FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - A MANIFESTO FOR FORESTRY June 2017 Issue 81 - Confor

 
CONTINUE READING
FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - A MANIFESTO FOR FORESTRY June 2017 Issue 81 - Confor
FORESTRY &
TIMBER NEWS
June 2017 Issue 81

              A MANIFESTO
             FOR FORESTRY
FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - A MANIFESTO FOR FORESTRY June 2017 Issue 81 - Confor
Treetop Forestry Ltd
             07768 613036 07801 801596
               www.treetopforestry.co.uk

Agents for
FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - A MANIFESTO FOR FORESTRY June 2017 Issue 81 - Confor
CONTENTS
                                                     NEWS & COMMENT                FEATURES
Confor is a membership organisation                  5 | EDITORIAL
that promotes sustainable forestry and               MAINTAINING THE MOMENTUM
wood-using businesses.
                                                     6 | UK GENERAL ELECTION
Confor members receive Forestry and
                                                     CONFOR UNVEILS ITS
Timber News for free as part of their
                                                     MANIFESTO FOR FORESTRY
membership. For more information on
membership, visit                                    THE MAIN PARTIES’
www.confor.org.uk/join-us                            MANIFESTOS
Past issues and articles can be accessed
online at
www.confor.org.uk/news/ftn-magazine
Non-member subscriptions:
£54 (£59 overseas).
Please contact Liz@confor.org.uk

                                                     10 | CONFOR NEWS
                                                     PACKED PROGRAMME FOR          18 | INTERNATIONAL
CONFOR CONTACTS                                      CONFOR WOODLAND SHOW          CREATING ECONOMIES OF
          Stefanie Kaiser
                                                     FSC CONDITIONAL APPROVAL      SCALE FOR SMALL-SCALE
          Communications and editor FTN              FOR UKWAS4                    FORESTRY
          T: 0131 240 1420
          E: stefanie.kaiser@confor.org.uk           CONFOR AROUND BRITAIN         GLOBAL TRENDS
                                                     CONFOR WELCOMES UPDATED       VIEW FROM THE EMERALD ISLE
          Caroline Harrison                          FORESTRY STRATEGY
          National manager for England
                                                                                   24 | Q&A
          M: 07500 927482                            13 | LETTER                   STEFANIE KAISER IN
          E: caroline.harrison@confor.org.uk
                                                     PRESERVATIVE EFFECT OF        CONVERSATION WITH
                                                     COPPER                        MAT IRVING
          Jamie Farquhar
          National manager for Scotland
          M: 07817 374906                            16 | CERTIFICATION            28 | THE LIFE OF A TREE
          E: jamie.farquhar@confor.org.uk
                                                     CONFOR CHAIN OF CUSTODY       CHAPTER 1: THE NURSERY
                                                     CERTIFICATION SURVEY
          Martin Bishop
                                                                                   30 | SILVICULTURE
          National manager for Wales                 17 | MEDIA                    THE BRADFORD-HUTT SYSTEM:
          Rheolwr Genedlaethol i Gymru
          M: 07876 029482                            FORESTRY MAKING THE NEWS      SUCCESS OR FAILURE?
          E: martin.bishop@confor.org.uk
                                                                                   35 | BIOMASS & ENERGY
          Andrew Heald
          National representative
                                                     REGULARS                      QUALITY AT CORE FOR
          for N. Ireland
                                                     14 | CONFOR MEMBERS           BIOMASS PIONEERS
          M: 07771 844653
          E: andrew.heald@confor.org.uk                                            KEEPING POWERLINES IN
                                                     45 | GROWN IN BRITAIN         THE CLEAR
                                                     52 | BUSINESS & FINANCE       PREMIER PIONEERS
          Confor head office and editorial office    TIMBER MARKET REPORT          BIOMASS SAVINGS
          59 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2JG
                                                     TIMBER AUCTIONS               THE IMPORTANCE OF
                                                     MARKET REPORT                 QUALITY WOODFUEL
          0131 240 1410
                                                     54 | TIMBER IN CONSTRUCTION   53 | TECHNICAL
          info@confor.org.uk                         56 | TIMBER TRANSPORT         INNOVATIVE INVENTORY
                                                                                   COLLECTION AND SURVEYING
                                                     57 | MOTORING                 USING HAGLOF FORESTRY
          www.confor.org.uk
                                                     D-MAX BUILDS ON               MENSURATION SYSTEMS
                                                     WORKHOUSE APPEAL
          For the latest news of forestry and wood
          sign up to #forestandwood on twitter       59 | THE SHARP END
                                                     57 | PESTICIDES NOTEBOOK

Published by Countrywide Publications,
                                                     62 | WOODLAND OWNER             NEW IN JUNE!
Fountain Way, Reydon, Suffolk IP18 6SZ                                               You can now find additional
                                                     66 | FORESTRY IN PICTURES       resources for this FTN issue
on behalf of Confor.
                                                                                     on our website – all in one place.
For advertising, contact Chloe Hine                                                  Watch out for the mouse icon. all
01502 725835                                                                         resources for FTN June are directly
chloe.hine@micropress.co.uk                                                          accessible from our homepage.
Printed by Micropress Printers Ltd                   Cover picture: Shutterstock     www.confor.org.uk

CONFOR.ORG.UK                                                                      FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • June 2017 3
FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - A MANIFESTO FOR FORESTRY June 2017 Issue 81 - Confor
Professional harvesting to maximise
  the value of your investment.
  www.egger.com/forestry

We possess all the experience and skills necessary to undertake any size, type
and complexity of felling operation, including thinning and clearfells. Through
our strategic sawmill partnerships we bring a range of benefits to our clients,
maximising the return on their investment.
Why not call us on t 01434 613342 to discuss your needs.
FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - A MANIFESTO FOR FORESTRY June 2017 Issue 81 - Confor
EDITORIAL

            Maintaining the momentum
            STUART GOODALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CONFOR

            T
                   heresa May’s snap election has come         critics, and confounds the polls, we will have
                   at an unfortunate time for Confor in        to explore new avenues!
                   England, interrupting what was an              One positive development, in England,
            increasingly effective campaign to press the       has been the raising of the EIA threshold
            UK Government to act on tree planting.             outside of sensitive areas to 50 hectares.
               After the Westminster EFRA Committee            Unfortunately, this move was opposed
            inquiry and various national media, we were        strongly by RSPB who appear stuck in the
            picking up real concern at a ministerial level     mantra of the ‘right tree in the right place’,
            about the failure to meet planting targets,        whereby planting applications are at best ‘the
            with pressure being placed on agencies to          right tree in the wrong place’ and more often
            act.                                               simply ‘the wrong tree in the wrong place’.
               An industry meeting had been arranged              In Scotland, the RSPB pressed a Green
            with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsom, we        MSP to attempt a last-minute scuppering of
            had a conference organised for 07 June with        legislation to effect a modest increase of the
            forestry minister Dr Coffey, and there was the     threshold there from 5 to 20 hectares. Confor
            real possibility of a debate on the floor of the   helped to organise successful resistance,
            House of Commons.                                  and the move was defeated, but it was very
               With the election, much of the momentum         disappointing to hear the arguments made,
                 has been lost. However, we are doing          not least the lack of understanding of UKFS
                           what we can to rebuild that         and its application.
                              momentum, and we will               It is a pity that, even with the modern,
                                continue to do so both         world-leading standards that forestry
                                  through and after the        operates against and all the environmental,
                                   election period. This       economic and social benefits that come from
                                    includes further media     expanding our forestry resource, that the
                                     coverage, including on    sector still faces an uphill battle at times.
                                     Radio 4’s Costing the        Our ability to overcome this opposition
                                     Earth and supporting      shows that our efforts to promote the sector
                                     the Conservative-         are bearing fruit, and we will keep building
                                     leaning think-tank        awareness and understanding at every
                                    Bright Blue with their     opportunity.
                                    campaign for more             In doing so, I usually employ a simple
                                   tree planting….though,      message - “take the time to speak to us and
                                     if Jeremy Corbyn          judge us on what we do, not what you think
                                        surprises his many     we do”.
FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - A MANIFESTO FOR FORESTRY June 2017 Issue 81 - Confor
UK GENERAL ELECTION

Confor unveils
                                                                                                                    Confor’s
its manifesto                                                                                                      five-point
for forestry                                                                                                        plan for
                                                                                                                    forestry
      A
                                  significant increase in tree planting and a
                                  better understanding of forestry across all
                                  levels of government are at the heart of
                        Confor’s manifesto for the general election.
                            Chief Executive Stuart Goodall said Confor’s

                                                                                                                                 1
                        five-point plan for forestry, outlined in its manifesto,
                        Planting The Future, was “a positive, straightforward
                        and achievable vision for the next parliament”.
                            He added: “We have highlighted planting more
If politicians grasp    trees as it is vital for the future of the sector and
                        for meeting Government targets on tackling climate                                               PLANT MORE
  the full potential
                        change. The record of planting in England in the last                                               TREES
   of the forestry      two years has been very disappointing, but the new                                          At least 5000 hectares
and timber sector,      government starts with a clean slate.                                                         of annual planting is
    it can deliver          “We are supporting the We Are Bright Blue1 cam-
                                                                                                                      needed in England,
 multiple benefits      paign to try to push up tree planting rates and to
                                                                                                                       when barely 500
   across a range       ensure that a workable grants system encourages
                        additional planting after Brexit.”
                                                                                                                       hectares has been
   of policy areas.                                                                                                 achieved in each of the
                            Mr Goodall said the fifth point in the manifesto,
David Lee reports       fair treatment for forestry, was also crucial: “Ex-                                         last two years. At least
                        plaining the true story of modern forestry remains a                                          half of new planting
                        high priority for Confor. Mixed, modern forestry can                                          must be productive
                        provide rural jobs and a timber supply to underpin                                                   species.
                        a £2bn industry supporting 80,000 jobs - but it
                        can also deliver a range of environmental and
                        social benefits.
                            “There is a low level of understanding
                        across government and its agencies                                    BOOST THE ECONOMY
                        about what modern forestry looks                                      The forestry industry is
                                                                                              worth £2bn every year
                        like. If the new government deliv-                                     to the UK economy
                        ers on our five-point plan, as our
                        manifesto explains, it will cre-
                        ate rural jobs, tackle climate
                                                                                                                                TACKLE CLIMATE
                        change, provide timber to            PROVIDE PLACES                                                         CHANGE
                        build new homes, protect               FOR WILDLIFE                     A MORE                         Growing trees soak

                        places for wildlife and re-
                                                            Forests are home for
                                                             wildlife, such as Red
                                                                                               EFFECTIVE                     up carbon and lock that
                                                                                                                             away in wood products
                        duce the risks of flooding.        squirrels, Goshawks and
                                                           many other rare species
                                                                                               FORESTRY
                            “These are not either/or                                            POLICY
                        options - an increase in new                                             WILL
                        planting, with at least half of
                        it productive species to cre-
                        ate the wooden products we                                                                        CREATE RURAL JOBS
                                                                     BUILD NEW HOMES
                        all use in our daily lives, can            Timber provides warm,
                                                                                                                            Forestry supports
                                                                                                                          80,000 UK jobs, often
                        deliver all these benefits simul-           attractive and energy
                                                                                                                          in rural areas with few
                                                                  efficient homes to tackle
                        taneously. That’s why our docu-                                                                     other employment
                                                                       the housing crisis
                                                                                                                               opportunities
                        ment is sub-titled How trees can
                        deliver for our economy, environ-
                                                                                               REDUCE FLOOD RISK
                        ment and society.”
                                                                                                Upland tree planting
                             The manifesto, which has been shared                                 can reduce flood
                                                                                                risks in communities
                        with all political parties, quotes extensively                              downstream

6 FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • June 2017                                                                                            CONFOR.ORG.UK
FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - A MANIFESTO FOR FORESTRY June 2017 Issue 81 - Confor
2                                    3                                 4                              5
   TAKE THE                              APPOINT A                         CUT RED TAPE                     ENSURE FAIR
   FORESTRY                             MINISTER TO                     England should follow               TREATMENT
COMMISSION BACK                        STAND UP FOR                       Scotland’s example               FOR FORESTRY
  TO ITS ROOTS                           FORESTRY                       and appoint a planning            England should follow
      The Forestry                  We need a minister with              expert to identify the            Scotland’s example
      Commission                    forestry in their title, to        bureaucratic barriers to          and appoint a planning
  should be given full               press the importance              new woodland creation.             expert to identify the
   responsibility for               of a £2 billion sector in                                            bureaucratic barriers to
planting targets, as well            the industrial strategy                                             new woodland creation.
 as woodland creation               and after Brexit, and to
   and management                   champion home-grown
    applications and                        timber.
        funding.

                                                                                                                  “
from the report by the Environment, Food and Ru-           of straightforward actions to promote more man-
ral Affairs (EFRA) committee, published in March.          aged forestry, our economy, our environment and
It said: “Forests and woodlands provide multiple           our communities will benefit.
environmental, social and economic benefits” and              “We will continue to work constructively with the   There is a low
“The creation of new woodland is essential” but            next government and campaign hard for our sector
also notes: “England has one of the lowest levels of       and its interests.”
                                                                                                                  level of
woodland cover [in Europe].”                                                                                      understanding
   Woodland cover in England is currently 10%,                                                                    across
against a UK-wide average of 13% and an EU average
of around 37%. The UK is the third largest net im-           REFERENCES & RESOURCES
                                                                                                                  government
porter of timber in the world, after China and Japan.                                                             and its agencies
   Mr Goodall concluded: “Forestry has had a higher          1: http://brightblue.org.uk
                                                                                                                  about what
profile in recent years, thanks in large part to the ef-           Additional resources at confor.org.uk
forts of Confor. We pressed for the EFRA inquiry and               • Read the full manifesto
                                                                                                                  modern forestry
worked to secure the Westminster Hall debate, then                 • Twitter cards with the manifesto points      looks like.
took the forestry story into the mainstream media                  • Infographic                                  STUART GOODALL
with Countryfile.
                                                                @forestsandwood
   “However, we must translate this higher profile
into action. Brexit offers opportunities to plant more          Follow Confor on LinkedIn
trees in the right places and if we can take a number

CONFOR.ORG.UK                                                                                  FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • June 2017 7
FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - A MANIFESTO FOR FORESTRY June 2017 Issue 81 - Confor
UK GENERAL ELECTION

Confor has identified the forestry content in the main parties’ manifestos for
the UK general election on June 8th and analysed what it might mean for the
sector. After the election, Confor will work with the new Government and the
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Forestry to ensure the core elements of its
own manifesto are understood by all parties, and press for their implementation.

CONSERVATIVE                                   LABOUR                                         SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY
“In addition to the 11 million trees we are    “We will work with farmers and foresters       Publication of the SNP’s manifesto
planting across our nation, we will ensure     to plant a million trees of native             was delayed by the awful event in
that 1 million more are planted in our         species to promote biodiversity and            Manchester.  In its manifesto for the
towns and cities, and place new duties on      better flood management. Unlike the            Holyrood election in May 2016 it said:
councils to consult when they wish to cut      Conservatives who attempted to privatise       “We will plant 10,000 hectares of trees
down street trees.                             our forests, Labour will keep them in          every year until 2022 and work to hasten
“We will deliver on our commitment             public hands.”                                 the pace of application and approval
to improve natural flood management,                                                          of planting. We will also complete the
                                               Confor says                                    devolution of the Forestry Commission.”
such as improving the quality of water
courses to protect against soil erosion        It is good that tree planting is linked to     It says later: “In particular, we will support
and damage to vulnerable habitats and          better flood management. Otherwise,            the planting of woodland which can help
communities. We will continue to ensure        this is very unambitious and shows a           prevent flooding and assist in water basin
that public forests and woodland are           lack of understanding of the value of          management.”
kept in trust for the nation, and provide      productive tree planting. Elsewhere,
stronger protections for our ancient           the manifesto talks about a “credible          Confor says
woodland.”                                     industrial strategy” which will be built on    The 10,000-hectare target could be
                                               “objective, measurable missions designed       hit this year and has been increased to
Confor says                                    to address the great challenges of our         15,000 hectares per year by 2024-25 -
While the commitment to honour the             times.” Those challenges include climate       and importantly, this enhanced target is
2015 pledge to plant 11 million trees by       change, building homes and providing           linked directly to two key policy objectives,
2020, and to add to it, is pleasing, there     rural employment - all of which can be         meeting climate change targets and using
is lots of work to do to get there as the      addressed by forestry.                         more home-grown timber. The reference to
previous government was way off target.        It also promises to “champion sustainable      planting to help prevent flooding is another
The pledges on the public forest and           farming, food and fishing”. What about         positive example of linked-up policy.
ancient woodland are crowd-pleasers and        forestry? Clearly it is the forgotten f-word   There has been action to “hasten the pace
it is disappointing that support for natural   for Labour.                                    of application and approval of planting”
flood management does not specifically                                                        through the work of Jim Mackinnon, whose
mention the role trees can play in                                                            report is being implemented in partnership
reducing water flows towards downstream                                                       with Confor.
communities.
The big issue is that the planting target
is not linked to policy objectives, such as
meeting climate change targets, building
new homes, and reducing floods and
the broader commitment to leave the
environment in a better state than the new     LIB DEMS
government inherited it.                       “Reverse the current sharp decline in
The big issue is that the planting target      the rate of woodland creation by aiming
is not linked to policy objectives, such as    to plant a tree for every UK citizen           PLAID CYMRU
meeting climate change targets, building       over the next 10 years, and protect            Plaid have an ‘Action Plan’ rather than a
new homes, and reducing floods and             remaining ancient woodlands.”                  manifesto. It doesn’t contain any reference
the broader commitment to leave the                                                           to forestry, with the closest relevant action
                                               Confor says
environment in a better state than the                                                        being to “fight to ensure that every
new government inherited it.the broader        A very positive commitment, which              penny of European funding, including
commitment to leave the environment in         recognises the ‘current sharp decline in the   farming payments, is replaced by the UK
a better state than the new government         rate of woodland creation’ and proposes        Government”.
inherited it.                                  an ambitious solution. A tree for every
                                               citizen in the UK over the next ten years      Confor says
                                               would mean around 65 million trees, so 6.5     Confor says: the lack of reference to
                                               million every year, compared to Labour’s       forestry or related activity is disappointing,
                                               1 million in 5 years and the Conservatives’    even in a relatively brief Action Plan.
                                               2.2 million per year target. Again, it would
                                               be positive to link the target back to other
                                               policy objectives.

8 FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • June 2017                                                                                    CONFOR.ORG.UK
FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - A MANIFESTO FOR FORESTRY June 2017 Issue 81 - Confor
Perfecting
Wood Protection.
Leading the way

Preserving wood – and the quality of life
Our experience means you get the best possible protection for wood. Over 100 years
ago we created modern Wood Protection. Since then we’ve been continually perfecting
our Wood Protection products and associated scientific and technical services.
Over 300 patents worldwide speak for themselves. Our aim for the future is to continue
building on this experience. And we’re happy to share the resulting know-how and
expertise with our customers: a combination of advanced technology and more
than a century of experience that guarantees Wood Protection you can depend on.

Leading the Way in Wood Protection

BASF Wolman GmbH, Dr.-Wolman-Str. 31–33, 76547 Sinzheim, Germany,
Contact: jessica.ahlback@basf.com, Phone: 0161 488 5329, www.basf.com/wolman
FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS - A MANIFESTO FOR FORESTRY June 2017 Issue 81 - Confor
CONFOR NEWS

Preparations for Confor Woodland
Show are heating up
This show is set to be the biggest, most exciting        try post Brexit? Come and put your questions to our
show yet with an extended field demonstration area       panel of professionals.
offering exhibitors the space and flexibility they          Throughout the two days there will be practical
                                                                                                                     Help us spread the word!
need. Alternating with Confor’s APF Exhibition, the      demonstrations including horse logging, chainsaw
                                                                                                                     #Conforwoodlandshow
Confor Woodland Show provides an excellent plat-         carving, archery, timber sports and much more.
                                                                                                                     Find us on Facebook and
form for those working in the industry to meet exist-       A thank you to our sponsors to date, Tilhill For-
                                                                                                                     keep up to date
ing and potential customers, buy and sell.               estry, Anglo American Oil Company and Eurofor-
                                                                                                                     Ask us for social media
   The show will be held on Thursday 07 and Friday       est. There are still sponsorship opportunities so if        resources.
08 September at Longleat Estate, Wiltshire.              you want to give your business exposure then take           www.conforwoodlandshow.
   There are nearly 100 exhibitors already booked        a look at the sponsorship packages available on the         org.uk
ranging from forest nurseries to timber harvesters.      Confor woodland show website.
See the website for the full list of exhibitors. Book-      See you at Longleat!
ings are still open – remember to take advantage of
discounts available for Confor members.
   Whether you are a forestry business or an inter-
ested individual there will be something for you in
the packed programme of events, talks and topical
seminars that Confor and the Forestry Commission
are hosting throughout the two-days of the show.
   The overall theme for Confor this year is, “Forest-
ry beyond Brexit”. What do you want for our indus-

  TICKETS
  Tickets (both free and non-member tickets)
  can be purchased at gate or online.
  Confor member: free (on presentation of valid
  membership card)
  Non-member advance (online): £9
  Non-member student advance (online): £4.50
  (student card required)
  Non-member at gate: £10
  Non-member student at gate: £5 (student
  card required)
  Under 16s: free entry

FSC conditional approval for UKWAS 4
The standard, familiar to many forest managers as the UK Wood-         exercise has been a long haul but the completion of our work is in
land Assurance Standard or UKWAS, has undergone a thorough             sight and the steering group will meet shortly to work on closing
revision process which began in 2013. A draft submitted to FSC         out the remaining concerns raised by FSC. The revision process
International last year was not approved, and underwent further        has been thorough and radical and, once these conditions are met,
revision before being re-submitted in February this year. This re-     we hope that users will find the updated version to be more logi-
vised draft was conditionally approved following a meeting in          cal in its approach and much easier to use than earlier versions.
early April.                                                           Praise is due to steering group members for their tenacity and the
   In terms of the contents of the standard, the main condition        dedication they have brought to the task of revising and improv-
for approval is that general references to compliance with the law,    ing the UKWAS”.
such as health and safety or workers’ rights legislation, must be         Andrew Heald of Confor, who is also a Director of UKWAS and a
replaced with readily auditable, outcome-oriented requirements.        member of the Steering Group, said: “It is positive to have reached
   FSC also stipulated that changes be made to the UK stand-           this point, but as ever with certification, the devil is in the detail.
ard development group before the next revision of the standard,        Hopefully these final hurdles can be overcome without much addi-
to ensure representation of economic, environmental and social         tional time and cost. It is essential that certification focus on forest
interests is chamber-balanced in accordance with FSC require-          management outcomes and not simply processes.”
ments.                                                                    The UKWAS Steering Group will meet in Edinburgh on 06 June.
   UKWAS Steering Group chair, Peter Wilson, says “The revision        www.ukwas.org.uk

10 FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • June 2017                                                                                      CONFOR.ORG.UK
CONFOR AROUND BRITAIN
                                                                                             Confor                   COSTING
                                                 FORESTRY                                   featured                 THE EARTH
                                                  SUMMIT                                      in the                on 23rd May
        GREEN GOLD                                                                        PRESS AND
                                                Scottish rural                                                      featured tree
        Stuart Goodall                                                                     JOURNAL
                                                  secretary                                                       planting at Jerah
         wrote in The                                                                     FORESTRY
                                             Fergus Ewing held                                                    and Doddington,
      Scotsman (21 April)                                                                 supplement
                                             a Forestry Summit                                                    and Windymains
      about the multiple                                                                     in April
                                                 on 24 May                                                             sawmill
      benefits of forestry
                                                   in Perth
         to Scotland
                             CONFOR
                              BOARD
                                                                                                                          Confor
                              met on
             ROYAL                                                                                                    submitted a
                              18 May
           HIGHLAND                                                                                                    response to
             SHOW                                                                                                    the CHEVIOTS
           22-25 June.                                                                                                   FOREST
         Confor will be                                                                                              DESIGN PLAN
         participating in                                                                                           CONSULTATION
         a new Forestry
        tent at the Royal
         Highland Show

                                                                                                                        IMPROVING
                             TIMBER                                                                                    WOODLAND
                         TRANSPORT                                                                                    PRODUCTIVITY
                             FORUM                                                                                       THROUGH
                                                                                                                       RESTOCKING:
                       visit to Ardcastle                                                                           A Confor members
                     floating pier site on                                                                         event visiting Zetland
                       30 June. Contact                                                                              estate on 12 June.
                         Roland Stiven                                                                               Contact Caroline
                                                                                                                          Harrison

                                                                                                                   CBEEBIES
                                                                                                                WE DID THIS:
            ROYAL WELSH                                                                                        Confor member
                 SHOW                                                                                          Oliver Combe’s
              24-27 July                              Confor stand
                                                          at the                                               Christmas trees
             Visit Confor’s                                                                                   will feature on the
             Forestry tent                             NORTHERN
                                                        IRELAND                                                Christmas show
                                                     FORESTRY FAIR
                                                       28-29 May
                         NURSERY
                        PRODUCERS                                                       THE COUNTRYFILE
                           GROUP                                                        FORESTRY SPECIAL
                          MEETING                                                       (2 April) showcased
                         26-27 June                                                      Confor members in
      Inquiry into                                                                        Northumberland,
  FORESTRY AND                                                                           The Highlands and
WOODLAND POLICY                                                                             North Wales
  Confor submitted
  a response to this
National Assembly for
 Wales consultation

                       CONFOR
                  WOODLAND SHOW
                    7/8 September
                      at Longleat
                   Estate. Bring your
                  membership cards
                     for free entry
                                         Stuart Goodall
                                        was interviewed                                                               Following his meeting
                                      on FARMING TODAY                                                                 with Confor, Scottish
                                        on 3 May, on the                                    Speaking at this          rural secretary Fergus
                                     need for a better tree                                 WESTMINSTER                  Ewing secured a
                                     planting grant scheme                                  CONFERENCE,              GROUP ON FORESTRY
                                           in England               Confor is the lead  Confor’s Andrew Heald           TO CO-ORDINATE
                                                                       signatory of      emphasised the need         POLICY BETWEEN THE
                                                                     BRIGHT BLUE’S         for forestry to be          UK AND DEVOLVED
                                                                 ELECTION CAMPAIGN        at the heart of rural        ADMINISTRATIONS
                                                                  to get higher targets       policymaking
                                                                    for tree planting,
                                                                     featured in the
                                                                        Telegraph
CONFOR NEWS

Confor welcomes updated
Scottish forestry strategy
C
        onfor has urged the Scottish Government to           Confor is also working hard to secure cross-party
        commit to expanding tree cover in the first       support for forestry to help with the production of a
        major new forestry legislation in Scotland for    new strategy and to ensure its continued application
50 years. The Forestry and Land Management (Scot-         beyond electoral cycles.

                                                                                                                   “
land) Bill, published in May, sets out a new policy and      Mr Goodall concluded: “It’s clear this Bill is a
regulatory framework for forestry, and outlines the       complex piece of legislation that will require wider
future role of Forestry Commission Scotland.              support in the Scottish Parliament and co-opera-
   Stuart Goodall, chief executive of Confor, has         tion with the UK Government. Confor will examine
urged ministers to focus on the big picture - secur-      carefully the detail of what is proposed, then
ing the future of an industry worth £1 billion a year     publish our comments on the draft legislation. We        Forestry is
to Scotland, which employs more than 25,000 peo-          need to ensure this bill gives Scottish Ministers the    becoming the
ple and delivers many additional environmental and        right powers to support our industry to grow further,
social benefits.                                          and to deliver on its commitment to increased tree       modern-day
   Mr Goodall welcomed the intention to create            planting.                                                engine-room
a forestry division more clearly set within the Scot-        “There are positive signs that tree planting is
                                                                                                                   of the Scottish
tish Government, which will place forestry at the         starting to increase again in Scotland, which we
heart of future rural policy and action on climate        need to guarantee jobs and investment in the long        rural economy
change – vital given the challenges and opportuni-        term. This new Bill recognises that forestry is a very
                                                                                                                   STUART GOODALL
ties presented by Brexit. He said: “The Bill is a real    long-term business and Confor will continue to work
opportunity to focus on the big picture - what for-       with all parties to develop the emerging consensus
estry can deliver for the Scottish environment, econ-     around securing the future success of the forestry
omy and communities.                                      industry.”
   “Forestry is becoming the modern-day engine-
room of the Scottish rural economy, and Scotland is
the powerhouse of the UK forestry sector. Changes
to the governance of forestry have been inevitable
since the devolution settlement, especially as there
has been change elsewhere in the UK. The aim in             THE FORESTRY AND
Scotland must be to put in place a legislative frame-       LAND MANAGEMENT
work that suits forestry here.”                             (SCOTLAND) BILL:
   Mr Goodall welcomed the emphasis on retaining            • aims to ensure forestry is
the expertise of forestry professionals in the papers       fully accountable to Ministers
accompanying the Bill and the intention to place for-       and Parliament, and that
estry at the heart of future rural policy and action on     governance arrangements
climate change: “Forestry needs to be in there at the       are simpler and more
heart of decision-making; forestry at arms’ length is       transparent;
forestry forgotten.”                                        • places a duty on Scottish
                                                            Ministers to “promote
Long-term approach                                          sustainable forest
Mr Goodall was pleased at the commitment to a               management”;
long-term approach to policy and support, and the           • requires Ministers to
development of a new forestry strategy for Scotland.        prepare a new forestry
    However, the new Bill, unlike the 1967 Bill that it     strategy;
replaces, does not place a duty on the Scottish Gov-        • allows the National Forestry
ernment to expand forestry in Scotland. “We were            Estate to undertake non-tree
pleased when the Scottish Government committed,             related activity and provide
in January, to increasing tree planting targets to          services to third parties;
tackle climate change and increase the use of home-         • includes community
grown timber – and we look forward to seeing it fol-        management and
low through on that commitment,” said Mr Godall. “It        compulsory purchase of land;
is very important to link planting targets with policy      • provides for continued
objectives and we will press the Scottish Govern-           cross-border co-operation on
                                                            research and statistics.
ment to continue with this approach.”
    It is expected that a call for evidence on the con-
tents of the Bill be made over the summer. Ahead
of that, Confor will provide an analysis of the Bill to
members and then circulate its proposed response.

12 FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • June 2017                                                                                  CONFOR.ORG.UK
LETTER
                                         Did you know that ….

Preservative                             You can directly access all additional
                                         resources for this issue from the home
effect of copper
                                         page at
I was very interested, as ever,
to read Prof. Julian Evans’ arti-        www.confor.org.uk
cle More questions than answers
(FTN, April 2017, p65) .
   My particular interest was his
question about the ‘preservative’        Why don’t you tweet them or use them
effects of copper leaching from          in your presentations?
brass screws. I may be able to help
you with this question as I am a
retired chemist who volunteers in
the conservation laboratory of the
York Archaeological Trust. One of
our specialities is the conservation
of waterlogged wood and we do
indeed find that wood preserva-
tion is sometimes better in the vi-
cinity of copper alloy fittings. We
have always attributed this obser-
vation to the poisonous proper-
ties of copper ions produced by
the copper alloy, although I would
struggle to find a reference to any
research evidence – it is more of a
conservation ‘given’.
                                        UK MANUFACTURED METAL
   A more macabre example of
the same phenomenon is that we
                                        STRAINER SYSTEMS
sometimes find traces of textile
adhering to the back of copper al-
loy grave goods in burials, when                                                    Visit us at
there are no other textile traces                                                  the Confor
preserved. This textile is the re-                                                 Woodland
mains of cloth the deceased was                                                       Show
wearing, or wrapped in, before
burial, preserved by the same
mechanism.
   Chemically, I would expect
that lead fittings might produce
the same effect, like the effects
on rooftop algae I have observed
of the run-off from lead flashings
around chimneys. Though asking
around in the tearoom at the lab
did not produce any known exam-
ples of lead leaching producing a
similar effect to copper.
Anthony J.G. Crawshaw
Knaresborough

                                                                       Hinge Joint Fencing
                                                                       Hampton NET™ Fencing
                                                  PATENT PENDING
                                                                       StapleloK Intermediate
                                       NEW Box and Angle               Metal Posts
                                       Metal Strainer Systems          Barbed Wires
                                                                       Line Wires
                                       01933 234070
                                       sales@hamptonsteel.co.uk        hamptonsteel.co.uk

CONFOR.ORG.UK                                                      FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • June 2017 13
CONFOR MEMBERS

                                                                                               Foresters Golf Society
                                                                                               Russel Matthews of Land & Landscape
                                                                                               Management took the individual honours
                                                                                               at the Foresters’ Golf Society meeting
                                                                                               held at Wareham Golf Club, Dorset
                                                                                               on 7 April 2017. On a beautiful day for
                                                                                               golf, Russel had a winning score of 37
                                                                                               Stableford points. In second place was
                                                                                               Richard Preston, formerly of the Forestry
                                                                                               Commission and the current captain at
                                                                                               Wareham Golf Club, closely followed by
                                                                                               David Duncan in third place. The team
                                                                                               event was won by Russel Matthews, David
                                                                                               Duncan and John Lockhart.
                                                                                                   The Foresters’ Golf Society is open
                                                                                               to anyone with a forestry interest – from
                                                                                               owners to accountants. The next event is
                                                                                               scheduled to be at Whiteleaf Golf Club
                                                                                               in Buckinghamshire on 5 October 2017.
Confor member donates trees for                                                                Anyone interested in playing who would
                                                                                               like to be notified of the date should
children’s TV programme                                                                        contact John Clegg by emailing jec@
                                                                                               johnclegg.co.uk or call 01844 291384.
Once more, Confor was able to offer the        land on our streets every January.
BBC guidance and production input for             They replanted a potted tree in their
one of their programmes. In this case, the     forest area and decorated it with snacks
children’s magazine The Let’s Go Club          for the birds to enjoy. They used a dead
(Cbeebies) was looking at three ways to        tree with dry needles as mulch for potted
reuse a Christmas tree – an episode to be      plants in the school yard. Branches of
broadcast around Christmas this year.          a third tree were used as a feeding and
   Confor was able to source three suit-       hiding place for fish living in their school
able Christmas trees with only a few days’     pond.
notice, thanks to member Oliver Combe             Confor was very pleased to be able to
(York Christmas Trees, Wiggington) who         support an initiative that uses commercial
kindly selected trees to suit the produc-      trees to showcase basic concepts of sus-
ers’ needs and couriered them down to          tainability and the value of natural capital.
Manchester for a Friday shoot.                    We will follow up on this topic of
   In a hands-on way, the children were        Christmas trees more in depth in an up-
explained the value of natural resources       coming FTN issue this year.                     Kezia Dugdale MSP, leader of the Scottish
and were shown three ways to recycle                                                           Labour Party, visited Alba Trees on 20
some of the many Christmas trees that          Confor making the news – see p17.               May. Photo: Dave Johnston

 Floating pier site
 opens in Argyll
 ST Floating Piers has completed the
 installation of a mainland-based floating
 pier system and related infrastructure at
 a site on the National Forest Estate at
 Ardcastle, Argyll. The £300k pier project
 located on Loch Fyne was supported
 with a £120k of Scottish Strategic Timber
 Transport Scheme funding.
     With harvesting volumes increasing
 and the nearby Ardrishaig Pier already        easily navigated water, combined with           Initial cargo being loaded at Ardcastle,
 extremely busy, the facility will boost the   a shoreside storage area with capacity          3m chipwood bound for Inverness – this
 ability for shipping greater quantities       for up to 6000t of roundwood/ forest            one shipment removing 20,000 truck
 of timber to wood processors. The             products.                                       miles from Scottish roads.
 site offers 12m of deep, sheltered and        www.jstservices.co.uk                           Photo credit NWS/JST

14 FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • June 2017                                                                                  CONFOR.ORG.UK
Youngsters
learn value of
rural skills
Pupils from Aboyne Academy descended
in to Glen Tanar’s ancient pine forests on
Deeside on 17 May to take part in a schools
forestry day to learn about the rural envi-
ronment and observe how forestry prac-
tices are carried out. Held at Glen Tanar
Estate, just outside Aboyne, S3 pupils took
part in the full day workshop which encom-
passed the full journey of trees from seed
to sawmill with demonstrations on how
trees are planted, harvested, processed        and the entire S3 year of around 120 pu-
and the eventual end products.                 pils took part. The project has recently won
   The students also got the opportunity       Scottish Land and Estate’s Regional “Help-         Members help with
to watch trees being felled by chainsaw
and watch a mobile sawmill in action to see
                                               ing it Happen” Award.
                                                   Michael Bruce, Glen Tanar Estate, said:
                                                                                                  charity’s planting
how trees are turned into useable material.    “This programme gives a whole secondary            Local people from around Earlston,
   The schools forestry initiative is run in   school pupil year group first-hand experi-         Scotland, turned out in force to help
conjunction with Ballogie Estate and Din-      ence of what real forestry involves.”              plant 1300 trees to improve the facilities
net Estate and held over three days in May     www.glentanar.org.uk                               for the dogs at Borders Pet Rescue and
                                                                                                  create a space for the local community
                                                                                                  to use. The charity needed trees and

Forest on historic airship base                                                                   tree shelters to allow the planting of
                                                                                                  some small woodland areas in the
                                                                                                  fields and make them more interesting
gains FSC certification                                                                           for the dogs. Tilhill Forestry District
                                                                                                  Manager Eddie Addis stepped in and
 UK Forest Certification Group has                                                                agreed to supply the tree shelters and
announced the addition of Lenabo Forest                                                           asked parent company BSW to supply
in Aberdeenshire to FSC Certification.                                                            the tree stakes. Alba Trees offered to
    Lenabo Forest is a 360ha                                                                      provide the trees at no cost.
predominantly Sitka Spruce plantation                                                             www.tilhill.com www.albatrees.co.uk
established in 1920 by the Forestry
Commission. Now in its second rotation                                                             GreenMech realigns
the plantation has a recently approved
Long Term Forest Plan which marks the
                                                                                                   dealer network
start of major restructuring.                                                                      GreenMech has continued its dealer
    Lenabo, now in private ownership, is                                                           realignment with new dealers New
managed by Brook Forestry. Company                                                                 Forest Farm Machinery and GA
director Jolyon Amos has been involved                                                             Groundcare. Existing dealer Burden
with management of the forest for                                                                  Brothers Agri will extend its coverage
many years. A former sceptic of forest                                                             area. All existing warranties relating to
certification, since establishing a working                                                        GreenMech chippers, sold by T H White,
relationship with UKFCG, Jolyon is less        had to be cleared before any building               will be supported by these new dealers.
reserved: “Where in the past certification     could start. The site was closed in 1920            Burden Brothers will now be servicing
felt an adversarial bureaucratic burden,       and the land planted by the Forestry                customers in Surrey, adding to its
with the support of UKFCG, we have found       Commission. When the first rotation of              established areas of Kent and Sussex.
certification can be an opportunity to         trees were felled in the 1960s and 1970s it         www.greenmech.co.uk
demonstrate our good working practices         was discovered that some of the buildings
and build upon a quality service”.             still remained. The chimneys and entrance
    Lenabo Forest cloaks the area formerly     pillars were demolished in 1966 as the                       WELCOME TO NEW
used as a Royal Naval Air Service airship      structures were thought to be unsafe.                        CONFOR MEMBERS
station known as RNAS Longside.                    Planned felling in this part of the forest               Abersenny Ltd, Abergavenny
    The land at Lenabo was a large piece       will be preceded by an archaeological                        Pontypool & Clytha Estate,
of bog land and when it was decided to         survey to define areas which will be                         Monmouthshire
commission it to be used as the most           returned to open ground.                                     Powell Training, Wiltshire
northerly British air base station, the land   www.forestcertification.org.uk

CONFOR.ORG.UK                                                                                   FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • June 2017 15
CERTIFICATION

Confor chain of custody                                                                                          Availability of material
                                                                                                                 I have written previously how the domi-
                                                                                                                 nance of the certified Forestry Commission

certification survey                                                                                             supplied timber in the supply chain has de-
                                                                                                                 clined, it currently represents about 40% of
                                                                                                                 harvested material and that percentage will
                                                                                                                 decline further as supply from the private
                                                      and an annual audit, will their finished prod-             sector increases.
                              Andrew Heald
                                                      ucts attract a premium in the market place?                    Two thirds of respondents said that they
                             explains some of             The results of the survey show that                    were generally able to source sufficient
                             the key findings         60% of respondents did not pay any extra                   supplies of certified material, but 61% said
                             from the survey.         for certified material, and that in terms of               that there was less certified material avail-
                                                      sales, 100% of respondents said that there                 able now than five years ago and 53% said
                                                      was no price differential when they sold                   that they were sourcing less certified mate-

C
        onfor has been working hard for the           certified material.                                        rial compared to 2012.
        last two years to try to improve the              However, it is worth exploring this fur-                   Conscious of increasing pressure on cer-
        certification process. In the April is-       ther; for the forest owner market access                   tified supplies, over 80% said that if sourc-
sue of FTN, I highlighted the challenge that          and flexibility is often as important as ab-               ing became more challenging they would
some mills have in sourcing adequate sup-             solute price. If the material is certified it              be prepared to switch to a volume credit
plies of certified material. To understand            can usually be sold into a wider range of                  approach – meaning an instant reduction
why there is a problem we launched an                 markets, and moved from a harvesting site                  of 30% of certified output.
anonymous survey of sawmills and proces-              more quickly. There are significant advan-
sors. We had 20 responses to the survey               tages in moving material quickly:                          What next?
and about half of these were from mills                   • Reduces pressure on stacking areas                   In April, Confor met with PEFC Interna-
larger than 200,000 tonnes per year; this                 • Improves cash flow for all concerned                 tional CEO Ben Gunneberg and received
represents a reasonable proportion of mills               in harvesting                                          reassurance that PEFC were working hard
in the UK.                                                • Avoids timber “drying out” and losing                to make certification more straightforward.
                                                          weight at roadside.                                    PEFC is very common in many parts of cen-
Key findings                                              There are potential differences in behav-              tral Europe, with very large group schemes
While 78% of respondents said that “Meet-             iour, though, depending on size and levels                 comprising tens of thousands of small for-
ing Customer Requirements” is the main                of activity. A forest owner/manager regu-                  est owners.
benefit of certification, only 60% said their         larly harvesting large volumes of timber will                  I have proposed a motion at the forth-
customers specified FSC and/or PEFC.                  want to access the widest range of markets.                coming FSC General Assembly calling for
And within that 60%, the comment made                 However, a smaller producer who only har-                  FSC to standardize the audit reporting
was that only a minority of customers actu-           vests occasionally, may choose to play the                 system and make better use of the data
ally specified FSC and/or PEFC.                       market a little more and only harvest if and               in developing a risk based approach. Con-
    The “Cost of auditing and record keep-            when there is strong demand for their ma-                  for has also asked for a meeting with Kim
ing” was the biggest challenge for 79% of             terial, regardless of whether it is certified.             Carstensen the Director General of FSC In-
respondents.                                              The expectation in some key parts                      ternational, where we will be pushing for a
    Only 41% that said there is a price differ-       of the UK construction market is that all                  real and rapid commitment to making cer-
ential when sourcing certified raw material.          timber will be certified. This is primarily                tification simpler for smaller forest owners.
                                                      because evidence of sustainability is de-                      If the area of certified woodland in the
Price premium                                         manded when tendering for Government                       UK continues to plateau, or even reduce,
Forest owners and managers want to know               contracts. In these cases, certified timber is             while levels of consumption increase, the
if they invest in certification, whether they         seen as the ‘norm’ and therefore does not                  need for change will become ever stronger.
will see a return on their investment in              attract a premium. The survey highlighted
terms of better timber prices. Similarly, if a        that whilst it is a number of ‘key accounts’                          Questionnaire results and further
sawmill prioritises certified suppliers, and          who specified certified material, many of                             details are available on the
also invests in a chain of custody system             the others do not.                                                    Confor website.

 Is there a price differential for certified material                          Compared to five years ago, has the availability of
 that you buy?                                                                 certified material changed?
 Answered: 17  Skipped:  3                                                     Answered: 18  Skipped:  2

                                    No                                                    More available now

                                               Yes                                                                                Less available now

 0%       10%       20%      30%   40%   50%   60%   70%   80%   90%    100%
                                                                                                           About the same

                                                                               0%       10%       20%      30%    40%   50%     60%    70%    80%      90%   100%

16 FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • June 2017                                                                                                        CONFOR.ORG.UK
MEDIA

Forestry making the news
      The forestry and timber sector                      area than a forest planted in the 1970s or 80s.
                                                              He continued: “By generating public access,
     continues to increase its presence
                                                          amenity, landscape [value] and wildlife benefits, that
        in the mainstream media –                         is the cost of getting approval - but it is also the right
      thanks to the efforts of Confor.                    thing to do. It’s improved the site and I want to be
                                                          proud of it and for people to enjoy it.”

T
        he BBC Countryfile special on forestry, broad-        Stuart Goodall said Jerah showed that large areas
        cast to 7.5 million viewers in April, marked a    of Scotland and northern England could be planted
        high point in Confor’s efforts to publicise the   with mixed, modern productive forestry which deliv-
positive, modern face of the sector.                      ered a range of economic, environmental and social            A summary of
                                                                                                                        recent general
    Since the peak-time Sunday evening broadcast,         benefits.
                                                                                                                        media coverage
Confor has continued working hard to ensure gen-              However, he warned of the danger of the drop-
eral media interest in forestry has remained high -       off in planting in England: “We were planting a lot           BBC Countryfile
                                                                                                                        special on forestry
with major success.                                       of trees until the 1980s and then it almost com-
                                                                                                                        02 April
    After signing a letter by think-tank We Are Bright    pletely stopped overnight. All those mature forests
Blue, calling for post-Brexit funding to encourage        are coming through for harvesting in the next 20-25           The Daily Telegraph
more tree planting (published in The Daily Tele-          years, and then there is a complete falling away.             Radio 4 Farming
graph), Confor Chief Executive Stuart Goodall was             “We expect investment in saw milling and the              Today 03 May
interviewed on Radio 4’s Farming Today.                   number of jobs supported by the industry will suf-            Radio 4 Farming
    This interview was broadcast on May 3, with fur-      fer unless we start planting more trees immediately.”         Today 12 May
ther positive coverage of forestry (the new Scot-             Davey Rodger, who manages Glennon Brothers’               The Telegraph
tish Bill) on Farming Today on May 12. Two na-            Windymains Sawmill in East Lothian, told the pro-             15 May
tional newspapers, The Daily Telegraph and Daily          gramme: “The raw material is a concern for us. If we          BBC Radio Scotland,
Express, picked up Confor’s press release on woe-         invest a lot of money in the sawmill, which we intend         Out of Doors
ful tree planting in the same week, while Confor          to do, we need guaranteed supplies. In 20 years’              (Andrew Heald on
featured heavily on Radio 4’s flagship environment        time, there are not enough logs, simple as that.”             pest control) 20 May
programme, Costing The Earth, on a Future Forests             Tom Heap ended the Costing the Earth pro-                 Radio 4 Costing
special on May 23.                                        gramme by describing the many benefits of modern              the Earth forestry
    Stuart Goodall worked with producer Sarah             forestry, including timber production, and conclud-           special 23 May
Swadling to set up interviews at two high-profile         ed: “Woodlands are to be used, not just admired.”
planting sites, Jerah in central Scotland and Dod-            Stuart Goodall said the hard work of the whole
dington in Northumberland, as well as the Windy-          Confor team in taking the forestry and wood story to
mains sawmill in East Lothian.                            a wider audience was really paying off: “There is very
    Mr Goodall met presenter Tom Heap with Tilhill        strong interest in what the sector is doing in terms of
Forestry’s Andrew Vaughan, the driving-force be-          its economic, environmental and social contribution.
hind Jerah. On site, Mr Vaughan described how Til-            “Every story increases the understanding of the
hill prepared 19 different designs for the former hill    importance and value of our sector. It is vital that ex-
farm between Menstrie and Dunblane, with around           perienced and skilled presenters like Tom Heap and           Tom Heap interviews
580 of the 1000-hectare site designated for plant-        Charlotte Smith have seen the forestry and timber            Davy Rodger at
ing a mixture of productive softwood species and          story up close and spread the message of what it             Windymains Sawmill
broadleaves.                                              can offer.”                                                  with producer Sarah
    He told the programme Jerah had been designed         www.confor.org.uk/news/forestry-in-the-media                 Swadling (Centre)
to help with flood mitigation. Menstrie had been
prone to flooding and the old site had almost 100km
of drainage channels to send water down the hill,
adding to flood risks. The new design keeps the ma-
jority of water up the hill, and even less water will
flow down as the trees grow and the canopy soaks
up rainfall.
    Mr Vaughan also talked about wildlife on the site;
short-eared owls, buzzards and hen harriers have
been seen at Jerah, while the design encourages
black grouse to return to the area. He also discussed
vast improvements to public access to the site.
    Tom Heap asked Mr Vaughan: “When you com-
bine all these things - flood alleviation, access, ap-
pearance, species diversity - it must cost a lot more
to set up and yield less return. So why do you do it?”
    Mr Vaughan said modern high-quality trees would
deliver the same amount of saw logs from a smaller

CONFOR.ORG.UK                                                                                    FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • June 2017 17
INTERNATIONAL

Creating economies of scale

                                                                                          T
  The Western-most “Bundesland” in Austria,                                                              he alpine and densily populated re-
  is a pioneering region for timber design,                                                              gion of Vorarlberg features a network
  renewable energy and sustainable land                                                                  of very small forest lots, with an aver-
    use in general. Stefanie Kaiser finds                                                                age size of only five hectares. This in-
                                                                                                         cludes some larger forest enterprises
   out how a co-operative forest service
                                                                                                         but mainly holdings of about one to
    allows small forests to be managed                                                    two hectares, often privately owned. Nevertheless,
   making use of economies of scale for                                                   forest management in the region is not only highly
      timber marketing and conservation.                                                  sustainably in the ecological sense, but also eco-
                                                                                          nomically viable, thanks to a structure of collective
                                                                                          management.
      BUNDESLAND
                                                                                              “We have the advantage that CCF has a long tra-
      Land area 260,100ha
      Forest cover 37%
                                                                                          dition and on our small forest areas we have a semi-
      Total forest area c. 95,000ha                                                       natural mixed-aged structure. Felling has a very low
      Area productive forests c. 60,000ha                                                 visual footprint in the management of ‘close-to-
                                                                                          nature forests, and therefore, public acceptance is
                                                                                          fairly high. According to a National study in Austria,
                                                                                          Vorarlberg ranks highest in ‘naturalness’ of their for-
                                                                                          ests”, says Thomas Ölz, Head of Forestry, Chamber
                                                                                          of Agriculture.

                                                                                          Mastering cross-ownership management
                                                                                          “The ‘urbanised’ landowner, with no knowledge of
                                                                                          or interest in forestry and timber marketing, is be-
                                                                                          coming more and more common in the region. They
                                                                                          are often unaware of the location or sometimes even
                                                                                          the existence of a forest lot they have inherited. It is

 Making small-scale
 low-impact timber                                                                             1
 production work
 Clearfelling, defined as >0.5ha in pro-      ment grants are available in the case
 tective forest and >2ha in productive        of very low-impact felling methods,
 forest, is not part of the Austrian for-     which otherwise would not be afford-
 est management approach.                     able”, says Walter Ammann, chairman
    The use of harvesters in felling only     of Waldverband.
 accounts for about 2-3% in the main             Overall, forestry is usually profit-
 valleys of Vorarlberg and low-impact         able within the currently used col-
 harvesters are used for thinnings. The       lective management system. Some
 secret lies in the logistics of collective   of this profit will be invested in for-
 forest management.                           est maintenance and maintenance of
    A landowner who wants to fell a           trails and forest roads. But it has to be
 few trees can call the Waldverband           considered that in such semi-natural
 and enquiry about current market             forests, maintenance costs are signifi-
 prizes and timber sizes in demand.           cantly reduced due to the fact that
 He/she then cuts to size and leaves          no replanting is undertaken. This can
 the timber at roadside. The Waldver-         save around e5000-10,000 of affor-
 band collects the logs at a suitable         estation costs per hectare.
 time to save transport costs. Logistics         “Our maintenance costs are mini-
 are the decisive factor here.                mal, as timber extraction serves the
    “In the case of protective forests,       purpose of forest maintenance at the
 we mostly have to use skylines due to        same time. Basically most of the man-
 difficult access. Luckily we can cover       agement costs you have in a planta-
 costs here, as better rural develop-         tion forest don’t occur here.”

18 FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • June 2017                                                                                         CONFOR.ORG.UK
for small-scale forestry
 for those people that the Chamber of Agriculture, a
 governmental body representing land owners, offers
 a forest management and timber marketing service
 called Waldverband, a forestry co-operative”, ex-
 plains Thomas Ölz. Owners of land over one hectare
 are obliged to be members of the Chamber, but us-
 ing the service of the Waldverband is optional.
    This non-for profit service aims to ensure the
 management of a network of very small forest hold-
 ings. It allows for cross-ownership management to
 be conducted by experts with relevant forestry skills.

  Different services available
  • Round wood marketing
  • Specific forest management contracts
  • Complete lease of forest to chamber (hands-
  off approach): the chamber is in charge of
  everything from compliance with legislation to
  management and timber marketing. The owner
  gets a percentage of any net profit.

 Timber species and marketing
 Conifer species predominate in the region. In terms
 of land area, 60% is spruce (Picea abies) and around      Walter Ammann, chairman Waldverband, and Thomas Ölz, Head of
 12% is Silver fir (Abies alba). The remaining part are    Forestry, Chamber of Agriculture
                                      Continued on p21

                                                          Thomas Ölz and Walter Ammann show examples of skyline and harvester
                                                          extraction sites. (1) Rack resulting from a skyline extraction performed two
                                              2           months earlier (2) impact of recent harvester extraction

                                                          Skyline extraction                         • Skyline extraction cost per m3 e40
                                                          “We fitted a skyline of about 300m         • Ave value or profit per m3 e20-30
                                                          between two slopes to fell trees along        In spite of the additional small fee
                                                          the rack. This is an example of a pro-     for the public forest management ser-
                                                          tective forest that is also managed for    vice, a small profit can be achieved
                                                          timber. Some older trees are felled to     even in small-scale and difficult-to-
                                                          allow for younger, stronger trees to       access forests.
                                                          regrow and stabilise the slope. And
                                                          at the same time (and not less impor-      Harvester and forwarder
                                                          tant), we want to market good tim-         “In the example (2), we have taken out
                                                          ber. We extracted 400m3 of timber          300m3 of timber (that’s 10 lorry loads)
                                                          from three racks”.                         but, as you can see, you can hardly no-
                                                              The hand felling along each of         tice the felling impact at all.”
                                                          the racks takes a pair of contrac-            These extraction racks will be used
                                                          tors roughly a day. The skyline is set     again in ten years’ time. The harvester
                                                          up in half to three-quarters of a day,     only move along the racks and trees
                                                          and the timber transported down to         are hand-felled selectively on each side
                                                          roadside in another day and a half. In     into the rack. “We only fell trees that
                                                          this convex landscape, no pillars are      can be pulled out to the access route
                                                          needed. “We simply use pillar trees        (eg using winches attached to the har-
                                                          and anchor trees. Once the trees are       vester) without further impact to the
                                                          left at roadside, a small processor de-    surrounding forest.” Extraction routes
                                                          branches and pre-cuts them before a        are planned every 40-50m to reach
                                                          haulier picks up the logs and later, the   most of the forest areas. On occasions,
                                                          firewood.                                  horses are used for log extraction.

                                                                                               FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • June 2017 19
Bramptonvalleytraining.co.uk

           Forestry | Arboriculture |Horticulture
            Agriculture | Land – Based Training
Brampton Valley Training & Assessments Ltd is one of the leading independent training providers based
in the Midlands. We specialise in forestry, arboriculture, tree surgery and other land-based training. As a
City & Guilds (NPTC) and LANTRA Approved Centre we are able to offer a wide range of industry
recognised and standard qualifications. Our experienced, friendly and knowledgeable staff are on hand to
offer professional and up-to-date advice on all your industry training requirements.

    Ideally situated on the Northamptonshire/Buckinghamshire/Oxfordshire borders
    Top training facilities
    Qualified instructors with years of industry experience and knowledge
    First Aid + F, Pesticide Courses, Arboricultural and Horticultural Courses
    Approved ELCAS, LANTRA & City and Guilds Training Provider

Call us for a friendly chat about your training requirements or have a look at our website

            www.bramptonvalleytraining.co.uk
                             01280 824423
Stop Press………...….Upcoming Courses
Level 3 Award in Aerial Tree Rigging (CS41) Monday, June 19th 2017 - Friday, June 23rd, 2017
Lantra Awards Technical Award in Basic Tree Survey and Inspection Thursday June 22nd, 2017
1

                                                         A zoning approach for
                                                         deer management
                                                         For deer management purposes,              cate species, but the deer density is
                                                         Vorarlberg is divided in core zones,       kept low enough in this type of forest
     2                                                   buffer zones and free zones. The red       to be sustainable and not significant-
                                                         deer is encouraged to remain in the        ly threatened the regrowth.
                                                         core zones, which are managed to               Despite all the efforts, deer remains
                                                         offer a suitable habitat for them.         a big challenge for foresters in the re-
                                                             Regional culling quota are negoti-     gion. However, due to the zoned man-
                                                         ated on an annual basis. Every three       agement, at least in the ’free’ lowland
                                                         years, the impact of deer on vegeta-       zones many different tree species can
                                                         tion is assessed for this purpose, us-     now thrive. But the problem has now
                                                         ing 6x6m plots in a 50m grid. This is      moved upwards and remains a threat
                                                         system is applied regardless of land       to protective forests.
  Bregenzerwald, a region of Vorarlberg, is              tenure, across the whole county.               Although there is a well-structured
  particularly famous for its timber buildings               Unlike in other countries, in Aus-     regional-level management plan, the
  and is has attracted many architects from              tria deer is being fed over the winter.    actual deer population almost dou-
  around the world in the last decades. (1)              In particular in the densely popu-         bles the target numbers. Private hunt-
  A typical contemporary timber building in              lated and alpine regions, large parts      ing is only allowed on private land of
  Andelsbuch featuring a Silver fir cladding             of natural habitats have been lost; in     more than 115 ha. Smaller lots are or-
  (source: www.holzbaukunst.at) and (2)                  nature, the animals would follow a         ganised in collective hunting grounds
  traditional shingled house in the same village         pattern of remaining in lowlands in        of at least 300ha. The leasing of hunt-
  (source: Flickr gaschy22)                              winter and moving up into higher al-       ing rights is decided by the co-opera-
                                                         titudes in summer. By feeding them,        tive, and individual forest owners get
Continued from p19                                       they can be kept in areas that offer       their share of any revenues from the
broadleaves, mainly beech, sycamore and ash.             a habitat for conservation while pro-      lease of hunting rights.
   In the case of softwoods, the ‘top-half’ of saw       tecting managed forests in other ar-           Rewildering is a hot topic in a
log production is fed into the regional network of       eas at the same time.                      region with several remote alpine
mainly small sawmills (with some medium-sized                Forest and deer management             borders. The lynx is slowly moving
mills producing up to 70,000 solid m3 pa). Sawmills      are planned in parallel, and the zon-      back in from neighbouring Swit-
are mostly specialised, working with band saws that      ing approach allows foresters to rely      zerland, and is a welcome predator.
process logs of >40cm dbh into a variety of prod-        on natural regeneration in managed         The occasional sighting of wolves,
ucts. Small round wood is fed into larger-scale pro-     forests despite the existence of deer.     however, is seen as much more prob-
cessors in other Austrian regions. At present, wood      Silver fir, for example, is a very deli-   lematic.
up to 50cm goes into these markets, as a sawlog
processor in the region has shut down and regional
saw log supply is currently exceeding demand from
sawmills.
   Roundwood is mainly processed into biomass
(due to the distance of other processors, this is cur-
rently the most cost-effective market), plywood
and board or traded internationally as raw-material
for other wood-based industries. Some larger for-
est companies also sell into the pulp industry. This
can be profitable even for small-scale forestry. It is
an option in areas where mechanised harvesting is
possible and timber down to 8cm dbh can be used.
   Only just over half of the available annual incre-
ment is being used, ie about 350,000 of around
600,000 solid m3 per year.

 TIMBER PRODUCTION IN VORARLBERG
 Annual figures in solid m3
 Total 300,000 - 350,000
 From total of small Waldverband forests
 50,000 - 60,000
 From the largest single business (8000 ha)
 15,000 - 20,000
 Source: Walter Ammann, Waldverband                      Red deer (Photo: Franz Kovacs, Bundesforste)

CONFOR.ORG.UK                                                                                FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • June 2017 21
You can also read