Forests matter — economically, ecologically, and culturally. More active, locally grounded forest management that restores ecological balance and enables communities to access, steward, and benefit from the forests that surround them areadvocated.
This paper contends that higher levels of GVA could be generated more widely, more equitably, with more people employed in rural Scotland, if local businesses and communities had more, easier access to timber and state forest land, and if government grants required active forest management. Active forest management over long timescales will yield quality timber, create more local permanent, year-round employment, and will require training and apprenticeships to bring young people into the forest workforce. The Scottish Government can take a lead in moving the sector towards a more sustainable, resilient and people centred type of forestry by creating Regional Forestry Boards to oversee Scottish Forestry grants and regulation, and to provide an accountable level of governance for Forestry and Land Scotland.