A £2m partnership which aims to transform the economic potential of forestry in the south-west is now open for business.
The South West Woodland Renaissance Partnership will focus on supporting woodland management, harvesting, processing, local timber use, woodfuel development and growing the benefits to the industry of non-timber use of woodlands.
Training, quality initiatives, marketing and capital investment will underpin the work.
Jez Ralph, partnership facilitator, said: “People tended to ignore the fact that the woodland industry was part of the regional economy. That is changing and we now have a number of projects seeking funding – from an industry-wide directory to a larger bid centred on development of wood fuel.”
The partnership is the first project of its kind to involve the private, public and voluntary sectors of the forestry and timber industries in the region.
