Case Studies

Auto-tensioning timber straps are used in other countries such as Sweden, Finland and Australia, where these systems have been a demonstrable success in maintaining taught straps throughout transit. a trial of this technology was carried out in 2021 by two timber hauliers on behalf of the TTF. An animation of the auto-tensioner can be seen by clicking HERE.

An in-forest Timber Haul Road provides a route to market avoiding weak minor public roads.

The B729 is a largely single track road from which three glen roads reach up into the plantation forests of Lorg
Glen, Blackmark, Cornharrow, Auchenstroan and Troston, covering 3200 hectares.

Floating piers are making inaccessible coastal forests economically viable and taking lorry traffic off remote rural roads.

The 16 000 hectare plantation is the largest in the Scottish Borders. Forestry Commission Scotland manage around a quarter with the rest split between 24 properties run by six companies.

A 12.5 mile haul route accesses woodland on Argyll Estate and Eredine Forest and links through to the public road on East Loch Awe.

The route serves over 3400 hectares of commercial forestry including the central part of the Forest of Ae and maturing plantations on Annandale Estate.

Tywi forest is the largest plantation forest in Wales. The 13 500 hectare forest already provides 15% of Welsh timber and production is expected to increase threefold by 2026.

Cam Forest is a 240 hectare plantation of Sitka spruce in a high and isolated part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, north east of the village of Horton in Ribblesdale.

Sustainable haulage is a critical part of the timber supply chain, moving logs from forests to the processors
with minimal impact on roads, communities and the environment.

Including all 790 islands, Scotland has around 10,000km of coast – some 69% of the total UK coastline. It is not surprising that waterborne freight has played an important role in unlocking the country’s large natural resources. Ferry services and waterborne traffic continue to serve industry and provide employment in many areas which are poorly linked by road and rail.

Achieving Supply Chain Efficiency through Backloading and Multi-modal Transport. There is a growing acceptance of the need to reduce emissions from transport, and hence make more use of environmentally friendly modes of transport, such as rail freight. This case study reports on Kronospan UK, a Wales-based manufacturing company that is experiencing operational benefits by using both rail and road for the transportation of timber and related products.
Kronospan has set itself some exacting targets to reduce emissions from its supply chain operations. This case study demonstrates the best use of road freight efficiency and multi-modal transport in the timber and manufacturing sector in Wales.

Tyre Pressure Control Systems (TPCS). The timber industry is extremely valuable to the Scottish economy. The nature of the industry means that heavy vehicles travel on rural roads, many of which are not entirely suitable for this type of traffic. The issue for Local Authorities is the damage that can take place to the road surface. The issues for operators are the limitations of these roads and their effect on the operational efficiency and the competitiveness of the industry

The report contains a comparison of roundwood haulage in Great Britain and Finland. Differences in the scale and culture of forestry, the infrastructure, the structure of the supply chain, transportation sequences, transportation resources, contracts and pricing and technology are analysed. Haulage costs in Britain seem to be almost double those in Finland. Most of the difference can be explained by the higher fuel price and lower lorry gross vehicle weights in
Britain.