News 
A Tree Came To School Today
25 September 2009
Pupils at Tomintoul Primary School (pictured) in Moray last Friday 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.
Vicky said: “We wanted to support the ‘FSC Friday’ event being run by the Forest Stewardship Council (Sept 25), 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.
“We wanted the children to 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 The Crown Estate staff organise to encourage children and schools groups to visit the forests and countryside to learn more about various land management practices.
All of The Crown Estate 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.” The organisation has estates throughout Britain that produce softwood and hardwood timber including those at Glenlivet, Applegirth, Windsor and Dunster. In order to maintain certified status it must carry out regular annual independent monitoring of its woodland management practices.
ends
Notes to editors:
• On behalf of the nation, The Crown Estate manages a highly diverse £6 billion property portfolio across the UK. The value of its holdings in Scotland is £237 million.
• Its objectives, which are laid down by Parliament under The Crown Estate Act 1961, include enhancing the value of the estate and the revenue it produces.
• Every year The Crown Estate pays all of its surplus revenue to the UK Treasury for the benefit of all UK taxpayers: in 2008/09 this was £226.5 million. £15.5 million of this came from Scotland.
• The core values of commercialism, integrity and stewardship, guide and inform all Crown Estate business activities.
• The Crown Estate is committed to working in partnership with the Scottish Government and members of the Scottish Parliament, local authorities and a wide range of other stakeholders to safeguard the long term interests of the environment and the communities with which we work.
• In Scotland, The Crown Estate includes:
The marine estate consists of over half the foreshore and the seabed out to the 12 nautical mile territorial limit. The Crown Estate has the right to explore and utilise the resources of the UK continental shelf (excluding oil, gas and coal), including the right to license renewable energy in the form of offshore wind, wave and tidal power. We are working with our partners to ensure that Scotland is well placed to take advantage of the benefits that renewables will bring through employment and by reducing carbon emissions.
The rural estate in Scotland comprises 43,000 hectares and includes the Glenlivet, Fochabers, Applegirth, Stirling and Whitehill estates. It includes 185 agricultural tenancies and 102 residential properties.
The urban estate includes retail property in Edinburgh.
