comments_
(BFW).                                  on_Confor_Biodiversity_paper.pdf.
   While we understand the im-              As the BFW report rightly men-
portance of summarising relevant        tions, British forestry will be increas-
research on the impacts of forest       ingly characterised by a diversity of
management on biodiversity, we feel     management approaches and we
that there are several places in Sec-   strongly believe that CCF can and
tion Two of the report which con-       will play a major role in that diver-
tain misleading statements about        sification.
Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF).        WL Mason
These include poorly evidenced          On behalf of the CCFG committee
statements about negative effects
on ground flora, lower yields and       Note from Confor: We are pleased
lesser carbon capture, and potential    that our BFW report has generated
vulnerability to windthrow. Given the   a lot of thoughful debate. There is
publicity being given to the BFW re-    also a response from the British Eco-
port, we must stress that these par-    logical Society, found here: www.
ticular statements are not supported    britishecologicalsociety.org/biodi-
by either operational or research       versity-forestry-and-wood-reflect-         Rothiemurchus pine juniper heather
evidence.                               ing-on-the-evidence/                       Picture Eleanor Harris

     FTN is your magazine!
     If you are a Confor member, why not take the opportunity to get your news,                               GET IN TOUCH
     stories and opinions out to the wider sector?

     SHARE YOUR COMPANY NEWS
     Send me your company’s news updates. I publish a selection in a dedicated FTN section called
     “News from our members”, right at the front of the magazine.

     CHECK OUT OUR FEATURES AND PITCH YOUR CONTENT
                                                                                                              Stefanie Kaiser
     Every FTN issue includes one or two feature topics – some of them might be particularly relevant
                                                                                                              Editor FTN
     for your business – so why not get in touch and suggest an article to showcase your expertise?
                                                                                                              Stefanie.kaiser
     Upcoming features and editorial opportunities are published in our enews, and you can find
                                                                                                              @confor.org.uk
     information about the next feature on the last page of each FTN issue.

     DISCUSS YOUR STORIES AND PROMOTION NEEDS WITH THE EDITOR
     Do you have an interesting story you want to share but are not sure how to use Confor’s
     communications channels to promote it? Get in touch with me to find out how we can best make
     use of the magazine or other communications platforms, and what we can do for you. We can offer
     several formats: member profiles, feature articles, technical updates or contributions to regular
     sections. Note: if your content is mostly promotional, then advertising will be your best bet!
                                                                                                              Laura Munnings
     Next upcoming feature topics
                                                                                                              Advertising FTN
     FTN December: Wood science and Timber treatment; Professional services
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                                                                                                              @micropress.co.uk

22 FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • October 2020
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