ForestHarvest: non-timber forest products in Scotland

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The Scottish Wild Harvests Association will be launched at the Big Tent Festival 2009, 25-26 July, Falkland

The Association was formed at a public meeting on 15 April 2009, part of the Wild Harvests of Scotland events. People working in wild harvest businesses decided it would be in their interest to be part of a supportive group.

There is now an acting committee setting up the details of the association, preparing the constitution, registering with Companies House and preparing for the launch of the Association at the Big Tent Eco Festival, Falkland on July 25th 26th.

The aims of the association are to:

• Raise the profile and public awareness of individuals and companies that make their products or their living from wild native plants/materials
• Promote good working practice with high standards of sustainability, ethics and commerce
• Assist members in marketing and branding through a joint advertising, sharing stands at major events, internal information sharing
• Develop a network of like minded people who may have skills, products, materials, services, information that are useful to other members
• Provide a collective voice for members in policy development and legislation
• Assist in the working relationship between landowners and gatherers

Membership is available to businesses and voluntary groups in Scotland who produce sustainable, ethical products or services based on Scottish wild materials Associate membership is available to organisations that support, work with, or do business with wild harvest businesses and service providers.

As part of the launch, the Association is putting together a montage of photographs, and a display of sample products, to show members' and potential members' activities and products. These will be on display throughout the Big Tent festival. Please get in touch if you would like your photographs or products to be included.

• To find out more, phone the secretary, Fiona Guest on 01356 626425 or click here to email Fiona
• Email photos for the montage to Fiona
• To apply to join please download the membership application form (Word document 27KB)
• The Association's own web site will be available very soon at: http://www.scottishwildharvests.org.uk/

Previous news:

April 2009 - Wild Harvests of Scotland

This two-day series of events saw the launch of a non-timber forest products policy for Scotland, a national conference, a gathering of orchards activists, and the formation of the Scottish Wild Harvests Association.

For more details and a full report see the Wild Harvests of Scotland page.

November 2008 - Ways forward for Scotland's Wild Harvests Businesses

In November 2008 Reforesting Scotland organised a pair of meetings to bring Wild Harvests businesses together. As with previous seminars, people made useful connections and expressed enthusiasm for more opportunities to meet and cooperate in the future.

As a result of these meetings, a steering group formed to take forward plans for a Scottish Wild Harvests trade association, to offer a collective presence to aid access to funding, training and marketing opportunities, and to give the sector a voice in the face of policy developments and pressures such as concerns about overharvesting.

The full report on the meetings is available here (PDF document 381KB).

February 2009

On 15 February 2009 there was a regional wild harvests event in the Scottish Borders. This has led to plans for a Borders Foragers' Forum - our first regional network for everyone interested in foraging and related skills, rather than just for people earning their living from wild harvests.

Contact

These activities were all carried out by Reforesting Scotland's Wild Harvests Sector Support project. To find out more about the project, or to get involved in the Foragers' Forum, please email Emma Chapman.