Forestry and woodlands

Angus delegates, interested in driving forward rural skills in Angus, participated in a learning visit to Fife Rural Skills partnership recently.

It was really useful to hear how the work of the partnership has developed over the last few years and a number of new connections were made.  

One Angus delegate said:

"I was inspired by today's visit and see many opportunities for work to be developed in Angus."

The SRUC Rural Policy Centre has launched its Rural Scotland in Focus 2016 report.

The report provides a fast-track to up-to-date evidence and commentary on key topics of rural and national importance, in order to inform policy, practice and research.

Rural Scotland in Focus 2016 is the fourth report in the series, and was launched at an event in Edinburgh on 29 November attended by over 90 people.

Mike Strachan from Forestry Commission Scotland reports on the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) workshop on 'New value chains from multi-functional forests held in Vienna on 10 and 11 November 2016.

The European Innovation Partnership (EIP) aims to bridge the gap between Research and Practice in Agriculture, Food and Forestry across Europe.  I was fortunate to be invited to attend the workshop in Vienna where I helped to lead discussions on the role of Agroforestry in supporting value chains. Eighty participants from 21 countries attended.

Woodland: making it work for you. Management, woodland creation and woodfuel

A practical on-farm afternoon looking at benefits of managing farm woodlands, new plantings, business opportunities and agri environment schemes. The event will include discussion on woodland creation, how to manage existing woodland, opportunities for wood fuel production and biomass boilers. Speakers include Simon MacGillivray, Chartered Forester; Joe Fergusson, Energy Agency,  Richard Huston, Farm Business Services and Forestry Commission Scotland.

Woodland: making it work for you - Management, planting and utilisation

A practical on-farm afternoon looking at benefits of managing farm woodlands, new plantings and business opportunities. The event will include discussion on woodland creation, riparian and shelter belt planting, how to manage existing woodland and opportunities for wood fuel production. Speakers from Woodland Trust Scotland, Forestry Commission Scotland and Jeremy Thompson, Forest Direct.

Booking is required. For further information please call Lyn on 07899 791748 or email lwhite@soilassociation.org

Building a transnational capacity-building network for common land graziers – taking the first steps

Creation of a formal capacity-building, experience-sharing, mutually-supportive and collaboration-catalysing network for graziers of common and communal land and their organisations from across Europe.

Find out more

The latest newsletter from the European Innovation Partnerships in agriculture and forestry (EIP-AGRI) is now available.

Farmers and foresters from all over the European Union are trying out new ideas and finding solutions to problems with the help of researchers, vets and others. 

Lantra Scotland is now accepting nominations for its 2017 Land-based and Aquaculture Learner of the Year Awards.

Now in their fourteenth year, the awards celebrate the achievements of the country's most talented Modern Apprentices, trainees, school pupils, mentors and secondary schools.

2016 Biodiversity Science Conference - Connecting People and Environment

The relationships between people and the environment are central to both driving and addressing the major current threats to biodiversity. There is growing concern that many people are becoming increasingly disconnected from their environment.

Conserving biodiversity, and sustainably managing our environment, needs an understanding of how people interact with the environment to produce the benefits that they receive and to find ways to overcome barriers to sustainably managing the land.

The Plunkett Foundation's Community Ownership Awards 2016 are open for entries.

Community-owned businesses in the UK and Ireland are being encouraged to enter the awards run by the national charity Plunkett Foundation.

The awards have nine geographic categories and are open to all forms of trading activity from shops and pubs to farms, woodlands and broadband projects.

Launching the Awards, Plunkett’s Head of Frontline James Alcock said:

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