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Harvesting wood material

Forestry and Woodland Management

Felling license:

In Scotland, all woodland owners (indeed anyone who wishes to fell a tree) must obtain a licence from Forestry Commission Scotland and comply with the legal and replanting requirements this entails.

Information about felling licences is on Forestry Commission Scotland's website, click here to access.

UK Forestry Standard:

Forestry practice in Scotland must adhere to the UK Forestry Standard, click here for further information. This is currently being revised to demonstrate further improvements in sustainable practices.

UK Woodland Assurance Standard:

UK woodland owners can certify their woodland management practices against an independent standard, the UK Woodland Assurance Standard (UKWAS), which is a single common standard used within forest certification programmes in the UK. Click here for further information on UKWAS.

Certification means that you can carry the logo of international, independent organizations such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC).

These organisations set sustainability standards covering biodiversity and environmental impacts, workers rights, indigenous people's rights, legal frameworks, monitoring and assessment and best practice. All contractors and subcontractors must produce an audit and chain of custody trail for their fuel stock.