We’ve just wrapped up a busy week of filming for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), taking us from the impressive Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation up to Edinburgh Castle, through to the several stunning Forestry Commission Scotland sites in Perthshire.
The week long study tour was organised by the New Generation Plantations platform (NGP). Led by WWF the NGP team are celebrating a decade of driving fairer, more sustainable forestry operations throughout the world.
It was an international affair with attendance from every corner of the world - Brazil, Peru, Tanzania, Uganda, Laos, Russia, Australia. Probably the largest and most animated delegation came from China, who are set to become the major player in the sector.
Our primary role in the process was to observe and capture dialogue during and between workshops that make these encounters so valuable. We were supported in that process by sound designer Dee O'Leary, camera operator Thomas Hogben, and experienced drone pilot Pete Maughan.
Conversations circled on the importance of productive woodland for carbon sequestration, developing a risk-based approach to landscape management, forest fires, and the potential of large-scale precision forestry. Many of the sessions were 'open agenda' and led by attendees, which was refreshing to see.