Information note - No. 55

The Forestry Research Co-ordination Committee met on 16 March 2000 at the Forestry Commission’s Headquarters in Edinburgh.

New publication ‘Short Rotation Coppice and Wood Fuel Symposium; From Research to Renewable Energy’

This publication was released in March 2000 and has been distributed widely. Further copies can be obtained, free of charge, from the ETSU Enquiries Bureau, (Tel: 01235 432450; Fax: 01235 433066). It presents the contributions from a two day seminar held at Forest Research, Alice Holt in March 1999 which focused on:

• Research into the yield of short rotation coppice currently being conducted in a network of sites across the UK.

• Wood fuel production from short rotation coppice and high forest, looking particularly at co-ordination needed to support current and potential programmes.

In addition accounts of the discussion sessions are provided which covered issues such as land use and planning, commercial viability and sustainability.

Agroforestry

The Committee considered papers prepared by the UK Agroforestry Forum and presented by Dr Jim McAdam (Chairman) and Mr Alan Sibbald (Secretary). There was detailed discussion of the practice, economics and environmental benefits of agroforestry. Its contribution to rural development is being taken forward effectively in Northern Ireland and a Forestry Commission bulletin ‘Agroforestry in the UK’ will be published in April 2000. The Agroforestry Forum is the FRCC’s link to this area of research and the two experimental networks (silvoarable and silvopastoral) are regarded as valuable research resources.

Forestry Policy

The new Scottish Forestry Strategy was distributed to Committee members and the influence of the Scottish Forestry Strategy and the Wales Woodland Strategy on research programmes will be considered at the next FRCC meeting.

The UK Government’s Sustainable Programme was published in Autumn 1999 and the FC will publish a new UK sustainability document during 2000. This will set out the UK’s international commitments, the implications of national policy and of the country strategies in this area and the way that these will be delivered.

Annual Collation of Forest Research

The results of the 1999 Collation were summarised in FRCC Information Note No. 54. Details of research projects underway between April 2000 and March 2001 have been requested from the principal funders of forestry and tree-related research. New main subject areas which reflect current research priorities will be used in the database this year. A ‘near complete’ collation will be presented to the Committee in November with a view to release in January 2001.

FRCC is now chaired by Mr T Rollinson, Head of the FC’s Policy and Practice Division, Dr D Rook of the Scottish Forestry Trust has joined the Committee and some of the individuals who represent other member organisations have changed.

April 2000