Working Woods Scotland Course

Working Woods Scotland is a 3-day practical training course run by the Association of Scottish Hardwood Sawmillers (ASHS), with support from Scottish Forestry and Scottish Forestry Trust. 

The course is aimed to provide insight on the practises around growing, managing and processing Scotland’s native broadleaf trees and hardwood timber, venturing into the background of broadleaves and hardwoods as a valuable (but under-represented) part of the timber industry in Scotland.

Working Woods Scotland is run over three days, and is based in and around the Scottish Wood sawmill, near Dunfermline. The days are split between days in the woodland and days at the sawmill yard. 

In the woods!

Our time in the woodland is a crash course on the silviculture of broadleaves, with a focus on productive woodland management and how best to manage standing and felled timber to maintain its value for best marketing to the timber industry.

At the mill!

In the sawmill yard we will go over how to grade and value round logs and sawn boards – mostly focusing on hardwoods but also paying attention to premium softwoods such as Larch and Douglas Fir. We also cover timber processing practises such as drying, sawing and further processing.

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Testimonials

The standout strength of the course was the variety of backgrounds and skill sets in both the tutors and the attendees. We were guided by true experts through each part of the process, right from choosing the best seed all the way to a finished piece of furniture. This really consolidated the idea that to get the best out of any tree, everyone in the chain needs to play their part, however small, which in turn creates the best value and the means to support as many livelihoods as possible. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending the course to anyone with an interest in growing or working with Scottish hardwoods.