Forest Certification Training Event
As a partnership between Soil Association Scotland and Soil Association Forestry Certification, we recently ran a practical day looking at the key components of FSC® and PEFC™ certification and included speakers from Confor, Tilhill, Forestry Commission Scotland, and James Jones; there was also a visit to a FSC® certified forest and a local sawmill. The event was very successful and gave participants a chance to learn more about certification from knowledgeable industry professionals.
Ian Cowe, the Development Officer for Forestry Commission Scotland, said: “This was a great day designed to encourage landowners to get the best out of their woodlands. With demand increasing for wood products, from local wood-fuel to timber used in construction, market prices are favouring growers and this trend is set to continue. This, coupled with the support available from the Forestry Grant Scheme, means now is a great time to consider managing and planting new woodland to create the future forests of Scotland.”
Funding for the day was generously provided by the SRDP Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund (jointly funded by the Scottish Government and the European Union), and partner funded by Quality Meat Scotland, Forestry Commission Scotland, Innovative Farmers and The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation. As such, we were able to make this event free to farmers, foresters and land managers, adding value back into the local forestry industry.