Tuesday, 20 October 2020
While the majority of our timber harvesting is in fairly standard coniferous trees, occasionally something out of the ordinary comes along. Recently, a stand of extremely tall Douglas Fir came to light in an awkward location, leading to a specialist operation to harvest and sell the spectacular timber. Here's the story from our Niche Timber and Hardwood Development Advisor, Douglas (no relation!)....
Thursday, 01 October 2020
To celebrate National Conifer Week, we’ve delved into our archives and mined information from our foresters to bring you 10 fun facts about this ubiquitous family of trees. 1: Latin The word ‘conifer’ comes from the Latin ‘conus’ (cone) and ‘ferre’ (to bear), which put together means ‘the one that bears cones’. Virtually all conifers produce cones though the size, s...
Friday, 25 September 2020
Back in 2019, Forestry and Land Scotland partnered with the Callander Landscape Partnership to excavate and research multiple sites of charcoal burning found in Leny Woods. This initiative became the Leny Woods Community Archaeology Project and helped discover more about the area, the production of charcoal (a key process in manufacturing metals in the 18th and 19th centuries), and introduced a ...
Thursday, 27 August 2020
Lead image: © Petia Koleva / Unsplash Fancy a stroll along the beach? It’s not just about forests here y’know. Scotland's weather may not always allow for glorious sparkling waters and warm sand underfoot, but that's no reason to put off a trip to the seaside. A blast of fresh air and the chance to spot seals, dolphins or porpoises can be a perfect day out for family members you...
Wednesday, 29 July 2020
Imagine the world of the wild harvesters, living within the wildwoods of Scotland over six thousand years ago. Our Mesolithic ancestors were at home in their environment, hunting, fishing and gathering enough to survive and prosper. Today, Scotland’s landscapes provide the best setting possible for imagining and connecting with the Mesolithic experience. Whether walking through Highland pinewood...
Monday, 22 June 2020
Tuesday 23 June 2020 marks the seventh International Women in Engineering Day. This campaign aims to raise the profile of those women currently working in engineering and highlight the amazing career opportunities available to women and girls in this exciting industry. We asked some of our own 'women in engineering' to tell us about their work.
Friday, 05 June 2020
World Environment Day is a great way to flag up all of the important work that people around the world are doing to help our environment. It’s a chance to hear lots of good news about the environment and a great pat on the back for all of the individuals, communities and organisations that are lending a hand to slowly and steadily improve the health of our environment.
Friday, 22 May 2020
"Without biodiversity, there is no future for humanity," wrote Professor David Macdonald of Oxford University in The Guardian last year, and he did not exaggerate. New projects focused on the protection and conservation of habitats rich in biodiversity are being set up worldwide. So what exactly does the term mean, and what can we all do to help? We asked Forestry and Land Scotland’s Wildlife E...
Tuesday, 05 May 2020
An unusual archaeological survey by Forestry and Land Scotland adds a new chapter to an old story, of a fort built by William Wallace and an unlikely victory…
Thursday, 09 April 2020
Whilst we would normally be encouraging your visits to enjoy all our forests and land have to offer, the government’s vital ongoing restrictions on travel mean we must look a bit closer to home for our daily dose of fresh air. This is an inconvenience for many of us but it's worth remembering this is a temporary and minor inconvenience that plays a major contribution to the fight against Corona...
Sunday, 08 March 2020
Guest blog by Mairi Gougeon, Scottish Government Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment I’ve always been an outdoors person – I love running and prefer to do so outside, even in the rain and wind! So I can completely understand the attraction of working in the great outdoors and with nature, even if it means putting up with the weather. Campaigns like the one on #everydayse...
Tuesday, 03 March 2020
One of the ways we make sure Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) stays at the top of its game is to bring in ‘fresh blood’. After all, our staff are our most valuable asset. We attract new people through a number of entrant programmes, one of which importantly includes apprenticeships. Bringing in new, enthusiastic and young talent creates innovative teams within FLS and a vibrant pla...
Tuesday, 25 February 2020
Rushing water. A glint of silver as salmon leap and swim upstream. Sunlight filtering through tall trees catches droplets of moisture, casting rainbows everywhere you look. There’s no denying it - waterfalls make for spectacular destinations, some of the most incredible wild places looked after by Forestry and Land Scotland. With good weather on the way soon, get ready to hit the road and che...
Tuesday, 18 February 2020
The entrance to a secret underground bunker was recently discovered during tree felling operations in the Scottish Borders. Built during WWII, the bunker would have served as the base of operation for an Auxiliary Unit. The Home Guard were tasked with defending the UK in the event of an invasion, and are better known than the Auxiliaries thanks to the popular comedy ‘Dad's Army’. Th...