Quality Timber Awards
Entries for 2024 are closed.
We are delighted to be running Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards in 2024 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 – EGGER, James Jones & Sons Ltd and Tilhill.
Our judges’ task is to find and reward silvicultural excellence!
What are the Quality Timber Awards 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 three and six years’ growth i.e. planted between the 2017/18 and 2020/21 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.
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.
How to enter Quality Timber Awards
Simply complete a short entry form with basic location, contact details and a summary of your woodland project. 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.
- download Word document here or
- download PDF version here
Closing date for entries: Do you have a winning project in 2024?
More info …
Perhaps a previous winner can help to inspire you … thank you to Andrew Macqueen for providing a video case study on Crofthead near Moffat, winner of the James Jones & Sons Ltd trophy for New Commercial Woods in 2023.
See list of past winners here >>
Contact person:
Jean Nairn
Scotland’s Finest Woods
1 Ravelston House Loan, Edinburgh EH4 3LY
Tel: 07954 847055
Email: admin@sfwa.co.uk
Socials: Twitter; LinkedIn
