FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS June 2018 Issue 87 BIOMASS • ENVIRONMENT THE FUTURE OF FORESTRY R CONTENTS NEWS & COMMENT 54 | MACHINERY KEEPING THE HOME FIRES Confor is a membership organisation 5 | EDITORIAL BURNING that promotes sustainable forestry and wood-using businesses. 6 | LAND USE 62 | TIMBER TRANSPORT Confor members receive Forestry and LET’S TALK ABOUT LAND USE KEEPING TIMBER HAULIERS Timber News for free as part of their SAFE IN THE FOREST 10 | NEWS membership. For more information on OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH membership, visit SCOTTISH POLITICIANS www.confor.org.uk/join-us EXPERIENCE FORESTRY 67 | MOTOR CLOSE UP Past issues and articles can be accessed SUREFOOTED AUDI IS SMOOTH online at CONFOR SPEAKS FOR OPERATOR www.confor.org.uk/news/ftn-magazine SECTOR AS TIMBER SUPPLY CRISIS GRIPS Non-member subscriptions: 69 | SMALL WOODLAND £54 (£59 overseas). MOVE TO ESTABLISH CROSS OWNER Please contact [email protected] PARTY GROUP FOR WALES IN LOVE WITH TREES CONFOR ACTIVITY MAP 70 | FORESTRY IN PICTURES CONFOR CONTACTS UKWAS4 UNVEILED Stefanie Kaiser 17 | CONFOR AT SHOWS Communications and editor FTN FEATURES T: 0131 240 1420 E: [email protected] 20 | THE FUTURE OF FORESTRY WE REPORT ON THE ICF’S Caroline Harrison CONFERENCE, INNOVATION National manager for England FOR CHANGE M: 07500 927482 E: [email protected] 48 | INVESTMENT Jamie Farquhar INVESTORS ‘MISSING A TRICK National manager for Scotland AS FORESTRY SECTOR M: 07817 374906 OUTPERFORMS OTHER ASSETS’ E: [email protected] 30 | ENVIRONMENT 61 | PLANNING DEMONSTRATING CLIMATE Martin Bishop CHANGE ADAPTATION IN ALICE National manager for Wales A SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD Rheolwr Genedlaethol i Gymru IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR HOLT FOREST M: 07876 029482 E: [email protected] WOODLAND OWNERS TRAFFICABILITY MODEL TESTING Andrew Heald MICFor 65 | LEGAL Technical Director and BIG DATA AND AMATEUR Northern Ireland representative SPORTING RATES IN SCOTLAND NATURALISTS: RECORDING M: 07771 844653 E: [email protected] ARE BACK WILDLIFE IN THE WOODS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Dr Eleanor Harris ASSESSMENT: A TORTUROUS Policy Researcher REGULARS T: 0131 240 1417 PROCESS IN WALES E: [email protected] 22 | MEMBER PROFILE CLASSIC CANES 39 | BIOMASS & ENERGY WHY IT MAKES SENSE TO Confor head office and editorial office 24 | MEMBER NEWS IMPORT BIOMASS 59 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2JG 26 | TECHNOLOGY UPDATE RHI – MARKET IMPACTS PAST, 0131 240 1410 PRESENT AND FUTURE 27 | CERTIFICATION WOOD DRYING – THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE [email protected] IN PURSUIT OF A STANDARD: UKWAS4 NEW RHI REGULATIONS EVALUATION OF A RAPID www.confor.org.uk 28 | THE FTN GUIDE TO DIGITAL MOISTURE CONTENT COMMUNICATION DETERMINATION SYSTEM FOR For the latest news of forestry and wood sign up to #forestandwood on Twitter A PICTURE IS WORTH A 1000 WOOD CHIPS WORDS Published by Countrywide Publications, 50 | MARKETS Fountain Way, Reydon, Suffolk IP18 6SZ TIMBER AUCTIONS MARKET COVER BIOMASS AT on behalf of Confor. P IRVING & SONS LTD REPORT For advertising, contact Chloe Hine SAWMILLS 01502 725835 TILHILL FORESTRY TIMBER PHOTO: S KAISER / [email protected] MARKET REPORT CONFOR Printed by Micropress Printers Ltd ISU1001 Grafter Green - AdForestry&TimberNews(210x297mm).indd 1 27/03/2018 11:32 EDITORIAL On message STUART GOODALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CONFOR hroughout my time with Confor, I’ve bodies and to recognise that if we are serious been repeatedly urged to do more to about changing things we need to be serious tackle misinformation about forestry about the resources we put into it – influencing T in the media, especially negativity politicians, officials and the media is a big, towards conifers. big task and other bodies throw far, far more Our response has been to significantly up resources into it than we do. our game in sending media-friendly news to I hope we will make real progress this year in various outlets and utilising social media, while working together better to promote the sector, all the time linking back to the Confor website but without major injections of funds from which provides not just a wealth of information, member businesses how can we fund a step- but also presents an image of a modern, serious change in our activities? sector. Earlier this year I took a cheap flight to When launched, the Confor website was Melbourne to visit my daughter, and while I was shortlisted for an award, as was our campaign there I decided to give her some peace from her around the last Westminster election. dull father by visiting local industry bodies and Heartening recognition, though I’d rather have companies. One in particular struck me. actually won those awards! Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) We also undertake research and prepare is a not-for-profit company that provides reports to underpin the messages we make integrated research and development services about the importance of the sector and to help to the Australian forest and wood products tackle the still widespread misinformation that industry. Funded by a statutory levy on timber exists about productive forestry and wood growers, wood-users and timber importers, processing. In the coming months we aim to it provides high quality, current statistics and work more with members to amplify these market information, supports leading research messages. and promotes the use of wood. Other repeated calls from After being given a full overview of its members include requests for activities and outputs I spent two fascinating market and price information, hours being shown all the statistical data and for more relevant that FWPA collected and how it shared that research and funding for information with businesses. I felt like a little boy research. in a sweet shop with legs too short to reach the It would be easy to sweetie jars. respond and say, “I From the people I spoke to, it’s clear that share your desire, your FWPA is highly respected by the industry. My frustrations, but there regional counterparts in representative bodies just isn’t the resources in the state of Victoria welcomed its activities in in people and money in supporting the sector, even if they were a little Confor to make a step- envious of the funding it received through the change”. Instead I’d rather levy system. seek out ways in which we I presumed that the levy was an old thing, like can make that difference. the levy boards in the UK, but I was surprised to I’ve spoken before learn that the Forest Growers Levy dates back to about the need for the only 2007. sector to make the Of course, Australia isn’t unique in having a most of the resources levy system, and it is not a mechanism that is in our various universally welcomed and supported. But, and representative there’s always a but! If we don’t do something radical, then we will resign ourselves to incremental improvement. Is that good enough? ISU1001 Grafter Green - AdForestry&TimberNews(210x297mm).indd 1 27/03/2018 11:32 LAND USE Let’s talk Confor asks for... about all 1 An appropriately named bill land use forestry The UK government has been consulting on policy proposals for how to replace the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after Brexit. Eleanor Harris reports on Confor’s response. ince before the Brexit vote, Confor has been engaged in discussion with the sector, politicians, and other stake- Sholders. We have produced analyses of the implications of Brexit for the forestry and timber sector regarding funding, trade, environmental regulations, labour, plant health and land. These can be found on our website along with our policy pa- pers A Common Countryside Policy and Plant Health and Brexit on our website. Confor is engaging in detailed discussions around the UK on what might replace the CAP after Brexit. In particular, we is- sued a detailed response to the UK Government’s major Health and Harmony consultation on the subject. Our focus has been to stress that the debate must be about all land uses, not just and forestry agriculture. This was reflected in our response, which was pre- pared after gathering feedback from members, and in a Twitter campaign using the hashtag #woodforpublicgood. a Land Use Bill The issue was also discussed at the most recent meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Forestry, attended by senior Defra officials Guy Horsington and Fiona Harrison. Confor’s consultation response, one of 44,000 received by Defra, has been shared with stakeholders from the forestry sector, politics and a wide range of farming and environmen- tal organisations. It is the latest and most detailed Confor con- tribution to the Brexit debate. We have produced analyses of 3 the implications of Brexit for the forestry and timber sector re- garding funding, trade, environmental regulations, labour, plant health and land. These can all be found on our website in the News section, under the Brexit heading. The consultation re- sponse is also in our Resources section, under both Publications and Consultations. Confor continues to engage with the widest possible range of stakeholders to ensure the forestry and wood voice is heard as the consultation responses are analysed and future policy takes shape. Confor welcomes • The proposal to phase out Direct Payments, which disadvantage forestry • The commitment to excellence in plant health standards • The commitment to increased productivity and competitiveness in the countryside • The principles of ‘public money for public goods’ and ‘polluter pays’ 6 FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • June 2018 CONFOR.ORG.UK 2 Defra evidence compendium Evidence on forestry and timber, for example in any detailed comparisons of productivity, profitability, employment, trade and professionalism, must be included alongside the other crops and livestock data when future policy decisions are made.