The Wild Harvests Sector Support project (WHSS) is the next step in Reforesting Scotland's long-term aim of encouraging sustainable livelihoods from the forests and the wild products of Scotland. The first planned project activity is to hold two open meetings, one in the north and one in the south of the country, to bring together people from the diverse range of businesses involved - harvesters; buyers; makers of fine foods and wines; craftspeople; course providers; landowners, land managers; and more. This will give people from the whole range of businesses, throughout Scotland, the chance to meet, talk and hear more about developments that effect them as a group. We hope that this will pave the way towards forming an ongoing network or trade association - all depending on what the businesses themselves decide is useful and relevant to them.
The project builds on previous work done over the years by Reforesting Scotland and its partners. The Wild Harvests seminar in Beauly in 2006 was the most recent of a series of non-timber forest product (NTFP) seminars. Participants identified a number of factors that could help Wild Harvests businesses; including more communication between businesses; consultation and representation about wider developments; and raising market awareness of Scotland's wild products. In early 2007, Reforesting Scotland's NTFP Sector Research and Development project consulted businesses in more depth about ideas for a trade body, a woodland products labelling scheme, and internet-based business support.
Part of the aim of the WHSS project is to link businesses to current developments which are relevant to them, such as the Scottish Working Woods label which was launched in June 2007. This label distinguishes and guarantees woodland products made in Scotland, by businesses based in Scotland, using materials harvested from Scottish trees and woodlands. It has the potential to give a significant market advantage to businesses which are going to the (also significant) extra effort and expense of sourcing their raw materials from Scottish woods, instead of taking advantage of cheap materials from abroad. A lot of Wild Harvests businesses use NTFPs - but the light administrative footprint of the label means that businesses can only access it via a trade association - and as yet there is no trade association covering NTFPs. This project hopes to find a way of filling that gap.
There will also be the opportunity to inform businesses about the legalities and conservation implications of wild harvesting, through links with Reforesting Scotland's Sustainable Forest Harvest project. This is vital to ensure long term sustainability - something which is important in terms of marketing, but also an important part of the fundamental motivation of many of the people working in this sector, and of our reasons for being involved with it.
Networking and information for the project will be provided via the business section of the ForestHarvest website.
Emma Chapman took on the role of manager of this project in June 2008, and will be getting in touch with businesses over the coming weeks. If you would like to be involved please email Emma () or phone the Reforesting Scotland office on 0131 220 2500 - Emma will be working two days a week, so on other days please leave a message and she will get back to you.
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