Press Release
A TREE CAME TO SCHOOL TODAY
28 September 2009
Pupils at Tomintoul Primary School have used a tree from a local Crown Estate forest to create benches and flower tubs for their playground.
The project was the idea of Vicky Hilton, Countryside Manager for The Crown Estate’s Glenlivet estate. She said: “We wanted to support the ‘FSC Friday’ event being run by the Forest Stewardship Council, which aims to raise awareness of the FSC logo as a mark of responsible forestry and highlight the fact that forests and woodlands in the UK and internationally need to be well-managed.
“The purpose of involving the children is to make sure they understand where the wood they use comes from and why it is important for it to be traceable and sustainable. In this case we were able to take a tree into the school playground and using a mobile sawmill unit process it into planks and stakes, which the pupils then used to make benches, bird boxes and a raised bed for their wildlife garden.”
Jonathon Marshall, teacher of the Primary 6/7 class said: “Using a real tree to make things we need for the school brought it home to the pupils that as consumers we have a responsibility to choose products that we know come from well-managed forests, ones that are managed in a way that will benefit future generations.”
Having witnessed the complete ‘chain of custody’ (the traceable route of certified wood) from raw material through to finished product, the pupils completed the project by producing their own FSC certification signs, featuring the ‘FSC tick tree’ logo for their newly built products.
This project was just one of several year-round initiatives that our staff organise to encourage children and schools groups to visit the forests and countryside to learn more about various land management practices.
All of our woodlands are FSC certified, having been independently assessed through the UK Woodland Assurance Scheme (UKWAS). Peter Jones, Forest Manager for the Glenlivet estate explains: “FSC certification means that our woods are well managed with consideration for the environment, the wildlife and the people who live and work in them.”
We have estates throughout Britain that produce softwood and hardwood timber including those at Glenlivet, Applegirth, Windsor and Dunster. In order to maintain certified status the estate has to undergo a rigorous annual audit of its woodland management practices by an independent certification body.
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