Monday, July 15, 2024
The forestry section of Scotland is amazingly improving and they have proved it again with the ‘remarkable’ increase of economic impact of the forestry and wood sector. Scotland has continued to increase, with all new statistics revealing that it is worth £1.1 billion and employs more than 34,000 people.
Confor‘s Chief Executive said the figures – announced by Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes on a visit to West Fraser, a manufacturer of wood-based panels in the Highlands – were a “remarkable” achievement in the face of major challenges, and reflected growing demand for wood as a low-carbon material. The independent study reveals that the forestry and wood sector in Scotland now supports over 34,000 jobs, a significant increase from the 25,867 reported in the previous study published in September 2015. Additionally, the economic impact has risen to £1.1 billion, up from £954 million in 2015.
Confor CEO Stuart Goodall said: “It’s good news for Scotland that this increasingly important industry has experienced such strong growth. To have increased levels of employment by 30% and annual economic impact by more than 15% is remarkable in the face of unprecedented economic challenges.” “It is testament to the resilience and ingenuity of the people working in the sector, and the growing demand for wood as a low carbon material.” Mr. Goodall added further.
Mr Goodall also praised Confor members – including West Fraser, based at Dalcross, near Inverness and hosts for the visit by Kate Forbes – for its part in securing the strong numbers. “In recent years we have seen hundreds of millions of pounds of investment and businesses expanding and recruiting new staff,” he added.
George Webb, European Purchasing Director for West Fraser, said: “It’s highly appropriate that the Deputy First Minister announced these positive new figures at Dalcross, which has seen the largest investment in any UK wood processing site over the last decade. Around £200 million has been invested in world-leading technology at the plant, to increase production capacity and meet growing European demand for oriented strand board (OSB). This investment illustrates West Fraser’s commitment to our Scottish workforce and supply chain. Across our two sites in Scotland, at Dalcross and at Cowie in Stirlingshire, we now employ 500 people directly and substantially more in the supply chain.”
OSB is extensively used in construction for walls, roofs, and flooring, as well as in furniture production. The Dalcross mill, the largest of its kind in Europe, produces approximately 750,000 cubic metres of OSB annually, consuming over a million tonnes of wood fibre. West Fraser is collaborating with the Scottish Government to secure funding aimed at enhancing the supply chain. This improvement involves establishing a rail link to transport materials to and from the Dalcross site via a freight line spur from the recently opened Dalcross Inverness Airport railway station.
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