1. Confor Industry Update Stirling Court Hotel
Thank you
Stuart Goodall & Jamie Farquhar
Wednesday 22nd March 2017

2. Lobbying and media Thank you
Forestry debates in Holyrood & Westminster
Evidence to Holyrood committees – budget, climate change and Brexit
UK EFRA committee inquiry
Scottish Forestry Bill
Meeting with Fergus Ewing to discuss indyref2
Countryfile feature on forestry
Post-Brexit rural policy and future planting
Thank you

3. Lobbying and media Thank you Timber Transport funding (STTS)
£7.85m, includes c. £1m for Timberlink
FES restock strategy and plant availability
Annual Recurrent Payments
ARD (Agriculture & Rural Development) Group
Thank you

4. Forestry Grant Scheme @ Feb 2017
1,292 of 1,651 applications approved since 9/2015
9,503 ha new woodland creation approved (1/3 in P&A and CS)
60% conifer or diverse conifer models
Further 3,120 ha NWC submitted & being worked on
plus a further 11,475 ha NWC in pipeline
Anticipate 8,500 to 9,000 ha could be approved for planting in 2017/18 season
Anticipated spend £31m. FCS can still issue manual contracts if you are ready to claim
Thank you

5. Forestry Grant Scheme Thank you Restock – 10,000 ha approved to date
New rates for high cost deer fencing
Bracken control £225/ha for all NWC
Extra £400 / ha for native woods in Highland
Harvesting & Processing grant – ground prep & nurseries?
Planning grant possibility – repayable against 1st capital claim
Review of Standard Costs – ground prep & fencing
Thank you

6. Tree Health Thank you Insyst
P ramorum outbreaks in Mull and …. Revision of zones?
Dendroctonus - R grandis breeding programme at risk … ?
EU Plant Health regime – w.e.f. December 2016
Exemptions from phytosanitory certificates
Plant passporting
Defra led technical working groups – agreement by December 2017
Illegal / counterfeit pesticides – hylobius control (Gazelle SG)
Aceta 20SG, Acetamex 20SP, Persist, Sangue and Vulcan
Insyst
Thank you

8. Green spruce aphid (Elatobium abietinum)
Most important defoliating pest of Sitka spruce
Attacks reduce tree growth - on average by 6% per year (although rarely causes tree mortality)
UK forestry hugely reliant on Sitka spruce.
Climate change (warmer winters) - potential damage increases in future

9. Brown spruce longhorn beetle
Given impacts on red spruce in Canada, concerns over potential impacts on Sitka spruce
Previous interceptions
and findings in the UK,
including near Edinburgh,
but all individuals and not
breeding populations

10. Other matters Thank you EIA regulations to Holyrood in April
Threshold decision with Cab Sec – 5ha to 20ha?
Sporting rates – Appeal - !!!!!!!
Feral pigs – SLE Alyth meeting 19 April
Scotland’s Finest Woodland Awards
Thank you

11. Diary dates Thank you 4/5 April Wood Wisdom – Edinburgh
27 April RSFS annual lecture – James Pendlebury
23 June RHS forestry day SFW awards
7/8 Sept Confor Woodland Show – Longleat
1 Nov Next Mid Scotland SFTT meeting
Thank you

12. Thank you