Pulled in one direction

With the days getting longer I’ve taken the opportunity to get out and visit Members. Speaking to hard-working, impressive people along the supply chain is hugely motivating and helps me to understand what’s important to Members, both now and longer term.

I’ve been struck by people saying they feel increasingly unable to utilise their own knowledge and experience, constrained by externally imposed ‘rules’. I’ve heard from tree nurseries who have geared up, often with financial support from governments, to provide many more millions of trees which are now going to be destroyed because of actions outside their control.

Recently, many companies across the UK actively considering business investment wrote to ministers seeking a meeting before a decision is made to move ahead with a UKFS amendment that will reduce the maximum percentage of a single species permitted in an existing or new woodland. While recognising climate change related threats, the concern is that this is a blunt action, a one size fits all approach that will come with downsides, especially when it comes to existing woodland.

The common theme here is how much, or indeed how little, many people in the sector feel able to determine their own business’s activity.

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Stuart Goodall

Chief Executive

T: 0131 240 1416

E: stuartg@confor.org.uk

Andy Leitch

Deputy Chief Executive

M: 07881 510171

E: Andy.leitch@confor.org.uk

Eliza Hibbins-Cline

Membership and Marketing

E: eliza@confor.org.uk

Eleanor O’Neill

Communications Manager

M: 07918 255930

E: eleanor.oneill@confor.org.uk

Richard Hunter

Technical and Industry

Support Manager

M: 07867 379657

E: richard.hunter@confor.org.uk

We’ve become accustomed to felling licence legislation, the UK Forestry Standard, EIA regulations, plant health notices, the rules of grant schemes etc. To that list we can now add the Woodland Carbon Code as carbon trading moves from a niche activity to a key consideration in much new woodland creation.

The extent of such control is not new, and all regulated industries have such concerns. Plus, it’s important to say that the industry has and does benefit from the support of the various forestry agencies and governments.

However, I’m now hearing more often from policy makers that productive forestry and timber businesses need to ‘do more’ or that the UKFS is only a baseline that should always be exceeded. To me, the UKFS and UKWAS should be the best balance of economic, environmental and social factors, not a constant shift in one direction.

People I speak to outside the sector are surprised at how little ‘room for manoeuvre’ there is in forestry, and at how the shortterm financial health and long-term resilience of so many businesses are heavily influenced by the decisions and actions flowing from regulation and rules.

I recognise this isn’t a black and white issue, and the context varies from country to country, but maybe the current shade of grey isn’t quite right?

Anthony Geddes

National manager for Wales

T: 07494 079305

E: anthony@confor.org.uk

April Armstrong

National Manager for Scotland

M: 07780 190821

E: april.armstrong@confor.org.uk