State-of-the-art electric timber wagons are set to be tested by two Scottish timber companies in a UK first trial.

James Jones & Sons Ltd and Scotlog Haulage have partnered with Volvo Group and Cleaner EV for the three-year trial project, following the allocation of £452,000 in funding from Scottish Forestry.

Some 7 million tonnes of wood are harvested in Scotland each year and transported by 44 tonne diesel lorries to sawmills and other manufacturers.

Announcing the funding package, Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said: "Forestry is vital to helping Scotland achieve its net zero target by 2045. Around 7.6 million tonnes of harmful CO2 is taken out of the atmosphere from Scotland's trees each year and the timber used in houses and other wooden products lock away carbon for its lifetime.

"The forestry sector is innovative and always using new technology to increase its business efficiencies. I welcome this new trial and look forward to hearing more about the findings as we drive closer to Net Zero."

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It is understood that all partners involved in the trial have committed to sharing their experiences of operating with the electric vehicles to the rest of the forestry and haulage sectors.

Creel Maritime consultants has been appointed to monitor the use of the lorries and arrange knowledge exchange opportunities over the course of the following three years.

Neil Stoddart, Director of Creel Maritime, added: "In terms of road haulage, the timber industry is pretty advanced in looking for solutions to decarbonise. For example, we are reducing diesel lorry miles on many projects and opting for transport by sea. Additionally we are reviewing using an alternative fuelled barge to transport logs across a remote Loch in the Highlands.

"This is a very exciting project but there are big challenges in running articulated lorries on electric power, mainly on cost grounds and infrastructure. This three year trial will look into all these aspects and I'm keen to share as much detail on this with the industry."

James Jones & Sons Ltd, one of the largest sawmill groups in the UK, will trial a 40 tonne articulated lorry from their sawmill in Lockerbie to transport timber to their Hangingshaws national distribution centre.

Scotlog Haulage will trial a 44 tonne truck in the Highlands, moving roundwood timber from Inverness Harbour to West Fraser and other local mills.

During the three year trial, the vehicles will be evaluated for their achievable mileage vs battery consumption, durability, viability and total cost of ownership.

The two new Volvo electric timber vehicles are currently being manufactured in Gothenburg and are expected to be ready for use later this summer.