Forestry and woodlands

Funding of over £500,000 will help women and young people develop new agricultural skills and further their careers within the farming sector.

The Next Generation and Women in Agriculture Practical Training Funds will provide successful applicants with £500 each to help pay for practical training courses relevant to farming and crofting.  

The Scottish Rural and Islands Parliament (SRIP) is an important opportunity for voice of rural and island communities to help reinforce the importance of local democracy and to help shape the emerging Rural Delivery Plan. The theme of this year’s SRIP was Village Halls and Community Spaces.

The Scottish Land Commission is taking a groundbreaking step to ensure the well-being of local communities by introducing fresh guidelines that emphasise the importance of community-centred land use decisions.

Holyrood’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee has today launched a call for views to inform its consideration of the Scottish Government’s Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill. 

The legislation represents the Scottish Government’s ‘vision for agriculture’ to transform farming and food production in Scotland and to make it a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

Managed by NatureScot, the Helping Nature fund is an element of the Scottish Government’s flagship £65 million Nature Restoration Fund.

The fund supports practical nature restoration projects with grants of £25,000 to £250,000. In this latest round of awards, 27 projects have been offered grants totalling £4.1 million.

Projects offered Helping Nature funding include:

Tea and Trees with Crofters

Join the Integrating Trees Network for an  online event, Tea and Trees with Crofters, on Thursday 16th November 2023 at 6pm. 

VirtRural Careers 2023

The aim of this event is to raise awareness and increase knowledge of the careers available in Scotland’s land-based, aquaculture and environmental conservation sector. The event is open to anyone interested in finding out more about careers in our sector, whether that be career influencers, students, parents or career changers.

Communities and organisations are being invited to submit their proposals to become Scotland’s next National Park.

A key commitment in the Bute House Agreement is to designate at least one new National Park in Scotland by 2026, to bring positive benefits for the environment and economy.

Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon and Trade Minister Richard Lochhead have written jointly to the UK Government to voice the Scottish Government’s concern about the possibility of the UK Government negotiating a ‘foundational trade partnership’ with the United States of America, as reported recently in the media.

A new edition of the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS), agreed by all four countries, has been published today following a comprehensive review process.

The UKFS is the technical standard for forestry across the UK, which provides the foundations for sustainable forest management.

Pages