Highland Birchwoods was formed in 1992 to research, demonstrate and disseminate best practice in the management of land based resources in Highland Scotland. It is a project based organisation formed as a charitable company limited by guarantee, and operates throughout Scotland. Core funding is provided by the three partners in the organisation: Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and Highlands & Islands Enterprise.

The organisation has an extensive contact network through which it facilitates formation of multi-sectorial partnerships to promote best practice in natural resource management to optimise the rural development, bio-diversity and landscape values of those resources. It has substantial experience of both national and trans-national partnership project management and delivery as a result of which it has robust financial control systems.

Its 13 staff have expertise spanning several disciplines including forestry, ecology, renewable energy, marine biology, GIS, rural development and business management.

Through its forestry and rural development expertise the organisation has become increasingly active in developing biomass as a renewable energy resource. It currently delivers advice on wood fuel matters throughout the Northern half of Scotland on behalf of Forestry Commission Scotland and is also involved in the development of two transnational projects looking at biomass in its broadest sense: PelleTime (Northern Periphery Programme) and BOPEC (North Sea Programme)