Forestry bounces back after big freeze

SCOTLAND'S forestry business has "bounded back strongly" from the winter freeze, with levels of production in the industry returning to near capacity, according to trade body ConFor.

But there was a warning that large-scale biomass plants, which require large volumes of wood, could put too much pressure on supplies.

Stuart Goodall, chief executive of ConFor – the Confederation of Forest Industries – said: "2010 is shaping up to be a very interesting year. First the cold weather interrupted wood supplies, and now markets are taking off, leading to accelerating demand for Scottish-grown timber."