Forestry and wood processing at the crossroads

Stuart Goodall, Chief Executive of Confor, who will speak at the event, said: “Forestry and wood processing is a modern-day success story in Scotland, adding £1.1 billion annually to the economy, investing heavily in rural communities and making a huge contribution to the country's 2045 net zero target.

“However, industry growth has relied on increasing availability of wood, but that supply is forecast to fall in coming decades - so we’re at a crossroads.”

He added: "The decision to slash the woodland creation budget for 2024-25 damaged confidence, and without that new source of future wood, the whole supply chain faces difficult questions on whether to invest further in Scotland.

“There are also continuing concerns about inconsistent application and approval processes, and ever-changing standards, regulations and grant rules.

"Falling confidence could see investment leak from Scotland. To avoid that, we need clear policy and settled funding from Governments in Scotland and London.”

The conference will be followed by a workshop on new contract templates for regulating the sale and purchase of carbon units from carbon sequestration projects, registered under the Woodland Carbon Code and the Peatland Code. Scottish Forestry has worked with three legal firms, including Brodies, on the development of these contracts.

"The project aims to encourage more landowner participation in carbon sequestration schemes, and increase the number of such schemes across the UK," said Mr Leith.