Scottish timber transport £3m funding boost

The Strategic Timber Transport Fund (STTF), designed to facilitate the sustainable transport of timber in rural areas of Scotland, will receive the funding.

Some £1m will be used to continue support for the Timberlink public service which ships timber from the forests of Argyll to timber processors via the ports of Ayr and Troon. The remainder will support future projects.

"This additional £3m comes at the right time," said Scottish environment minister Paul Wheelhouse.

"Scotland is forecast to see an increase in timber production over the next 20 years - from approximately 6.5 million green tones per annum to over 10.5 million, which needs to be transported safely to processing facilities and with minimum environmental impact on local communities," he said.

Since starting in 2005, the STTF has provided £23.1m to 99 projects - ranging from infrastructure for rail and sea transport to constructing in-forest haul routes and upgrading public roads.