The Scottish Government showed its support for the awards last year, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announcing the Schools and Early Years Awards and Environment Minister Máiri McAllan – whose brief covers forestry – revealing the Community Woodlands’ winners.
Ms McAllan said: “The addition of the Climate Change Champion and Early Years Awards in 2021 illustrated the importance of woodland in supporting Scotland’s world-leading climate change ambitions – and engaging young people in trees and woods at a young age. All the winners were clearly passionate about high-quality woodlands, and I look forward to another year of exceptional entries to celebrate this new golden era of forestry in Scotland.”
The Climate Change Champion Award has been developed in partnership with Forest Research, who will again provide expert judges in 2022. Category entrants, including schools or nurseries, can choose to enter this award alone or enter more than one award category.
All the other popular categories return in the long-running Awards, which were held online in 2021 after a 2020 Covid-cancellation.
Regular Award categories return, including the ever-popular Crown Estate Scotland Schools Award, won by Pitlochry High School in 2021. The Quality Timber Awards return too, with three different categories: new commercial wood, multi-purpose forest or whole estate, and a single stand/compartment or small wood.
The two Farm Woodland Awards are back – the Scottish Woodlands Ltd Trophy for Young People won in 2021 by Nikki and James Yoxall of Howemill near Huntly, Aberdeenshire, and the SAC Consulting-sponsored award for any farm woodland, won in 2021 by Wendy Seel and Anne Taylor’s organic vegetable business at Midmar, Aberdeenshire.
The Awards hope to return ‘live’ at the Royal Highland Show in 2022, but options are being kept open for a possible hybrid, or entirely online, event.
Entries must be submitted by 31st March 2022. For full details, criteria and entry forms. see: www.sfwa.co.uk
