Thursday, 08 June 2023
Our staff recently toured the James Jones sawmill in Lockerbie, where large volumes of our timber are processed for construction and other markets. The tour was part of the Marketing and Sales Quality Assurance workshop in our South Region. Seeing what happens to our timber once it leaves the forest is rare for our staff and as the group were taken around the sawmill by James Jones General Mana...
Tuesday, 06 June 2023
Helping young people understand the need for peatland restoration was the aim of a successful outing for Golspie High School pupils to Dalchork Forest last month, thanks to our North Region and NatureScot. The day on-site was part of a larger project, supported by the Developing Young Workforce (DYW) co-ordinator for the school, which as well as exploring the science of peatland restoration also ...
Monday, 29 May 2023
Our Forest Drives are once again open for vehicle access. These facilities are a great way to get into the forest and see some stunning sights from across the country. Though these drives are once again open to cars, they have remained open all winter for walkers and other forest users. Please drive carefully and share the road. Visit the individual forest pages to learn more about...
Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Summer is a great time to get out and explore Scotland’s best natural spaces. We recently conducted a survey* asking Scottish people if they participated in outdoor activities. These ranged from dog walking, hill walking and water sports to mountain biking, wild camping, wildlife photography and angling. 88% of those surveyed said they used the national forests and land for these activities.&n...
Thursday, 18 May 2023
Work on the Glentress Masterplan has been well underway for several months now and we're starting to see some real progress. 16km of new trails are being added to the network to suit every level of rider. In advance of opening the new trails, we need to give them a name, which is where you come in. Jumps on the Black taster trail beginning to take shape We want your help to pick a trail ...
Wednesday, 10 May 2023
If you go out to the more open areas of Scotland’s national forests and land, especially places with deep heather and old fence lines, you may see someone looking somewhat intently at the fence posts. They are likely checking each post for resting moths or other invertebrate species, such as small dark yellow underwing found on a post on Loch Shaw last year. Despite their unnatural purpose, fen...
Tuesday, 09 May 2023
In March, our peatland team visited sites managed by Coillte Nature, a not-for-profit branch of the Irish semi-state forestry company - Coillte, for a knowledge-sharing visit about restoration. Ian McKee, our Peatland Technical Advisor, and Tim Cockerill, a Peatland Restoration Forester based in North Highland, have been involved with the restoration of thousands of hectares of bog across Scotlan...
Tuesday, 02 May 2023
Guest blog by our native woodland ecologist, Richard Thompson, on a recent training tour of Scotland’s rainforest. Thirteen of our staff gathered around Plantlife’s Lichen and Bryophyte Advisor, Oliver Moore, to learn about the lichens, mosses and liverworts that make Scotland’s rainforests such special places. We were in the heart of rainforest country, at the head of Loch Sunart in Ard...
Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Spring is a great time to get out and enjoy new flowers and budding trees while you walk along our forest trails. So, pack your gear and a snack and get out into the trees. Ardentinny Cowal's longest sandy beach. Spring is a great time to head to the beach. Why not bring a picnic and explore Ardentinny’s network of woodland trails? The beach was used by the Royal Navy as a training...
Friday, 14 April 2023
Scots pine is our national tree and was once used to make ship masts. Its timber is strong and easy to work with making it a popular building product even today. It’s also a key pioneer species in our iconic Caledonian pine woods. Our nursery in Newton grows almost 2 million Scots pine a year. A portion of these saplings are used for native woodland restoration, while the rest is plante...
Thursday, 06 April 2023
Civil engineering students across Scotland are being urged to consider a career working in forests instead of urban environments. We are seeing a growing need for civil engineers and have vacancies for engineers to work in locations around Scotland. Last month we visited the University of Strathclyde to talk to engineering students and to give them an insight into a day on the job with our tea...
Monday, 06 March 2023
Every year we take on around 25 apprentices throughout our organisation, and all across Scotland. From Trees and Timber to Mechanical Engineering, and Procurement to Data Science, we're proud to offer apprenticeships across a wide variety of disciplines. For Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2023, we asked several of our apprentices about why they joined Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), and their expe...
Monday, 13 February 2023
Galloway is a great place to explore, with animal experiences to stunning walks and lochs. The Queen’s Way is a 17-mile scenic road that runs between New Galloway and Newton Stewart. Though the drive is lovely on its own, there are also plenty of stops to enjoy along the way. We put together a list of our favourite things to do in the forest park that should keep you busy for the whole da...
Tuesday, 07 February 2023
We are currently trialing an off-the-shelf GPS to find out whether it can help further increase timber quality by improving a key stage of tree planting. The excavator-mounted GPS device will be assessed during ground preparation work across forests in Dumfries and Galloway. Our team hopes this new system will help deliver consistent mounding spacing, ensuring a uniform establishment and u...