European forestry chiefs run the rule over Scotland's woods

Thirty forestry chiefs from governments across the European Union arrived in Edinburgh today to take a look at how Scotland manages its woods and forests and to discuss ways of developing sustainable forest management across Europe.

From countries as far apart as Ireland, Latvia and Cyprus, they began their three-day visit by meeting Scottish Forestry Minister Rhona Brankin, Forestry Commission Scotland Director Dr Bob McIntosh, and Forestry Commission Director-General Tim Rollinson.

They then moved to Pitlochry for their discussions and visits to the Black Wood of Rannoch, where Forestry Commission Scotland is restoring the Caledonian pinewood, and Craigvinean Forest, near Dunkeld, one of Scotland's leading examples of a forest managed to provide a wide range of benefits, including timber, wildlife conservation, public recreation and attractive landscapes.

Explaining why the meeting was being held in Scotland, Mr Rollinson said,

"The United Kingdom's presidency of the European Union was an opportunity for British forestry to make a contribution to the Presidency programme, so I invited my European colleagues to a meeting in Scotland.

"The timing of our Presidency is particularly opportune for forests, because an EU Action Plan to make Europe's forests work better for society is being developed. So the focus of the meeting will be on identifying actions at the EU level that support the sustainable management of European forests.

"It will also be an opportunity for the UK to share its experience in areas that we have identified as a priority, such as forest landscape restoration, forest certification and timber procurement."

Dr McIntosh added that the meeting was a valuable forum for sharing experiences and best practice in developing sustainable forest management across Europe, saying,

"Sustainable development is a phrase that is used a lot at the moment as people strive to live in a more environmentally friendly way.

"Responsible foresters have practised what we call 'sustainable-yield forestry' for centuries, which means we only harvest trees at the same rate as we grow them to ensure a continuous wood supply for future generations.

"However, sustainable forest management in the 21st century means much more than simply ensuring a continuous wood supply. It also means managing forests in ways that ensure the long-term health and well-being of the wild plants and animals that live in them, the water and soil in and around them, the people and communities who live and work in and around them, and those who visit them for relaxation and refreshment. Achieving all these objectives can involve a delicate balancing act among sometimes competing interests, and Craigvinean Forest is an excellent example of this sort of balancing act in practice.

"Different countries have different issues they have to deal with, and they find it helps to talk to other countries about how they are tackling them. For example, illegal logging, whereby people fell trees without proper permission and without replanting them, is not a big issue in Scotland, but for some of our EU neighbours it is quite a serious problem that threatens not only their long-term wood supplies, but also the environment and local people's livelihoods.

"Compared with some of our European neighbours, we don't have a lot of forest in Scotland, but we do punch above our weight on the world stage in terms of developing multi-purpose, sustainable forestry. Our forests are home to many of our most rare and valuable wildlife and ancient monuments, they are increasingly being used by people for a growing range of leisure activities, we are developing our Woods In & Around Towns Initiative to bring the benefits of woods and forests closer to people who live in towns and cities, and we're also producing about five million of tonnes of timber from them at the same time.

"We hope, therefore, that our colleagues from across Europe will find useful lessons among our experiences here in Scotland that they will be able to adapt and apply in their own countries, as I am sure we will learn from hearing about their experiences."