Forestry & Timber News

FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS August 2019 Issue 94 SHOW SEASON FORESTRY INVESTMENT Photo © The Crown Estate Choose PEFC Forest Certification Your customers’ assurance of responsible sourcing Forest Certification Discover more at www.pefc.co.uk PEFC – Programme for the Endorsement of PEFC_UK_Forestry_Magazine_advert_A4_V4A.indd 1 31/01/2019 07:41 CONTENTS NEWS & COMMENT 48| MARKETS TIMBER AUCTIONS REPORT Confor is a membership organisation 61 | SKILLS & TRAINING that promotes sustainable forestry and wood-using businesses. Confor mem- SCOTTISH SKILLS GROUP MAKES PROGRESS ON ACTION PLAN bers receive Forestry and Timber News for free as part of their membership. For 63 | MACHINERY more information on membership, visit PROTECTING YOURSELF FROM www.confor.org.uk/join-us THEFT OF EQUIPMENT Past issues and articles can be accessed online at 71 | TECHNOLOGY DATA OR YOUR LIFE www.confor.org.uk/news/ftn-magazine Non-member subscriptions: 73 | TIMBER TRANSPORT £54 (£59 overseas). 5 | EDITORIAL CARBON HAULING CARBON Please contact [email protected] 6 | SKILLS & TRAINING 75 | PESTICIDES NOTEBOOK THE FORESTRY WORKFORCE OF THE FUTURE 78 | MOTOR CONFOR CONTACTS ‘MOUNTAIN GOAT’ WITH A CULT 11 | NEWS FOLLOWING Stefanie Kaiser Communications and editor FTN ‘SEIZE THE DAY’ TO DRIVE UP T: 0131 240 1420 PLANTING IN NORTHERN ENGLAND 81 | SMALL WOODLAND OWNER E: [email protected] TRAIL CAMERAS MINISTER SEES PROCESSING SECTOR IN ACTION Caroline Harrison 82 | FORESTRY IN PICTURES National manager for England UK MUST PLANT MORE TREES TO M: 07500 927482 TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE E: [email protected] FEATURES CONFOR’S TARGET ‘AMBITIOUS Jamie Farquhar BUT ACHIEVABLE’ National manager for Scotland M: 07817 374906 #THE FUTUREISFORESTRY - ESSAY E: [email protected] AND VIDEO PRIZE CHALLENGE TO IMPROVE YIELD Anthony Geddes National manager for Wales FROM SCOTTISH SEED STOCK T: 074 94079305 E: [email protected] 41 | SCOTLAND’S FINEST WOOD AWARDS Andrew Heald MICFor THE ANNUAL ‘TREE OSCARS’ Technical director forestry and Northern Ireland representative M: 07771 844653 42 | CONFERENCE REPORT E: [email protected] EVOLVING THE FOREST 30 | CONFOR WOODLAND SHOW David Sulman PREVIEW Technical director wood processing T: 01786 449029 REGULARS A SHOW FOR OUR TIME E: [email protected] 14 | CONFOR REGIONAL & 52 | FORESTRY INVESTMENT Dr Eleanor Harris TECHNICAL MEETINGS Policy Researcher AFFORESTATION OPTIONS T: 0131 240 1417 15 | SHOWS DRAWING SERIOUS INTEREST E: [email protected] THINKING GLOBAL, PLANTING LOCAL: PRODUCTIVE WOODLAND MAKING IT HAPPEN AT ROYAL WELSH PLANTING - IT’S HAPPENING Confor head office and editorial office IN SCOTLAND, WILL ENGLAND 16 | PLANT HEALTH 59 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2JG FOLLOW SUIT? PESTS & DISEASES UPDATE DIVERSE FACTORS INFLUENCE UK 0131 240 1410 21 | NEWS FROM MEMBERS FORESTRY INVESTMENT CLIMATE INVESTORS BACK FINNISH [email protected] 22 | MEMBER PROFILE CUTTING-EDGE FORESTRY TECH THE CONVERTED FARMER FULL HOUSE FOR SEMINAR www.confor.org.uk 24 | LETTERS For the latest news of forestry and wood 29 | TIMBER IN CONSTRUCTION COVER STORY sign up to #forestandwood on Twitter SPEYSIDE SWEEPS THE BOARD HARVESTING Published by Countrywide Publications, CONTRACTOR Fountain Way, Reydon, Suffolk IP18 6SZ 42 | CONFERENCE REPORT ROBERT on behalf of Confor. EVOLVING THE FOREST WHITTAKER, For advertising, contact Laura Munnings 45 | FORESTRY CENTURY OUR MEMBER 01502 725866 PROFILE (P22) [email protected] TAKING THE LONG VIEW PICTURE: Printed by Micropress Printers Ltd S KAISER/CONFOR Wolmanit® CX Trusted preservative for high quality timber treatment Wood preservatives for use class 1-4 Patented Wolmanit CX formulation, since 1989 BASF warehousing and logistics Engineering support Marketing support Leading the Way in Wood Protection BASF Wolman GmbH, Dr.-Wolman-Str. 31–33, 76547 Sinzheim, Germany, Contact: [email protected], Phone: 0161 488 5329, www.basf.com/wolman EDITORIAL Funding skills development STUART GOODALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CONFOR ® Wolmanit CX n my last column I highlighted the lack of In a conversation earlier this year with Fergus statistical and market information available Ewing, the Scottish forestry minister, he was clear to our sector, especially when compared with that skills and recruitment was a key issue for the I other industries in the UK and forestry and industry, but he was also clear that industry should Trusted preservative timber sectors overseas. step-up and provide significant, new resources (not In this issue of FTN we feature education, least financial) and that industry should not expect recruitment, training and skills development. For government to shoulder the cost. some time now, when Confor has been developing Subsequent conversations in England and Wales for high quality its business plan for the following year, the issue of signal that political interest and resources are, if skills in its widest sense has arisen time and again. anything, lower there than in Scotland. The challenge we face, is what can Confor do, We need to capitalise on the recent growth timber treatment especially when there are so many organisations of the sector and the increasing support we are active in pursuing a range of initiatives. securing from politicians across the UK. However, in In his lead article on the topic, David Sulman order to really make an impact, we need to secure highlights the proposal that has been made more industry funding. by some in the industry for a ‘Forestry Skills One way of doing that is through the type Champion’. As David notes, there are examples of of industry ‘Fund’ I have highlighted previously. successes, but most people would likely agree that Working with the Board of Confor, and based on more needs to be done and that a greater degree initial feedback from a range of members, I have of co-ordination would be useful. developed a proposed structure for this, including Following on from that article, Jock McKie of the key activities that could be supported and how John Deere provides his perspective and states funds could be collected, administered and spent “The industry needs to think hard about its future for the benefit of the sector. and invest to become more professional”. Jock Such a Fund will only be successful if there is highlights the need for “a fundamental shift in broad understanding and buy-in from across the legislative support, training commitment and industry, and the next step is to talk formally to funded training sources”. members across the UK and along the supply chain Traditionally the sector has looked to to identify issues and answer the questions that are governments and bodies like the old raised. I would hope that following that exercise we Forestry Commission to provide the can develop a more refined proposal that can be funds and/or courses. However, put to the industry to secure the required support. there is now less willingness in It may be that the industry will not support a governments, across the UK, Fund in sufficient numbers for it to be established, to directly fund training and but it’s an initiative I believe Confor has to explore the FC as a pan-GB entity with for the future benefit of the sector. the resources to make a real contribution is gone. www.confor.org.uk Wood preservatives for use class 1-4 Patented Wolmanit CX formulation, since 1989 BASF warehousing and logistics Engineering support Marketing support Leading the Way in Wood Protection BASF Wolman GmbH, Dr.-Wolman-Str. 31–33, 76547 Sinzheim, Germany, Contact: [email protected], Phone: 0161 488 5329, www.basf.com/wolman SKILLS AND TRAINING The forestry workforce of the future David Sulman, Confor’s Deputy Chief Executive, considers the topical subject of education, recruitment, training and skills development for the sector. any hours have been spent in meetings dis- cussing concerns about the future of the forestry workforce and its development. MThere has been particular focus on the apparently parlous state of education, training, recruitment and skills development across the forestry sector. It would be easy to become frustrated and downcast about the apparent state of affairs and lack of progress. But just how bad is the situation and are there signs of positive change? There are, undeniably, skills shortages at various lev- els, for example, skilled chainsaw and machine opera- tors are particularly sought-after and training provision is costly and limited. Forestry work managers (FWMs) have an ever-increasing workload to ensure compliance with a wide range of regulations and guidelines around health and safety, and environmental protection, quite apart from road-building and maintenance, logistics etc. We need to ensure that FWMs have a well-rounded understanding of all of subjects that impact on their working lives, as well as opportunities to keep them abreast of developments relevant to their jobs. The training challenge Some say that there is little interest in careers in for- there is always something new to learn. Skills develop- estry; however, if interest in the Modern Apprenticeships ment and continuous professional development (CPD) is launched by Forest Enterprise Scotland, (now Forestry not well established throughout the wood supply chain, & Land Scotland), is anything to go by, with nearly 300 although the efforts of the Institute of Chartered Forest- applicants for a total of 20 places on their programme ers and some companies are noteworthy. in Trees and Timber and Forest Machine Operations, there is apparently no shortage of interest amongst A call for targeted and young people. Whilst that level of interest is very co-ordinated action encouraging, it is also very disappointing that However, it is not all bad; there have been and so many people could not be offered a training continue to be some examples of success (see place and may well be lost to the industry as There is a page 8), although most would agree that more a consequence.

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