Organised by Rural Development Initiatives on behalf of the Forestry Commission Scotland, the Forestry Area at this year's 2009 Turriff Show was bigger and better than ever. The stand was based round the themes of climate change, wildfire and woodfuel and triumphed once again by being awarded a Best Decorated Trade Stand rosette, this time for 2nd place.
The outdoor area contained a variety of machines which highlighted the diverse nature of the forest industry. Forest Enterprise Scotland donated one of their John Deere forwarders for the Show, which gave members of the public the chance to view this fantastic piece of forest machinery. In order that people could experience what it is like to operate such a large piece of equipment, the Scottish School of Forestry supplied their forwarder simulator and invited members of the public to test their skills and enter a timed competition to accurately position the harvested logs. They were also on hand, within the indoor area, to provide advice and information on the wide range of forestry courses available. This area also had displays from Lantra and the Forestry Commission's Modern Apprenticeship Scheme to highlight the wide range of careers available within the forestry sector.
The Scottish School of Forestry also supplied their Lumbermate mobile sawmill, giving demonstrations throughout each day, allowing spectators to see how logs are processed into useable floorboards and fence posts and highlighting the diverse range of available timber products. This complimented the wood chipper displays from a nearby stand and helped to ensure visitors stopped to have a good look round the Forestry Area.
Glen Tanar Estate kindly donated a fire fogging unit which is used to control wildfire in remote rural locations. This vital piece of kit can access off-road areas where conventional fire fighting equipment cannot reach. When towed by a quad bike this mounted unit can have the same productivity of extinguishing a wildfire as a helicopter. Andrew Dickson kindly demonstrated the machine for the duration of the Show as well as transporting from and back to Glen Tanar.
The indoor area was split into 3 distinct zones, with the main zone centring on a wildfire and climate change display which aimed to encourage visitors to learn ways of camping responsibly in the countryside, with literature provided by Scottish Natural Heritage. Links were also formed this year with the Scottish Forest Industries Cluster who displayed a small banner, but made a big commitment in the take down of the stand after the event. Turriff is located within the North East Forest Industries Cluster and the event was attended by a number of local forest industry businesses and representatives. The Cluster Team and Regional Facilitators meetings actually took place in Turriff on Tuesday, with many members visiting the Forestry Area on Monday.
Information on the Scottish Rural Development Programme, which aims to deliver funding support for rural development, was available to visitors on the stand. This area was staffed by partners of Scotland's Environmental and Rural Services (SEARS): Forestry Commission Scotland and Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate. Members were on hand to offer advice on grant funding on the wide range of options available under Grampian's Rural Priorities.
To highlight the benefits of forestry and trees within the carbon cycle, a local wood pellet supply business, Puffin Pellets, was invited onto the stand to promote their range of wood and fibre products. Business was booming, with lots of interest from the general public considering converting to wood pellet heating systems. Visitors could also stop to watch their promotional DVD, which demonstrated the process behind making pellets and the wide range of benefits woodfuel can produce.
This zone also contained leaflets on EuroFire, a pan-European, online wildfire training resource. The area was decorated thank to the generosity of Dobbies Garden Centre, and Christies Elite, who kindly donated a range of shrubs, plants and trees for the event.
The children's competition was titled "Wildfire Lookout Challenge" with a prize of dedicated tree sponsorship through Trees for Life Caledonian Forest project, plus Dobbies Garden Centre gift vouchers. The aim was to solve the mystery of "what causes wildfires?" and 12 letters forming the answer were hidden around the Forestry Area. After discovering each clue the participants had to collect all the letters to spell out the winning phrase, which was "carelessness." Special mention must go to Puffin Pellets for kindly sponsoring the main prize.
Volunteers and staff from the Huntly Peregrine Wild Watch Centre provided opportunities to learn about forest wildlife through a host of activities and games. This included the opportunity for children to make their own animal wooden pencil holder, which proved to be such a great success that supplies actually ran out! A wide range of posters and leaflets were available for visitors to take away as well as the opportunity to learn about the valuable work of the Centre.
Through the use of woodland animal puppets, the Edinburgh Puppet Lab provided superb entertainment with engaging and educational content particularly for younger children. This was a very popular area indeed with toadstool seats being rarely vacant.
Many thanks to everyone involved for their hard work and commitment throughout the event.
Looking forward to 2010!
See you there!!!
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| Turriff Show 2009 - SUMMARY.pdf | 1.11 MB |
