The best of farming and forestry practices were showcased at Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards at the Royal Highland Show.

The awards, known as the ‘Tree Oscars’, attracted strong entries from across Scotland, with top honours going to a young farmer mixing trees and pigs and a new commercial woodland which used a diverse range species rather than monoculture.

Other awards included recognition for forestry which balanced commercial aims with biodiversity and the wider environment, and an award for new native woodland planted in memory of a lost family member 15 years ago.

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David Carruth scooped the Scottish Woodlands Trophy for young people for his work at Brodoclea, Dalry, North Ayrshire, for The Future Forest Company. David’s project was described as a ‘brilliant example of agroforestry’ and featured in last week's issue of The Scottish Farmer on using Mangalitza pigs in keeping woods healthy and productive.

With climate change high in public awareness, the prestigious CarbonStore Trophy for climate change champion went to The Future Forest Company, for Dumyat, near Stirling.

Fordyce Primary School, near Portsoy, in Aberdeenshire, took home the Crown Estate Scotland Schools’ Trophy. And the winner of the Scottish Forestry Early Years’ Trophy was Bushcraft Bairns, at Comrie Croft, Perthshire, who created a forest school setting that nurtures connection with nature through play.

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The awards were presented by Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon. She said: “The awards are a great opportunity to celebrate our trees and woodlands, and especially, all the inspiring people who care for them. I’d like to congratulate the award winners and everyone who took part.”

Executive director of Scotland’s Finest Woods, Jean Nairn, described the awards as a 'well-established fixture,' adding: “It is always pleasing to see such a wide range of entries, from early years through to more seasoned foresters, community groups to farmers.”

(A full report on the awards will be in our next forestry special, in our July 22 edition).