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Download Fuel Wood Leaflets

From here - Fuelwood For Homes (11a) and Fuelwood for Communities (11b) - Reforesting Scotland Journal, Issue 39 for Spring/Summer 2009

Scottish Government Review Forest Leasing Plans

Forestry to make bigger impact on climate change
Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham is to drive forward a number of options which will ensure Scotland¹s national forests make a bigger impact on tackling climate change.
These options will include developing joint ventures on renewable energy projects, making the Scotland Rural Development Programme more effective in stimulating woodland creation, urging the Treasury to consider tax incentives and continuing to dispose of surplus land to raise income to establish new woodlands.
After careful consideration, the Minister has written to the Conveners of the relevant Parliamentary Committees, Maureen Watt MSP and Patrick Harvie MSP, to inform them that the proposal of leasing parts of Scotland¹s national forests to private companies will not be taken forward.
Instead, Forestry Commission Scotland will now work to develop the other options to raise the money needed for increased tree planting to contribute fully to climate change targets.
Ms Cunningham said: "Forests and woodlands play an important role in the fight against climate change. By planting more trees we can lock up more carbon and reduce the harmful impact our emissions have on the planet.
"Current planting rates in Scotland are too low and we must dramatically increase them if we are to make a significant contribution towards the Scottish Government¹s ambitious climate change target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 and increase woodland cover in Scotland.
"The recent consultation exercise put forward a number of options for consideration which would help maximise the use of the national forest estate in tackling climate change. We are keen to take some of those forward. I have asked Forestry Commission Scotland to continue developing arrangements for joint venture agreements for renewable energy projects. I have also asked that further work be undertaken to find other ways of raising more money for woodland creation. The consultation responses are very helpful in this process.
"However, a consultation is exactly that: an opportunity to explore ideas and gather in views and opinions.  I have taken a good look at the options put forward and all the responses. After giving this
serious consideration and in view of the comments we received, I have decided not to take leasing any further.
"On taking this decision, we should be under no illusion that without the leasing option, we now need to consider ways of raising funds in order to plant more trees such as those that I have already
mentioned."
Options that were supported by key stakeholders in the consultation and will be explored further by Forestry Commission Scotland include:

• Exploring whether the Scotland Rural Development Programme could give more help to stimulate woodland creation, by making farm woodlands more attractive as an option for land managers;
• Urging the Treasury to examine how tax incentives can be used to generate more planting; and
• Developing the use of well-established arrangements whereby the Commission disposes of surplus land which does not meet Scottish Government objectives.

The income generated is used to buy other areas of land to create new woodlands which provides economic, social and environmental benefits. The Commission has already been doing this since 2005.

CWA Host Riddoch Questions - January 2009

Controversial Scottish Government proposals to lease large tracts of Forestry Commission land to private investors came under fire during a radio debate broadcast on Friday 23 January.

Scotland’s Environment Minister Mike Russell defended the proposals and repeatedly pledged that changes would open up opportunities for communities, during recording of the popular BBC Radio Scotland show Riddoch Questions. The event was organised by the Community Woodlands Association (CWA) which represents more than 140 community groups across Scotland.

Presenter Lesley Riddoch hosted Monday’s debate at Pitlochry Festival Theatre.  A 60 strong, diverse audience of community woodland group members and private land managers quizzed panel members SNP Environment Minister, Michael Russell MSP; Labour Rural Affairs shadow Minister, Sarah Boyack MSP; Jon Hollingdale, chief executive of the Community Woodlands Association; Simon Milne, chief executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust and Stuart Goodall, the  Confederation of Forest Industries’ chief executive.

The draft Climate Change Bill currently out for consultation contains proposals which could see up to a quarter of Forestry Commission land in Scotland being leased to a single private investment institution to raise money to help deliver government climate change targets.

Questioned about the impact that these widely criticised measures could have on community interests, the Minister pledged that any arrangements put in place would fully protect community interests, including access and recreation, and boost potential for communities to manage local assets.  

During the debate Mr Russell repeatedly stressed that the legislative changes would also open up opportunities for community groups to lease areas of the Forestry Commission estate where there was  a need for local development and renewable energy projects. 

Piers Voysey, chairman of the Community Woodlands Association said: “We certainly welcome the challenge laid down by the Minister to come up with some radical responses to climate change as we believe that local communities must be at the heart of actions to tackle this global challenge. We support proposals to allow Forestry Commission Scotland to enter into joint ventures and to lease land, where this will deliver additional public benefits.

“However, we are not convinced that leasing 25% of the national forest estate for 75 years to a single organisation is the best way to generate funds for woodland expansion, or to safeguard future opportunities for community development and environmental enhancement in Scotland’s forests.”

The CWA will be responding formally to the government consultation on the Climate Change Bill forestry measures, which is open for comment from forestry interests and the public until Tuesday 27 January.

 

Scotland Rural Development Programme - Seminar

CWA will hold a Seminar on SRDP funding opportunities for Rural Businesses in Invergarry Village Hall, Great Glen on Wed 29th October.

This half day event, hosted by CWA, is being delivered by Roger Coppock, FCS Business Development Policy Adviser and staff from FCS Highland Conservancy.

The event will bring together representatives from community woodland groups to learn from case examples and an opportunity to ask questions of those in FCS who will deal with assessment of applications.  This will be a small event of up to 15 people.  It is free to CWA members (up to 2 delegates per group) so if you have not yet connected with the opportunities for funding support available to community groups and rural businesses through the SRDP, or want to find out how to access the funding this may be the event to get you started.

Contact Andrew Thompson if you would like more details or are interested in a similar event in your area. 

 

SRDP is now Open!

The new Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) has now opened and land owners/managers can begin the application process to the Rural Development Contracts: Rural Priorities (RDC:RP) funding stream, which incorporates a wide range of grants for forestry and land management, business development and community projects.

Details of all the "options" (the actual types of work which can be funded, and the grant rates) for funding under Rural Priorities can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Rural/SRDP/RuralPriorities/Options . Applications will be required to demonstrate that the operations they propose deliver regional priorities - these are also listed on the SRDP site.

At the moment at least it appears a dizzying and extremely bureaucratic process: Andrew, Jake and I are working hard to ensure that we understand it - and can effectively guide you through the process. Over the next couple of months we will provide simple (well, as simple as we can make it...) guides to the process and the different funding streams, these will be circulated through the e-group and made available on the CWA website. In the meantime, if you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask, we’ll try and find the answer!