Scottish secretary Alistair Darling visited timber processors John Gordon & Son, Nairn as part of a tour of businesses in the Highlands.
Mr Darling said he was impressed by the company’s collaboration with the Forestry Commission to harvest previously inaccessible timber from remote forests in the Highlands and Islands and transport it by sea to Inverness for harvesting.
“This is an innovative example of shifting timber traffic off our roads”, he said. “This contract alone will account for around 100,000 tonnes being moved by sea, greatly reducing the number of lorry trips on rural roads.”
