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Scotland’s First Minister opened a new £26 million facility to help grow more trees for Scotland’s forests and woodlands. Source: Timberbiz Newton Tree Nursery, near Elgin, will support Forestry and Land Scotland to almost treble their tree production – from seven million to nearly 20 million trees per year by 2029. It will help support the sustainable management of Scotland’s national forests and land and help tackle the climate emergency, while also supporting the rural economy. Seedling operations at the redeveloped tree nursery began in March 2025 and 12 million trees have already been established within the glasshouse. The new nursery is the UK’s largest and most advanced tree-growing glasshouse and sets a new standard for bio secure, sustainable, and high-volume forest nursery production. The facility ensures that an adequate supply of high-quality trees is available to supply the publicly managed forests of Scotland with those forests supporting rural economies, providing flood mitigation, improving biodiversity and sequestering carbon. “Scotland’s world-renowned forests and woodlands are a natural powerhouse, and one of the most important resources we have to tackle the climate emergency,” First Minister John Swinney said. “Our investment in this state-of-the-art glasshouse will not only contribute to environmental sustainability and help to restore habitats, but it will also support rural jobs and the sustainable use of timber in the construction industry. The Newton Tree Nursery project is a national asset, powering Scotland’s green recovery, forestry resilience, and environmental goals for decades to come. “Tackling the climate emergency and growing Scotland’s economy are two of my government’s top priorities and together they go hand in hand. We cannot do one without the other and innovative, industry leading facilities like the Newton Tree Nursery will play a vital role in achieving these goals.” Forestry and Land Scotland CEO Kevin Quinlan said that the Newton Nursery represents a major investment by the Scottish Government in the future of forestry in Scotland. “It strengthens Forestry and Land Scotland’s ability to supply young trees at the scale and standard needed to support a resilient, productive and sustainable forest resource. “This is especially important for the timber industry – which continues to grow as Scotland looks to reduce reliance on imports and embrace timber as a low-carbon material of the future. By increasing capacity at Newton, we’re investing at the very start of that supply chain – ensuring a consistent supply of high-quality planting stock for years to come.”

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Arauco Sucuriú, the world’s largest single-phase pulp mill project, is under construction in Brazil. A project of this scale is a true marathon in which meticulous planning, good equipment, and excellent cooperation are key to successful execution. Source: Timberbiz The Sucuriú project in Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil, has strategic importance for Arauco as they diversify their pulp production’s locations. “Arauco has been looking into expanding pulp production in Brazil for years. Our target was to enhance our competitive position, and Brazil has the required conditions, including logistics infrastructure, skilled people, and the right environment for trees to grow. We selected Mato Grosso do Sul state and the city of Inocencia as the location for our project,” explains Iván Chamorro, Senior Vice-President Forestry & Woodpulp Business for the Arauco Group. “Valmet is a key player in this project, delivering all the key process areas in an EPC model. We’re very happy so far with our relationship and Valmet’s commitment. We’re very confident that together we’ll be able to deliver the best mill. We know we’re going to face challenges, but with strong communication between the technical teams and at the management level, we can face these challenges and be successful together,” Mr Chamorro said. The new Arauco Sucuriú pulp mill will include the world’s largest recovery boiler. “Sucuriú will be a state-of-the-art mill with low water consumption and low emissions. We’re basically targeting a zero-waste mill that doesn’t send any residues to landfill. Additionally, we’re going to use gasified biomass instead of fossil fuel for the lime kiln. The mill will produce more than 400 megawatts of renewable energy, of which about 50 percent will be sold to the national Brazilian grid,” Carlos Altimiras, CEO of Arauco Brazil said. The mill automation system will be Valmet’s latest distributed control system, Valmet DNAe, supported with remote connectivity and Industrial Internet solutions. “With Valmet’s automation systems, mill-wide optimization and advanced process controls, we’re building a base for autonomous operations,” Mr Altimiras said. Hector Araneda, Operations Manager, Pulp and Energy Business at Arauco said that to be competitive now and in the future, they need to make the process more efficient and more stable, and mill automation will help achieve this. “We already have experience from our MAPA project, with several technology suppliers, but Valmet mill-wide optimization will look at optimal production for the mill as a whole.” In addition to environmental performance, Arauco is focusing specially on social and economic sustainability for both the project phase and as a long-term commitment to the community. “The Sucuriú project will bring dynamism to the local economy,” Mr Chamorro said. “We’re going to have more than 15,000 people working on site during construction, and during the operation phase we’ll have about 6,000 people working in the forestry, logistics, mill, and support services. These are stable long-term quality jobs.” The project is also strategic for Valmet – it is Valmet’s largest project, involving hundreds of throughout the world. Harri Pakkanen, Valmet’s Nordic Project Director, said that the project has been proceeding at full speed since November last year. “We’re now moving to the detailed engineering phase. We’ve already procured all the long lead items and critical equipment. Some of the equipment will be produced in Valmet’s own workshops, and some will be manufactured by our trusted partners,” he said. “The first parts are already ready, and the first shipments – pulp drying equipment and pressure parts for the world’s largest recovery boiler – will begin their journey to Brazil from China in July.”

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