The Forestry & Timber Association (FTA) has been officially launched in Scotland, aiming to provide an ‘independent voice’ for the country’s rapidly expanding forestry industry.
Launching the organisation at the Royal Highland Show on June 21, Scottish FTA chairman Michael Bruce said it would work hard to develop partnerships with members, their advisors, agencies and regulatory bodies.
He said: “Scotland’s timber harvest has the potential to double over the next 10 years. Most of this potential increase in production will come from privately-owned and managed woods. The big question though is how we are going to build and create markets for all that wood.”
He said despite some “doom and gloom”, the industry has high-profile support including the Scottish Forestry Strategy with its emphasis on timber production, the Scottish Forestry Cluster’s focus on economic development, the wood. for good campaign building market share and Treefest 2002 creating a positive public image for forestry.
The FTA has nearly 600 members in Scotland and more than 150,000ha of woodland in membership. It will represent the views of its members and foster an environment in which growers and others can operate effectively, responsibly and profitably.
The organisation, the result of a merger between the Association of Professional Foresters and Timber Growers Association, has already been launched in Northern Ireland and will expand to England and Wales later this year.
