A FORMER senior Labour MP has seen the economic and employment benefits of forestry and wood processing at close hand after visiting a tree nursery and sawmill.

Douglas Alexander toured Glennon Brothers' Windymains sawmill and Alba Trees, both located in the East Lothian constituency that he will contest for the party at the next general election.

However, Mr Alexander was also warned of the potential struggles faced by the nursery sector after the Scottish Government cut forestry's budget by more than £30 million. 

After the visits, organised by trade body Confor, Mr Alexander, a former Cabinet member, said: “It was great to visit these two excellent local businesses, which collectively employ more than 200 people – and to see how the forestry and wood industry can deliver on Labour’s green growth agenda.

Forestry Journal: Rory Glen, 19, in the control room operator at Glennons sawmill at Windymains, near Humbie, with Douglas Alexander, Labour candidate for East Lothian in the Westminster election.Rory Glen, 19, in the control room operator at Glennons sawmill at Windymains, near Humbie, with Douglas Alexander, Labour candidate for East Lothian in the Westminster election. (Image: Phil Wilkinson)

“Glennons and Alba, and businesses like them, are providing jobs and economic growth in our rural communities and both continue to invest millions in technology and people to deliver further prosperity to East Lothian. On top of that, growing trees and using more wood plays a vital role in tackling damaging climate change.”

Pat Glennon, joint managing director of Glennon Brothers, which employs more than 900 people in the UK and Ireland (including 76 at Windymains, near Humbie), described the company’s work as “a green circle”. 

He told Mr Alexander: “Trees are grown and harvested in Scotland, and processed in sawmills like ours to make timber frames, fencing and other products for homes and businesses in Scotland. And then we plant more trees to replace those we cut down – it’s a perfect green circle.”

Pat added: “To successfully tackle climate change, the best sequestration machine is fast-growing conifers – not wall-to-wall Sitka spruce, but we must plant a strong conifer crop to provide the timber that we need to make the wood products everyone wants.”

Both Pat and Craig Turner, chief executive of Alba Trees, said the industry needed consistent policy-making if it was to thrive.

The planned cut to tree-planting grants in Scotland next year could mean the destruction of millions of young trees - and undermine confidence in woodland creation.

Craig, whose company employs 130 people at Gladsmuir, East Lothian, said: “We have to buy in seeds two years before we sell the trees, and we need greater certainty on what is going to be planted to justify our investment. 

"We plant in line with where policy is heading, but the fall in planting rates in Scotland after several good years means we are likely to have to compost or destroy millions of trees this coming year. It’s such a waste.”

Alba has the capacity to provide around 25 million young trees for the forestry industry each year, almost a quarter of the entire UK supply.

Stuart Goodall, chief executive of Confor, who accompanied Mr Alexander on the visit, said: “I was delighted to see that Douglas Alexander recognises the positive economic and jobs contribution that the forestry industry provides, especially in rural areas - totalling £1 billion annually in Scotland and providing well over 25,000 jobs.

Forestry Journal: Douglas Alexander, holding a young Douglas Fir, at Alba Trees, near Gladsmuir, with Alba's Managing Director Craig Turner. Douglas Alexander, holding a young Douglas Fir, at Alba Trees, near Gladsmuir, with Alba's Managing Director Craig Turner. (Image: Supplied)

“The opportunities to use more home-grown wood in the house-building industry is significant and fits in with Labour’s ‘securonomics’ agenda - which is based on more economic activity in the UK serviced by home-grown supply. 

"This supports the ‘green circle’ supply chain that Pat Glennon talked about and fits in well with Keir Starmer’s stated desire to build 1.5 million new homes in the first term of a Labour Government. To do that in a sustainable way means using more home-grown wood.”

Mr Alexander held several ministerial positions in the Labour Governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He was Minister of State for Europe (2005-06), Secretary of State for Scotland (2006-07), and Secretary of State for International Development, a post he held until (2007- 2010). In opposition after 2010, he served as Shadow Foreign Secretary.