Biggest ever Confor Dinner & Awards celebration held in Edinburgh

Later, Confor CEO Stuart Goodall highlighted the deep industry concerns over the budget cut, noting that nurseries would have to make decisions soon about how many young trees to grow for the coming years, and without additional funding being made available quickly nurseries would inevitably reduce their production, ‘baking in’ a significant reduction in future tree supply and meaning woodland creation targets would be significantly undershot for at least the next 3-4 years. 

He warned Scotland that its much vaunted position as the best place to plant trees and invest in wood production in the UK could not be guaranteed because there had been real progress made on fast-tracking approvals in England and work with industry to develop a National Wood Strategy for England and a Timber in Construction Roadmap, while Scotland was falling back following the funding cut and was at risk of standing still at best in the coming years.

Gordon Brown MICFor, CEO and Co-Founder of TreeStory, has experience spanning the public, charity and private sectors. TreeStory was the first woodland and habitat consultancy in the UK to be awarded B Corp accreditation and Gordon developed the TreeStory Woodland Charter to ensure all their projects put nature first. He is a passionate advocate for professionalism and encourages all his staff to pursue chartered status.

Photo L-R: Louise Simpson (ICF), Gordon Brown MICFor (SAF Woodland Management) & Geraint Richards MVO FICFor

Daniel Iddon, Company Director of SAF Woodland Management, has a deep passion for changing current thinking on planting practices and soil health. He has impressed by bringing eDNA testing into the mainstream conversation around understanding the benefits of and mimicking woodland soils. He is credited with having a fresh way of thinking and being able to back up his approach with a phenomenal amount of data and tech.

Daniel was unfortunately unable to attend the event. The award was collected on his behalf by Anthony Geddes MICFor.

Photo L-R: Sir William Worsley (Forestry Commission), Anthony Geddes MICFor (Pryor & Rickett Silviculture) & Simon Hodgson (Forestry & Land Scotland).

Rainbow Professional developed the Rainbow Terra as a truly “clean conscience shelter” by prioritizing the use of natural resources over oil, implementing a circular wood-based approach, and employing a low-carbon manufacturing process. The goal of the shelter is to eliminate the need for recycling and mitigate the climatic impact of conventional plastics. This innovative approach sets them apart, showcasing a strong commitment to sustainability.

Photo L-R: Pierre Talpe (Rainbow Professional), Bethany Mason (Rainbow Professional) & Stuart Pearson (Tilhill)