RDI Publishes Stirling and Tayside Timber Transport Strategic Assessment

RDI has been working with the Stirling and Tayside Timber Transport Group to deliver a strategic assessment of timber transport issues within the region.  This 18 month contract has been partially funded by the Strategic Timber Transport Fund and has culminated in the production of the Stirling and Tayside Timber Transport Strategic Assessment – you can download the report at the bottom of this page.

This comprehensive report summarises key national, regional and local strategies, policies and planning frameworks that are relevant to timber transport within the region. It also highlights key challenges facing timber transport across the Stirling & Tayside area and sets out an Action Plan for timber transport within the region.

Bruce Sewell, Area Operations Manager for Forest Enterprise Scotland summarises the work carried out:  "As Programme Facilitator to the Stirling & Tayside Timber Transport Group, RDI have collated and produced a Strategic Assessment and Action Plan for timber transport in the Stirling and Tayside areas. The assessment creates a very useful baseline for strategic decision making for road designation (ie ARM), road improvements, grant funding (ie Strategic Timber Transport Fund), and for further review of timber flows."

As part of the Strategic Assessment and Action Plan’s preparation, RDI undertook a timber production data collection exercise which forecast timber production between 2007 and 2021. This data is being used by the forest industry to update the Agreed Routes Maps for Stirling and Tayside and by Local Authoirities to assist in prioritising works on the public road network so as to accommodate the forecasted timber production.

Timber production data contained in the Strategic Assessment has also proved useful to members for the Stirling and Tayside Timber Transport Group in compiling bids to the Strategic Timber Transport Scheme.

The Stirling and Tayside Timber Transport was formed in 2002 and aims to minimise the impact of timber transport on the people who live and work in communities close to forests.