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News Release from: Forestry Commission | Subject: Sustainability and efficiency of hauling timber
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 14 December 2007
Double boost for timber transport
Scottish timber transport initiatives received a double boost in the form of extra funding and a new study which aims to demonstrate the sustainability and efficiency of hauling timber.
The Scottish Government has decided to extend the life of the Strategic Timber Transport Fund, due to close in January 2008, and will now continue providing financial support until 2011 with a total budget of GBP15m over the next three years The fund aims to help the forest industry deliver practical solutions to reduce the impact of timber lorries on Scotland's rural roads and offer real benefits to rural communities
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 23 Jun 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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A new Scottish Timber Miles survey will start in January 2008 and throughout the year will gather information on a voluntary basis from timber hauliers moving roundwood throughout Scotland.
The survey will identify timber transport trends and analyse the impacts of rising fuel prices and woodfuel developments on wood movement.
Announcing the boost, Environment Minister Michael Russell said: "Since 2005, the Strategic Timber Transport Fund has funded 21 projects with over GBP9 million support".
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"These projects will enable seven million tonnes of timber to be re-routed away from communities or fragile public roads over the next 10 years".
"I am sure that many more projects will be completed over the next three years that will greatly add to these benefits".
""The latest round of the Strategic Timber Transport Scheme approved a further three projects that will deliver many benefits which range from reducing disruption to rural communities, protecting fragile public roads, exploring options for further seas transport thus reducing the environmental impact and help tackle climate change".
""The Scottish Timber Miles survey will support the fund by helping to identify trends in the haulage of timber".
Three new projects were successful in the latest round of applications: Moray Strategic Timber Transport Road Infrastructure Project awarded part funding of GBP65,000.
Two unclassified roads will be upgraded to allow safe access for recreational users and for timber hauliers.
The project will reduce congestion, improve road safety for local communities and facilitate the re-routing of 280k tonnes of timber over the next 10 years.
Upper Loch Fyne Pier Technical and Finance Study awarded part funding of GBP6,000.
This is a study to identify the preferred location for a facility to export timber from Argyll by sea.
This technical and financial study will propose the type of structure, the cost of installation, it will also explore access options, internal logistics and look at the affects on the local community and other businesses.
Fersit Road, Lochaber awarded part funding of GBP100,000.
This project involves civil engineering work on the Fersit Road (public road) to eliminate the current restrictions on timber traffic and other heavy vehicles.
This will allow a number of forest owners to get timber to the market that was not possible due to the lack of suitable local road infrastructure as well as improving access for other businesses and the local community.
The Scottish Timber Miles survey is based on a similar concept to 'food miles' and will analyse the distance travelled relative to the tonnage of timber moved throughout Scotland.
The survey will be carried out every three years.
It is anticipated that the survey will help monitor the impacts of projects such as those funded through the Strategic Timber Transport Scheme and guide the sustainable development of the forest industry in the future.
This work supports the aims of The Scottish Climate Change Programme and the Scottish Forestry Strategy 2006 which set out the contribution that forestry can make to carbon savings, and identified more efficient timber transport as a key issue.
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