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