Martin Gale and Andy Leitch Updating Roots for Future Growth Now - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

November 2015 Update: Forestry and Timber Technologies Industry Leadership Group

Martin Gale and Andy Leitch

Updating “Roots for Future Growth”

• Now out of date.
• Needs to reflect current market

conditions and strategic drivers such as Scottish Economic Strategy

• The new strategy will also put

more focus on how the FTT sector enables other sectors to grow.

Programme for updating RFFG Grow and communicate the industry’s contribution to Scotland Grow the market share and value added of Scotland’s forest products Grow the skills and capacity of our people Maximise the productive capacity of Scotland’s woodlands and forests

Create small working group to take exercise forward:

• Agree parameters for full sector to be covered, e.g. Imported material,

secondary processing/manufacture (timber structures before construction), recycled wood and woodfuel.

• Explore how full sector economic contribution can be updated accurately.
• Agree objectives and outputs of an evaluation project commission work.
• Review current RFFG and revise.
• Refresh associated action plan.
• Launch new RFFG with Action Plan – target date 30 August 2016.

Current Key Strategic Focus Areas Grow and communicate the industry’s contribution to Scotland Grow the market share and value added of Scotland’s forest products Grow the skills and capacity of our people Maximise the productive capacity of Scotland’s woodlands and forests

Focus area 1: “Maximise productive capacity of Scotland’s Woodlands and Forests” – Current/planned activities

• Update supply and demand study. (Confor Lead)
• Explore viability, operability and feasibility of carbon fund to facilitate

accelerated rate of new planting. (SE, FCS and Industry)

• Continue to improve our understanding of the timber properties of

all potential productive trees species to maximise production. (SIRT)

Focus area 2: Grow and communicate the industry’s contribution to Scotland – Current/planned activities

• FCS report economic report (FCS)
• Assess how we update contributions of other segments of FTT (mainly

imported timber and secondary processing. (SE and Industry)

• Refresh and re-launch “Roots for Future Growth” and report on progress of

action plan. (ILG, Industry, SE)

• Develop a programme of visits for senior SE/HIE staff and relevant Scottish
• Ministers. (ILG)
• Refresh the current website; industry to help promote and support the site

to ensure it is current. (ILG and others)

Focus area 2: Grow and communicate the industry’s contribution to Scotland – Current/planned activities

Wood for Good 2016 Campaign focused on housing:

• Wood for Good “Modern Timber

House” publication - April.

• 4 Conferences across GB before

July.

• 14 RIBA/TRADA CPD events.
• SIRT Grading event in 3rd February.
• Tree breeding and timber properties

event in 17th February?

Focus area 2: Grow and communicate the industry’s contribution to Scotland – Current/planned activities

• restry Commission S

S ustainable C

• nstruction

T imber

S

• urcing and specifying local timber

Ivor Davies

• restry Commission S

S ustainable Construction T imber

S

• urcing and specifying local timber

Focus Area 3: Grow the market share and value added of Scotland’s forest products – Current/planned activities

• Produced report “A Traditional Material with a Modern Future”

identifying opportunities for adding value to timber supply chain. (ILG) Task Groups

• Construction Product Innovation and Market Development .

– Engineered wood products. – Wood fibre insulation. – Timber components in off site construction and retrofit markets. – Building regulations re-timber construction.

• Emerging markets:

– Bio-refining. – Nanocellulose technology.

Grow the market share and value added of Scotland’s forest products cont’d.

• Technology transfer and adoption:

– Scoping exercise to identify opportunities to adopt technologies from other industries or countries to generate efficiencies and improve effectiveness in the forest supply chain.

• Work just about to be commissioned.
• Group will prioritise projects to take forward.

Focus Area 4: Grow the skills and capacity of our people – Current/Planned activities

• Task Group: In partnership with SDS and others, develop a

Skills Investment Plan that will help address the skills and resource issues across the sector:

• Sub Groups:
• Talent Attraction – Promoting the sector.
• New Entrants – Types of courses and training.
• Workforce Development (upskilling) – KT and CPD.
• Curriculum Review – Meeting employer needs and

resourcing remaining courses.

Focus Area 4: Grow the skills and capacity of our people – Current/planned activities

• SDS commissioned baseline study:
• Outputs - Liz Barron-Majerik, Programme Development

Manager, University of Highlands and Islands.

• SDS key partner in addressing the “Skills Gap”:
• Gerry McBride, Strategic Relations Manager Food and

Drink and temporarily FTT.

Emerging Markets; Biorefining

Working Group: SE, IBioIC, FCS, Industry reps.

– We now have reports on “The potential for Forest-Based Industrial Biotechnology in Scotland”, “The extractive content of Scottish Roundwood” and a “Biorefinery Value Chain report”. – SE has just released a tender to:

• Summary of current wood based bio-refineries

around the world including the products made and potential alternative products.

• Summary of potential technologies that are being

developed to improve the economics of wood based biorefineries including the supply chain

• Review of opportunities to add value to the CHP

pellet supply chain by pre-treating the wood prior to being made into pellets.

Emerging Markets – Biorefining

• Dr Mike Jarvis, Glasgow University

and Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre.

– short update on our work to date in

exploring the biotech opportunity for wood fibre as a feedstock.

Adding Value through Advanced Construction.

Sector support: Construction Scotland Innovation Centre – Bruce Newlands, Technical Director. Horizon Scanning: Threats and Opportunities – Institute for Sustainable Construction, Sean Smith, Director.

Looking forward: Keeping you informed of progress

• 6 monthly digital newsletters.
• Updates at Regional events.
• Annual progress report.
• Annual meeting of ILG.