Quality Timber Awards

Celebrating Scotland’s Finest Woods
Celebrating Scotland’s Finest Woods
Celebrating Scotland’s Finest Woods
Celebrating Scotland’s Finest Woods
Celebrating Scotland’s Finest Woods
Celebrating Scotland’s Finest Woods
Celebrating Scotland’s Finest Woods

We are delighted to be running Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards in 2023 again – entries are now open. We will provide any updates about the Awards’ programme here on the website or through our social channels – Twitter and LinkedIn.

The competitions for the Quality Timber Awards are jointly sponsored by four of Britain’s leading forest products companies – BSW Timber, EGGER, Holmen Iggesund and James Jones & Sons Ltd.

Our judges’ task is to find and reward silvicultural excellence!

What is it for?

This Award is for woodlands where high quality timber production is a major objective.

Who can enter?

Entry is open to woodland anywhere in Scotland where the production of high quality timber is a major objective of management. There are three prize competitions and entrants can apply for as many as are valid to their woodland:

New commercial woods – entry is open to newly-planted productive and predominantly conifer woodland of 10 hectares or more in extent; that have between one and six years’ growth i.e. planted between the 2017/18 and 2019/20 seasons; and established on previously bare land where the planning, practice and management regime is designed to result in high quality timber production.
Single stands or compartments or small woods – entry is open to a single stand or compartment of trees or a small wood where the exemplary use of silvicultural techniques, practice and management results in high quality timber production. Crops should include a proportion of trees that are at least 10 years old and have reached pole stage or beyond so providing a reasonable indication of future timber quality.
Whole forests or estates – entry is open to multi-purpose forests or estates where a number of different activities are taking place and in which high quality timber production is a major objective. Other objectives might include, for example, providing recreation and visitor facilities and/or conservation. The size of the forest or woodland area is not restricted, but must be appropriate to and capable of sustaining the stated objectives.

quality timber

Full entry criteria are available in the guidance and entry form – see link below.

Judging

The judges aim to visit short-listed entries during April/May. You will be contacted by the judges directly regarding any site visit during April – early May.

Prizes

There are £3,000 of cash prizes usually available. These are available to be awarded by way of £1,000 for each of the three winning competition entries at the discretion of the judges. In addition, three prestigious trophies are normally available to be awarded to the winners of each competition also at the discretion of the judges, with custody for one year:

Single stand or compartment of trees or small wood – the Hunter Blair Trophy for Silvicultural Excellence.

New commercial woodland – the James Jones Trophy for New Commercial Woods

Whole forest or estate – the John Kennedy Trophy for Multi-purpose Woodlands

In addition, the winners and any other entrants commended by the judges will receive a certificate and a special commemorative wooden display plaque recording their achievement.

Award Ceremony

The 2023 prize-giving awards ceremony event will be confirmed after the March closing date. The Awards’ Ceremony is likely to coincide with Friday of the Royal Highland Show i.e. 23^rd June 2023, for those invited to attend in person and able to do so.

How to enter Quality Timber Awards

Simply complete a short entry form with basic location, contact details and state in no more than 500 words why you think your entry would make a worthy winner of the particular prestigious award competition and be an exemplar to others. You can provide supporting information such as visuals (e.g. photographs and weblinks), a summary management plan, species distribution and/or other relevant maps(s), any publicity leaflet(s) and short video(s) if available that will help our judges to make their decision.