Forestry Commission - News - ross finnie launches consultation on scottish forestry strategy

A 12-week public consultation about plans to set the direction for Scotland's woods and forests over the next five years and beyond was launched by Scottish Environment & Rural Development Minister Ross Finnie today. (Friday June 24)

The first Scottish Forestry Strategy will be five years old in November, and the Executive said when it was launched in 2000 that it would review it after five years. Reflecting on achievements during that time while launching the review consultation at a ceremony in the joint Forestry Commission Scotland and forest industries' pavilion at the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh, Mr Finnie said,

"I find it remarkable to consider the way in which the forestry sector has so quickly adapted to deliver an ever-wider range of benefits.

"This review comes at a very significant time for the rural land-use sector as a whole.

"A new Rural Development Regulation is in the final stages of negotiation, and I have been personally involved in stressing the value we place in Scotland on retaining the flexibility to support our forestry sector.

"We are also developing the Land Management Contract concept, and within forestry we are committed to extending the role of long-term forest plans as a practical basis for forestry support. These threads will be brought together in the 2007 Scottish Rural Development Plan."

Mr Finnie cited some of the emerging new roles for forestry that have grown in significance during the period of the current strategy, and which the new Strategy will be able to build on. These include forestry's role in ameliorating and adapting to the effects of climate change, and forestry's growing role in health promotion and education.

He encouraged all people with an interest in the future of Scotland's woods and forests to "make full use of this review opportunity. There are many opportunities for forestry in Scotland, and this strategy review can help us to make the most of them."

The consultation will be the first of two. After this first one, a draft strategy will be published and a second consultation will be held to obtain views on that before the final new strategy is published in mid-2006.

The consultation document, "Review of the Scottish Forestry Strategy", can be downloaded from the Forestry Commission's website at www.forestry.gov.uk/SFS, or free paper copies can be ordered from Sharon Robinson, National Office for Scotland, Forestry Commission, 231 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh EH12 7AT; telephone 0131 314 6486; e-mail: sharon.robinson@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

Responses to the consultation should also be sent to Ms Robinson to arrive no later than Friday 16th September 2005.

NOTES TO EDITOR:

The Scottish Executive's first Scottish Forestry Strategy was launched by the then Deputy Minister for Rural Development, Rhona Brankin, in November 2000. It set out three key themes for Scotland's woods and forests - contributing to the economy; conserving the natural heritage and improving the environment; and enhancing the quality of life for all communities.
The first Strategy also set out priorities for action under five key headings: to maximise the value of the nation's wood resource; to create a diverse forest resource for the future; to make a positive contribution to the environment; to create opportunities for people to enjoy trees, woods and forests; and to help communities benefit from woods and forests.
Scottish forestry is worth more than �630 million a year to the Scottish economy and supports more than 10,000 jobs. The sector has attracted about �60 million a year of investment in wood-processing capacity over recent years.
Among achievements under the first Strategy are:
- the opening of the national centre for Timber Engineering at Napier University in Edinburgh;
- the establishment of the WIAT initiative to bring the benefits of woods and forests closer to people living in towns and cities, including a special grant scheme to help relevant woodland owners improve their woods for the benefit of local urban communities; 1500 hectares of urban woodland have been brought into active managment and 330ha of new urban woods were established during WIAT's first year;
- the establishment of the National Forest Land Scheme to allow communities the right to buy national forest land from Forestry Commission Scotland without waiting for the Commission to offer it for sale; and providing for national forest land to be used for affordable housing in areas of need;
- the establishment of the �13 million Timber Transport Fund to help with the costs of improving transport infrastructure to help haul timber out of remote forests to processing mills while minimising the impacts that timber transport can have; and the establishment of a network of Timber Transport Forums to address regional and local timber transport issues;
- the establishment of a grant scheme to pump-prime the woodfuel industry in the Highlands with special grants to help building owners install wood-fuelled heating systems, and to help woodfuel suppliers to install the equipment they need to supply the market; the appointment of regional woodfuel project officers to help develop the industry; and the opening of the first major wood-fuelled district heating schemes;
- the development of the Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme, which has allowed woodland grant aid to be more closely tailored to Scotland's needs and circumstances than the previous, Great Britain-wide Woodland Grant Scheme was;
- the establishment of more than 10,000 hectares of native woodland and the bringing into active management of more than 20,000ha;
- the establishment of 11 regional Forest Education Initiative clusters;
- the establishment of the Scottish Forest Alliance comprising Forestry Commission Scotland, Woodland Trust Scotland and RSPB Scotland who, with �10 million support over 10 years from energy company BP, are establishing 10,000 hectares of new native woodland on 10 sites across Scotland and researching new woodland's role in carbon sequestration and biodiversity;
- the development of the 7stanes mountain biking trails in national forests across southern Scotland and the Laggan Wolftrax trails in Inverness-shire, contributing to forests' role in tourism, recreation and health; and the appointment of a tourism development officer by Forestry Commission Scotland to forge partnerships with the tourism sector and develop the tourism potential of Scotland's forests.
Forestry Commission Scotland serves as the Scottish Executive's forestry department. It manages 666,000 hectares of national forest land owned by Scottish Ministers for multiple benefits, including timber production, nature conservation and public recreation; supports other woodland owners with grants, felling licences, advice and regulation; promotes the benefits of forests and forestry; and advises Ministers on forestry policy. For further information, visit www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

Charlton Clark, Forestry Commission Scotland press office, 0131 314 6507; mobile 07810 181067; or
Steve Williams, Forestry Commission Scotland press office, 0131 314 6507; mobile 07771 730509.