This article, written by Steve McLean of Dovetail Scotland, offers a practical, first-hand account of how the Scottish Working Woods label works in practice. Drawing on over two decades of experience using Scottish timber, it explores the environmental, economic and community benefits of sourcing and adding value to timber locally, and explains why the label plays an important role for small Scottish workshops and sawmills.

You will have heard of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) sustainable timber certification, but have you heard of Scottish Working Woods. the label for products that are made in Scotland, from sustainably-sourced Scottish materials?

Scottish Working Woods (SWW) was set up almost eight years ago by the Association of Scottish Hardwood Sawmillers (ASHS) and the Scottish Furniture Makers Association (SFMA), with help from the Forestry Commission. It started with wood products: sawn timber, and manfufactured goods including furniture, but has recently been joined by the Scottish Wild Harvest Association (SWHA). SWHA members collect and process fruit, fungi, foliage, but and other non-timber products from woodlands and other habitats.

The Scottish Working Woods label is a guarantee for customers that the timber or product is produced by a small Scottish producer, in Scotland, and that the raw material (timber etc) is grown in Scotland. The raw materials are, as far as possible, sourced locally to the producer and are produced in an environmentally friendly way.