Perspective from a Forester
We asked Tom Clark, Forest Manager for Czernin-Kinsky, a Dalry-based commercial forestry company, to give us an insight into how current changes to the forest sector.
With regard to the way Government targets on planting are being rolled out, what are your thoughts on how this is being progressed?
Government targets for tree planting and forest expansion are ambitious and perhaps unsurprisingly, as a professional forester, I would broadly support the mission to increase forest cover. The annual targets have been met for the last few years now, so on that basis alone, the conclusion must be that forest expansion is on target. However, I appreciate that the devil is in the detail and there can be more to it than simply the number of acres planted.
Is this sustainable, in terms of land use balance?
Scotland definitely has room for more forest. However, we must be extremely careful that this forest expansion takes place only in areas of least value to the agricultural sector and the communities it supports. The recent spike in land values, which is largely being driven by the demand from corporate and institutional interests to offset their carbon emissions, is leading to better and better farms being identified for woodland expansion as the price per acre becomes comparable to that of the poorer quality land. In my view, this situation which is being turbocharged by Scottish Government incentives and indirect funding via the National Investment Bank, is as naïve as it is unsustainable and is leading to a rapid and irreversible change in rural demographics, concentration of land ownership into fewer hands, and raises justifiable concerns surrounding food security and agricultural critical mass.
Should communities have more say and if so, how?
Communities currently have a mechanism to influence, consult with, or oppose new woodland creation schemes via Scottish Forestry’s (SF) public consultation process. This system I believe works reasonably well, however given the number of schemes now on the system, some community councils are finding it difficult to fully assess each proposal within the 28 day timescale. Perhaps a longer consultation period would be of benefit to allow communities enough time to fully weigh up each proposal would be of benefit. I also see no harm in visitors to the SF website being able to access outline woodland designs, scoping maps, etc which are currently only available on request. Foresters also need to improve their engagement with communities - gone are the days of sticking a scheme into the system and hiding behind the state regulator. We need to be known, approachable, able to communicate our aims effectively, and willing to make some compromises where appropriate, something that I concede the industry has failed on in the past. Put simply, we need to be part of the community.
As an established forestry manager in the area, how do you see new planting schemes in terms of the future of the area - can you see how things could potentially be done better/differently?
New planting schemes will continue to come on stream in the coming years. The increasing age demographic of hill farmers coupled with decreasing relative returns from farming and increasing returns from timber long term will likely see that trend continue. In Galloway we have the combination of a perfect climate, nearby industrial processing facilities, a skilled labour resource and suitable land for planting which makes it a very attractive proposition for commercial forestry. In my ideal world, I’d like to see existing landowners consider planting some trees as part of their farm or estate businesses, a scaled grant system favouring smaller landowners would help this. This would help build the link between forestry and farming as well as keeping a working population near the forests and engaged with them, as opposed to being owned, managed and profited from remotely.
The company I represent owns around 12,000 acres of mostly commercial forestry in the Glenkens, this directly supports 6 well paid, permanent jobs as well as approximately 7 full time equivalent contract jobs in a remote rural area. We all live locally, many of us putting kids through schools and spending money in the local economy. We have run a successful apprenticeship scheme in the past and will soon be advertising for a 6 month internship program in association with the Galloway Glens Partnership. It is in our interest to hire locally and reinvest as much locally as possible. I would like to think this is a good example of how forestry can be of real tangible benefit to rural areas.