Timber transport

Scotland harvests around 6 million tonnes of timber every year.

These forests and this wood and the products we make from it are incredibly important as they help us store the emissions the trees captured for longer, and it supports tens of thousands of jobs and adds more than £1.1 billion GVA to the Scottish economy.

Heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) play a vital role in these supply chains, making up over 96% of movements by volume.

However, many rural roads were designed for the smaller vehicles and lighter loads used in the last century, so there can be some issues, including:

• lack of appropriate passing spaces
• narrow single lane country roads
• soft ground and additional wear of the road surfaces
• proximity to cars and people as towns grow and rural roads become busier

Most goods (86%) in the UK are transported using HGV at some point. Forestry haulage stands out because the sector is actively working to reduce these impacts.

The Strategic Timber Transport Fund (STTF) began in 2005. The aim of the STTF is to reduce the impact of timber transport on roads, communities, and the environment.

These include:

• modal shift projects that support movement of timber by sea and rail instead of by road
• the upgrade of public roads and development of forest roads that bypass communities
• projects that support and advance sustainable transport of timber in Scotland

The STTF is focused through two complementary mechanisms:

• Strategic Timber Transport Scheme (STTS)
  • competitive fund which co-finances projects to support and advance the sustainable transport of timber in rural areas of Scotland
• TimberLINK
  • supports shipping of timber from Argyll to Ayr to reduce pressure on rural roads and impacts on local communities

The STTF programme works in close partnership with, and is supported by, the Timber Transport Forum (TTF). The TTF is a partnership organisation that promotes voluntary measures to improve timber transport.

Bringing together the forest and timber industries, hauliers, local authorities, and community representatives, the TTF supports forestry on a regional basis by ensuring that the timber industries can access forests and market timber in a sustainable way, and by promoting best practice in timber haulage. Scottish Forestry is a member of the Forum and provides co-funding.

Like Scottish Forestry, the TTF seeks to minimise the impact of timber transport on:

• the public road network
• local communities
• the environment

The Forum promotes voluntary measures to improve the sustainability of timber transport:

• managing timber traffic to sustain the road network and minimise disruption
• maintaining and improving minor roads used for timber haulage
• moving timber by other modes of transport where possible

Visit the TTF webpages to access more information on the TTF, the work of your regional group, or to access guidance on good practice. 

The Timber Transport Forum (external website)