Thrill of the Hill – Talking Timber

Thrill of the Hill is back! Season 3 #1 – Talking Timber. In this episode we hear from SAC Woodland Specialist Ben Law about the current state of play in Scottish forestry, integration of woodland in the farmed upland environment, the normalisation of trees across all sectors and lessons to be taken from Storm Arwen.

Consider sooner rather than later where integrated farm forestry could benefit your agricultural business, and seek professional, impartial advice at the earliest opportunity- it takes time to develop a new woodland creation, and with high demand/limited resources in market at present, it’s worth starting this process as early as possible. 

Farm forestry doesn’t have to be about planting whole farms in trees, and it isn’t a bad thing- integrated farm forestry can improve the productivity of your land, improve resilience, offer new income opportunities, and protect your holding from a changing climate. 

Even if you are considering growing trees to offset your own emissions, absolutely consider registering your project with the Woodland Carbon Code (WCC) before planting starts. If you later have carbon units surplus to your needs, these can’t be sold via the WCC if the project has not been registered prior to planting. It doesn’t cost a lot to register/validate, but could cost you a fortune in lost opportunities if you miss the deadline to register before planting starts. 

Linked FAS Resources: 

Scotland’s Rural Land Market and Natural Capital https://www.landcommission.gov.scot/downloads/62546512f4179_Land%20Market%20Summary_FINAL.pdf 

Farm Woodlands https://www.fas.scot/crops-soils/farm-woodlands/ 

Food and Footprint https://www.sruc.ac.uk/business-services/consulting/sustainability/food-footprint/ 

Farm Woodlands and Forestry https://www.sruc.ac.uk/business-services/consulting/farm-woodlands-forestry/ 

Forestry Grant Scheme Statistics: January 2022 https://forestry.gov.scot/publications/1395-forestry-grant-scheme-statistics-january-2022/viewdocument/1395