Silvanus Trust Business Support
Helping rural business grow
The forestry industry is evolving quickly at present. The emphasis upon the importance of forests both as a natural environment and as a place for relaxation and recreation is increasing. Commercial plantations are being managed in more complex ways. This means the way wood is grown and managed is changing.
In the timber industries prices for homegrown timber have been depressed for over ten years, but new markets are opening up with the help of new technologies, particularly for small round wood and co-products such as woodchip. Recreation is beginning to generate income for woodland owners whilst the market for sawn timber in construction and furnishings is growing. All this is leading to stronger demand and prices, which is helping woodland owners and businesses to expand and plan for the future more positively than for many years.
The Silvanus Trust can help businesses throughout the South West survive and grow in this changing environment. Help can be sought to plan ahead, invest and train whether you are a woodland owner, contractor, sawmiller or use timber in your business.
If you wish to start a business, expand or see a possible new market opportunity there are a number of ways we can help:
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By working in partnership with other organisations, both inside and outside the forestry sector and with a broad range of funders, we can draw on expertise to provide the most appropriate advice or financial assistance. We can work with you to look at alternative funding streams or to find the right experts to advise you.
Are you eligible?:
We can help all people involved with timber whether you are a timber grower, contractor, processor, craftsperson or retailer. The focus of the business support and market development projects we run sometimes changes and each project has differing rules on eligibility. In general if you are working in the forestry and timber sector, or would like to, contact us. If you do not fit any of our current projects we may be able to suggest alternatives.
Silvanus Trust Community Support
Valuing trees and woodlands starts with people: in their homes, schools and communities. Our community support work uses trees and woodlands to bring communities together and to provide essential life skills.
Previous work undertaken by the Silvanus Trust in consultation with community groups highlighted the need to help communities to manage locally important trees and woodland. We found that community recognition of trees and their aesthetic, economic and biodiversity values has diminished, along with the knowledge of tree management and traditional skills and crafts.
The Trust works with communities on projects designed to prevent the further loss of those skills and to “re-awaken” the connections between trees and people.
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As with all of our programmes, the focus of community support may change. Please contact us to discuss any ideas or projects that you think would fit with the work that we do. If we are unable to help, we probably know someone else who can.
