Chamber and committees

The national forest estate is managed in accordance with published national strategic directions to deliver economic, social and environmental benefits for the people of Scotland.

In delivering these benefits, Forest Enterprise Scotland is mandated to secure external income where appropriate in order to complement funding from the Scottish Government. This is in accordance with the published key commitment: ‘We will seek a diverse range of income sources to underpin the cost of managing the estate, and we will continually look for ways to achieve best value in delivery of public benefits.’

In broad terms, income from sales of goods and services, principally timber, but also including renewable energy rentals, recreation, minerals and venison, covers the cost of land, forest and property management.

Scottish Government funding supports the delivery of additional community, recreation, tourism and environmental benefits. Income opportunities are also considered where appropriate, for example through parking charges or seeking partnership funds, to increase the level of benefits that can be delivered.

Scottish Government funding also supports capital investments on the national forest estate, such as the recent construction of a timber pier on Mull, the renewal of the estate’s visitor centres, and investment in the timber transport network.

Both the Scottish Government’s executive agencies and Forestry Commission Scotland are vital and integral parts of the Scottish Government and responsible for the direct delivery of public services. Each has a well-defined remit which is aligned with the government’s purpose to create a more successful country through increasing sustainable growth. The priorities and targets set within the National Performance Framework provide a clear vision for the kind of Scotland we want to see. Scotland Performs is the Scottish Government’s tool for reporting progress on overall delivery of the purpose and national outcomes.

The Deputy First Minister set out to Parliament on 19 September 2013 her intention to consult with the Gourock-Dunoon Ferry Services Steering Group on the future options for service and the next steps prior to reaching a conclusion.

Forestry Commission Scotland does not collect data on the total area of private sector forest felled on an annual basis. Although felling licences are issued for fellings, there is no requirement to harvest in a particular year, however most are conditional on appropriate restocking. The volume of timber harvested on private sector land in 2012 was 3.8m green tonnes. Figures for annual area felled on the National Forest Estate are set out in the following table:

Conifer restocking figures for both the National Forest Estate and the private sector are published as statistics by the Forestry Commission annually and these are set out in the following table. A small proportion of the total on the National Forest Estate and in the private sector will be restocking with native pinewoods. The restocking figures for the private sector are only for grant aided restocking. In general terms in recent years, grant aid has not been available for restocking with Sitka spruce and therefore the figures from 2010-11 onwards will significantly underestimate the total level of conifer restocking and are not directly comparable with 2009-10 or previous years.

The comparison of felling and subsequent restock figures will not automatically correspond on a year on year basis. The difference between felling and restock areas will reflect the changes in management practices, such as increasing the fallow period before restocking for improved pest control, to on average between three and five years after felling, and also the introduction of open space to meet modern forest design practices. The felled area in 2012 and 2013 show an increase in the overall area compared with previous years, which corresponds with the operations to harvest trees infected with Phytophthora ramorum and Dothistroma needle blight.

A minor landslide occurred on the A83 Rest and Be Thankful after 16:00 on 15 January 2014. Our operating company, BEAR Scotland and Police Scotland were quickly on site to review and assess the situation and manage the initial response. The A83 was never closed and the Police controlled traffic until an assessment was carried out. This was completed at 17:30, when temporary traffic lights were installed.

The road was fully reopened at 15:55 the following day after the debris, verge and drainage channels were cleared.

The Scottish Government fully appreciates the significance of the A83 trunk road to the communities of Argyll and to the local economy. Over the last seven years, the Scottish Government has spent over £32 million on the A83 trunk road.

Our operating company is currently in the process of procuring the next landslide mitigation phases (10, 11 and 12), which are anticipated to commence on site in February 2014. Progress on this and other works on the A83 are published on the Transport Scotland website: www.transportscotland.gov.uk.

Transport Scotland has also commissioned studies at three other areas on the A83 which are potentially susceptible to disruption due to landslides. These are at Glen Kinglass, Cairndow and Loch Shira. The aim of these studies is to identify solutions to provide a similar level of risk reduction at these areas to that at the Rest and Be Thankful. Draft options reports for each of the sites are currently being prepared.

The UK National Greenhouse Gas Inventory provides the basis for estimates of carbon capture by forests. In 2011, the latest year for which figures are available, Scotland's forests captured over approximately 2.5Mt of carbon (equivalent to over 9MtCO₂). The current inventory applies an assumed average felling date (rotation length) for conifers and broadleaves respectively to reflect the variation in rotation length applied as a result of the ongoing process of diversifying our forest structure to benefit biodiversity, landscape amenity and climate change resilience.

In terms of the efficiency of carbon capture, although fast growing trees capture carbon more quickly, where they are felled the relative benefit in terms of overall carbon capture depends upon the timescale over which comparisons with slower growing species are made and how any harvested timber is used. Over the long-term (>100yrs) a series of rotations of productive conifers often lock up a similar average amount of carbon to long-lived trees such as those in native woodlands.

The Scottish Government strongly supports the use of timber in the construction sector and our Wood First Strategy, referenced in RPP2, sets out to build on Scotland’s good record in use of timber frame construction (in comparison with England and rest of UK) to fuller develop the use of Scottish timber in the design of new homes.

The National Forest Estate is certified under the UK Woodland Assurance Standard which provides an independent assurance that its management conforms to best practice in terms of environmental sustainability. The UKWAS Standard is approved by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes. Whilst it is recognised that in some circumstances (e.g. during restructuring) timber production will exceed the increment, a key requirement of certification is that harvesting and restocking plans do not jeopardise the long term productive potential of the woodland and are consistent with management objectives. This is verified as part of the audit by the UK Accreditation Service accredited auditors.

In priority habitats where the restoration of a peatland habitat is feasible, forest managers will be expected to leave it as open ground and not be replanted.

The table below sets out the figures for total woodland creation, creation of new productive conifer woodlands in the private sector and creation of new conifer woodlands on the National Forest Estate between 2009-10 and 2012-13. Figures for 2009-10 reflect projects that will have been committed prior to the passage of the 2009 Act. The figures for the private sector are only for areas where grant has been paid. These areas are not strictly ‘net’ as they include some small areas of open ground required as part of the UK Forestry Standard. In the five years from 2009, just over 300 ha of new native pinewoods have been planted on the National Forest Estate. These form part of the new conifer planting figures on the National Forest Estate:

Severe weather in Q1 2013 severely impacted on planting rates across Scotland and the final planting figures were lower than anticipated. It is anticipated that some of these affected projects will have slipped to 2013-14.

Figures for new woodland creation are available in greater detail at:

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/forestry.nsf/byunique/infd-7shj56

The Scottish Government is working now with the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation and the Clyde Fishermen’s Association to secure the exemption of prawn fishing vessels active in the Clyde and Kintyre area from time at sea limits imposed under the EU’s Cod Recovery Plan. The Government is strongly committed to pursuing an exemption.

The Government has provided funding of £133,000 for at sea observers who are now gathering new evidence about the very low cod catches of Scottish prawn vessels. By 2 December 2013, 133 fishing trips had been observed and catch data is being collated and analysed. Initial results are very positive in terms of the very low levels of cod catches recorded.

The Government is confident that the data gathered will provide the basis for an application for exemption from effort control under Article 11 of the Cod Recovery Plan. It is planned at present to submit an application to the European Commission before the end of January 2014, in order that it may be considered at a meeting of the European Commission’s scientific advisory committee, scheduled for March 2014.

The Government is also continuing discussions with representatives of prawn vessels in the remaining parts of the west coast, where over 60 vessels are exempt already.