The joy of native hardwoods Is there a market for Scottish-grown hardwood other than as biomass and woodfuel? Luke Wilson asks sawmill owner Mark Councill of Logie Timber in the Findhorn valley near Forres.
Cell-grown trees have a robust root system.
Who are Logie Timber and what do you do?
Giving young trees a head start Lauren Glass explains the benefits of using cell-grown stock. AlBA TReeS are specialists in cellgrown plants, producing more than 18 million trees a year, a figure which is increasing rapidly. Galbraith, one of our biggest clients, uses our cell grown stock for a number of projects from rewilding to afforestation. Cell grown stock has many benefits as the small individual containers they are grown in are specially designed to eliminate root-spiralling and offer substantial benefits to the establishment and growing on of the plants. Our trees are grown in deep cell trays which can be safely graded and dispatched from the nursery all year round without damage to the roots. Cell-grown plants can be planted at any time of year – which is of particular benefit in summer and autumn before bareroot trees have gone dormant and can be lifted. The high establishment percentage of cell grown trees means there are minimal stock losses and a reduced beat-up requirement. They are also easy to plant as ground cultivation is minimised. If planting is delayed by weather or other factors, cellgrown stock can be held for several weeks without problems provided the roots are kept moist. Our cell-grown trees are sturdy and robust to withstand handling and transit, though they must be handled with a little care to ensure the root plugs stay intact. Keeping the stock sheltered before planting is crucial to prevent freezing or
overheating, and trees should not be stored in the dark for long periods of time. One of the main benefits of cellgrown stock is the lack of root disturbance unlike bare root trees which lose a proportion of root in the lifting process and will take time to recover. During planting some of the long straggly root systems will fall victim to a spade, and in warmer periods this can result in bare-root trees dying if they have not managed to grow back a sufficient root system. By contrast, cell-grown trees have a robust root system contained within the plug, meaning they are much less prone to transplanting shock. As cell-grown trees can be supplied in a growing phase through spring, summer and autumn, there will be root activity within the plug which allows trees to get established before the onset of winter. Tree planting is currently at the forefront of government thinking and the Scottish Government continues to increase annual targets. The 2020/21 planting target has increased to 12,000 hectares, an increase of 800 hectares on 2019 figures. In 2019 84% of all new UK planting was in Scotland. Alba is working closely with the wider industry and the government to meet those targets. Cell-grown trees can often be produced more quickly than traditional bare-root growing, meaning we can bring more trees to market more quickly to match industry needs. Lauren Glass is e-sales manager at Alba Trees lg@albatrees.co.uk 01620 825058
Page 20 | Forestry Matters | Summer 2020 | galbraithgroup.com
We are a relatively new company and it’s a partnership between myself and Alec Laing. The business encompasses a sawmill, wood drying kiln and showroom aimed at processing local Scottish trees to produce high quality timber products, with a focus on furniture grade hardwood. We also offer services such as tree felling and extraction, planting and can also provide advice on the correct wood to be using for particular projects or connect you with local makers to build it for you. I like to think of this as the full circle approach. If it involves wood, we can help! Alec and I both share a passion for developing a market for high quality timber in the region. I’m an established forester and tree surgeon in the local area and can source timber from forestry jobs where it would otherwise be a waste product or firewood. Alec manages his family’s property, Logie Estate, which has a significant amount of timber including interesting woods that aren’t suitable for traditional commercial forestry which we can put to good use at the mill. The idea of adding value to our local natural resources was the initial impetus to start Logie Timber. What makes you unique?
We offer a full range of services but I think what makes us unique is our Boardroom. This is effectively our shop front. Based at Logie Steading, it’s filled with timber suitable for furniture, mantelpieces, cladding, fencing, table tops, turning blanks and offcuts. The general public can come in and pick a stunning piece of Scottish timber right off the shelf and take it away without the need to spend hours and hours sanding it down to get it smooth and level. How do you source your timber? Is it difficult to find or has your business model overcome this?
We are in regular contact with forest managers, landowners and private individuals to source the timber we need. Sometimes we have specific requirements but we will always consider buying any timber, even if we don’t have a use for it straight away. Our business model has evolved to capitalise on the available timber and we work with the wood to take advantage of the unique character of individual logs. This means a lot of our products, especially hardwoods, are one-off and cannot be replicated, which only adds to the appeal in my opinion.
