Working Woods for Foresters

Working Woods for Foresters is a two-day training event that offers foresters and woodland managers a unique opportunity to increase their knowledge of how to grow and manage deciduous trees for the production of hardwood timber. It will bring together a group of 12 participants from across the sector and promote knowledge sharing and networking. This is a partnership event from the Institute of Chartered Foresters, Scottish Forestry Trust and Association of Scottish Hardwood Sawmillers (ASHS).

The content is based on a highly successful three-day course run several times by ASHS for a wider range of professionals. In targeting forest managers, the course will focus on key aspects of silvicultural management for managing broadleaf woodland for timber and how to identify good timber for hardwood production. This will help delegates capitalise on the increasing opportunities for hardwood production, diversify their practice and grow a network of colleagues to collaborate with.

Programme

Day one     Scottish Wood

10:00            Coffee, registration and course packs

10:15             Welcome and health and safety

10:30             Participant introductions

10:45             What the trade expects

12:00             Scottish Wood – tour of yard and show room

13:00             Lunch

13:30             Qualities, problems, measurement and value of logs

15:00             Sawmilling demonstration

15:15              Qualities, problems, measurement and value of cut timber

16:00             Roundup and questions

16:30             Close

Day two      Inzievar Woods and Falkland Estate

08:30             Meet at Scottish Wood

08:45             Inzievar Woods – assessment of standing hardwoods

10:15              Depart for Falkland Estate

11:15               Woodland management and silviculture of broadleaves

13:00             Lunch

13:30             Tree nurseries and sourcing stock

14:00             Woodland management and silviculture of broadleaves

16:00              Close

Speakers

Jim Birley – Founder and Director, Scottish Wood

Jim is the manager and founder of Scottish Wood, a social enterprise hardwood sawmill started up in 1999. He has a team of thirteen who cut, process and season only Scottish-grown hardwoods, along with home grown larch and douglas fir. Scottish Wood is a member of ASHS (Association of Scottish Hardwood Sawmillers), for whom they have hosted and led a number of training events at the mill.

Andrew Macqueen – Forester, Andrew Macqueen Silviculture

Andrew is an independent forester based in South Scotland, involved in various aspects of forestry but specialising in site recognition and species selection. He is passionate about increasing diversity of both species and silvicultural systems in our forests and keen to reduce the polarisation between ‘productive’ and ‘native’ forestry. To that end, he is involved with hardwood tree breeding through the Future Trees Trust and is secretary of the birch improvement group.

Kate Tuer MICFor – Woodland Advisor, Tuer Forest and Land Management

Kate has worked in Scotland’s forest industry for over 20 years. Her interest in hardwoods developed when she was a commercial harvesting manager for Forest Enterprise, when hardwoods would occasionally fall into her path, with the development of the niche marketing service and the Barcaldine Sawmill enterprise following later. She later moved to the private sector and advised landowners on adding value to their broadleaf woodlands, and on how to find practical and cost-effective silvicultural solutions to produce quality timber on sub-optimal and environmentally sensitive sites. Kate is currently an independent Woodland Advisor engaged in new woodland creation and the restoration of native woodlands for a broad range of landowners on the west coast of Scotland, where managing sensitive sites and challenging logistics, often with sawmilling on site, adds to the fun.

Applications

We are now accepting applications for this training course. Please fill in this application form before the closing date of 21 April 2023.