Scotland plans for new wave of Scandi-style wooden homes

A new generation of Scandinavian-style wooden homes is being planned for Scotland as the government presses on with its plan to plant up to 26.5 million more trees every year.Housing and forestry experts are due to meet in Edinburgh next week for a major conference that will look at using more home-grown timber to house the nation’s population.The Scottish Government set out a target earlier this year plant up to 26.5m more trees by 2021 with the figure to rise to 33m by 2025.With more trees available, a bold target to increase the use of native timber in the Scottish construction industry has also been set. Architect Neil Sutherland, of MAKAR Construction near Inverness, is among speakers at the From Trees to Timber Homes conference at the Royal Society of Edinburgh on September 27.Timber is regarded for its insulating properties and its low environmental impact given the trees absorb CO2 as they grow and keep carbon locked in until it is burned or starts to decompose.