European State Forest Conference 2023 in Scotland was a success!

The annual State Forest Conference of EUSTAFOR had the pleasure to invite state foresters from all over Europe to visit Scotland.

The Conference was hosted by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) and they set up a splendid program for all participants. The Conference opened up on Wednesday 7 June with a welcome reception and dinner at Bogbain Farm with whisky tasting and demonstrations of Scottish traditions. On the menu on Thursday 8 June was a walk through the pinewood forest of the Cairngorms National Park, including some fascinating presentations and discussions on natural regeneration and on deer management. This was followed by a walking tour through Glenmore Forest Park with a presentation that focused on recreation pressures and on how to deal with them in partnership with other land managers. The participants then spent the evening at the Inverness Town House where the representative of the Polish State Forest Organisation kindly invited all participants to come to Poland for the SFC 2024.

On Friday 9 June, the participants were treated to a visit on a steep ground timber harvesting site next to the highway and above Loch Ness featuring a detailed outline of the harvest is conducted on such a plot. A boat trip on Loch Ness in the afternoon completed the Scottish experience.

The EUSTAFOR team thanks Forestry and Land Scotland for organizing this wonderful conference and is looking forward to the next edition in Poland.

The pictures of the conference are available under this link. A video will be soon shared with you.

On Wednesday 7 June, the day before the Conference started, the ExCom meeting took place in Scotland. The Advocacy group was officially launched, the ExCom discussed the first draft on the increase of the membership fees and was informed on ongoing policy issues.

As soon as they are ready, the Minutes will be made available under this link.

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