03 Apr 2024
Prestigious Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards ceremony moved to National Tree Week
The Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards ceremony will be moved to November to give the chance to celebrate National Tree Week at the same time, the charity’s Trustees have announced.
The decision was made after the Scottish Parliament was secured as a venue to showcase the best of woods and forests across Scotland. It also means the deadline for entries can be extended to the end of May – allowing even more of the best practice from farms to forestry to communities, and of course the battle against climate change, to be championed.
Jean Nairn, Executive Director of Scotland’s Finest Woods, said: “Finding a new home for the Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards is a great opportunity for us. Climate, community, forestry and farming are at the heart of what we do and we are excited to take the celebrations to the Scottish Parliament.
“And, what could be a better time for all this than National Tree Week when the focus will be on the woodlands and forests of the country?”
The awards ceremony will be on November 27 with the new deadline of May 31 for entries.
However, in order for judging to fit into the school year, the Schools and Early Years Awards deadline remained at March 31 and has now passed.
There are 11 trophies on offer in six categories at the Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards 2024 – New Native Woods, Farm Woodland, Quality Timber, Community Woodlands, Climate Change Champion, and Schools and Early Years.
Because of this breadth of awards, anyone with a high-quality project can still enter, whether that be a forestry business – small or large – an expert forester, farmer or crofter, or a community woodland group.
Guy Watt, Chair of Scotland’s Finest Woods, the charity which operates the programme, said: “This year was already looking set to be a great success and because we have secured the Scottish Parliament during National Tree Week it only promises to be even better.
“Celebrating and championing the environment as well as the community and commercial work which contributes to a wonderful diversity of woodlands in our country is really important and it is great we continue to do this.
“The work of the judges, sponsors and supporters and of course the entrants, means we can enjoy this fantastic celebration of trees, woodland and forestry in all its forms, so huge thanks go to all of them.”
For full details, criteria and entry forms see: www.sfwa.co.uk
ENDS
Contact Information
Scotland's Finest Woods - Media
Scotland's Finest Woods
media@sfwa.co.uk
Notes to editors
For more information and all media inquiries please contact Nick Drainey at media@sfwa.co.uk or 07711441707
The full list of awards and last year’s winners are:
Climate Change Champion
Winner of the CarbonStore trophy for Climate Change Champion: The Future Forest Company for Dumyat, near Stirling
Highly commended: Clyde Climate Forest
Early Years Award
Winner of the Scottish Forestry Early Years’ Trophy: Bushcraft Bairns, Comrie Croft, Perthshire
Schools Award
Winners of the Crown Estate Scotland Schools’ Trophy: Fordyce Primary School, near Portsoy, Aberdeenshire
Commended: Banchory Academy
Commended: Linnvale Primary School, Clydebank
Commended: Oakbank Primary School, Perth
Farm Woodland Award
Winner of the Scottish Woodlands Trophy for Young People: David Carruth at Brodoclea, Dalry, North Ayrshire for The Future Forest Company
Lilburn Trophy for Farm Woodlands – not awarded
New Native Woods Award
Winner of the Woodland Trust Scotland Trophy for New Native Woods: Martyn's Wood, Crannich, Isle of Mull
Highly Commended: Strathvaich New Native Woodland, Garve, Highlands
Commended: Camas Wood, Isle of Mull
Commended: Storakaig Wood, Islay
Quality Timber Awards
The Dulverton Flagon
Winner of the Dulverton Flagon as a special prize for the successful balance between commercial forestry and competing objectives: Ardachuple, Kyles of Bute, Cowal, owned by Bamberg Ltd and managed by Tilhill
Winner of the James Jones Trophy for New Commercial Woods: Crofthead, Moffat, Dumfries & Galloway
Winner of the John Kennedy Trophy for Multi-purpose Woodlands for Whole Forest or Estate: Barracks Forest, near Kinloch Rannoch, Perthshire for CCF LLP c/o Fountains Forestry UK Ltd
Commended: Clow and Condie, Bridge of Earn
Hunter Blair Trophy for Silvicultural Excellence – not awarded
Community Woodlands Award
Winner of the Large Community Woodland Group competition and of the Tim Stead Trophy for overall Community Woodland Award Winner: Friends of Almondell & Calderwood with West Lothian Council for Almondell Woods, Almondell & Calderwood Country Park
Winner of the Small Community Woodland Group competition: Doune Community Woodland Group for Doune Ponds, Doune, near Stirling
Commended: Carron Valley Community Woodland (Valley Renewables Group)
Scotland’s Finest Woods is a charity which relies on the generosity of its sponsors and supporters to provide the resources needed to stage Scotland’s premier woodland awards programme.
Scotland’s Finest Woods’ key sponsors confirmed so far for 2024 are:
Outdoor & Woodland Learning Scotland
Support for the awards programme is also provided by:
Community Woodlands Association
Institute of Chartered Foresters
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