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ecological sustainable native woodland

Consultancy

North Woods offers a range of specialist consultancy services in the following fields and the intersections between them:

  • Sustainable Building.

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  • Timber Building.

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  • Native Tree Planting.

  • Native Forestry.

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  • Sustainable forest management.

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  • Crofting Forestry.

  • Planning & Statutory consents.

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  • Huts, Hutting & Small Dwellings.

Our lead consultant, Bernard Planterose has written and published extensively in these areas over the last three decades. The understandings gained during this academic work have been deepened and underpinned through consistent hands-on application of this knowledge over the same period. Bernard is a recognised expert in Scottish native forestry and other specialist related fields. He has also co-authored the main documents used to inform Scottish Government planning and legal construction guidance for huts and hutting.

trees ready for planting on an ecological diversification project
north woods sustainable forest management

Experience

Consultancy at North Woods is lead by our founding director Bernard Planterose (BSc, Ecology & Forestry). He was also a founding director of Reforesting Scotland and has written and contributed to a wide number of publications over a period of over 30 years in environmental work, campaigning, politics and practice. 

 

This includes:

  • The Scottish Green Party - A rural manifesto for the Highlands 1989

  • Lead contributor to The Scottish Forest Charter - a Scottish NGO contribution to the UN Rio ‘Earth Summit’ 1992

  • The first edition of The Crofter Forestry Handbook for the Crofters Union in 1993

  • Various articles in Reforesting Scotland Journal between 1989 and present

  • ‘Roundpole in Scotland’ - a report for the Roundpole Group 1999 (www.gaiagroup.org/Research/RI/PAS/roundpole/useimpct/use.pdf)

  • Buildings featured in “New Timber Architecture in Scotland’ by Peter Wilson, Arcamedia 2007

  • ‘Designing a Future Forest’ in Architecture in Scotland 2006-2008 - Building Biographies published by The lighthouse 2008

  • Co-author of Borders Council Supplementary Planning Guidance : Timber in sustainable construction 2009

  • ‘Seeds of Change’: an introduction to a Handbook of Scotland’s Trees’ published by Saraband 2011

  • ‘Timber for cladding and forest diversity’ - a paper for the Forest Policy Group. www.forestpolicygroup.org

  • Co-author (with Peter Caunt) of the "Good Practice Guide to Hut Building" a web-based document that supports the new Scottish Building Standard for Huts and Bothies - accessible both through the Scottish Government Building Standards portal and Reforesting Scotland Thousand Huts Campaign website.

  • Author of the "Highlands and Islands Woodlands Handbook" for crofters, communities and small woodland owners. 2019. ISBN: 978-1-5272-4061-2

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sustainable native larch ready for milling
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