Thursday, 14 January 2021
Following heavy snow fall and freezing conditions in some parts of the country, Forestry and Land Scotland is urging people to take extra care if they visit a local woodland for some wintery exercise. FLS car parks and trails are open for local access during the January lockdown but may be icy. FLS’ Regional Visitor Services Manager, Paul Hibberd, said; “Going for a woodl...
Thursday, 07 January 2021
Following the Scottish Government announcement earlier this week of new Lockdown restrictions throughout January, Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) has announced that while its Visitor Centres will remain closed, most of its car parks, walking and mountain biking trails will remain open for local access. FLS managed public toilets will also remain open. The decision aims to support members of the...
Wednesday, 06 January 2021
Forestry and Land Scotland is inviting anyone with an interest in how Cally Woods (by Gatehouse of Fleet) is managed over the next 20 years to offer their views in an online consultation. A new Land Management Plan for the Cally Woods area is being finalised and includes details of how FLS intends to manage the site over the next ten years, with an indicative proposal for the followi...
Friday, 18 December 2020
A partnership project that arose from a Forestry and Land Scotland sponsored CivTech challenge has won the Sustainability Award in this year’s Scottish Public Service Awards. TreeTape – a new system of germinating and planting young trees put forward for the CivTech Challenge - will help increase the number of viable seedlings grown from seed and has significant implications for forestry arou...
Thursday, 17 December 2020
Forestry and Land Scotland is inviting people living in and around New Galloway to offer their views on the development of a new Land Management Plan for the Bartaggart site. This established broadleaved woodland, planted in 2014, is a 65.18 ha site approximately two miles east of Balmaclellan and comprises a mix of productive and native broadleaves as well as open space, including an...
Tuesday, 15 December 2020
A Scottish Government research site formerly leased by the James Hutton Institute has been acquired by Forestry and Land Scotland. The 328 ha (810 acre) site - Hartwood Farm, Hartwood, Shotts – includes a range of farm buildings and a mix of ploughable pasture, permanent pasture, rough grazing and farm woodlands. While this farm is already in the ownership of the Scottish Government ...
Tuesday, 15 December 2020
Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is stepping up its response to quad and motor bike riders that illegally access trails in Scotland’s national woodlands. The warning comes as several riders were caught on FLS cameras at Glenglass and reported to Police Scotland. Colin Watret, Delivery Forester for the FLS team in the area said; “Using any motor vehicle on the trails that w...
Monday, 14 December 2020
Forestry and Land Scotland has planted 5,000 native trees along the banks of the River South Esk as part of a major project to improve biodiversity and the long-term catchment resilience on the River. The project, which also covered River South Esk catchment in Glen Doll Forest, Angus, was carried out with the River South Esk Catchment Partnership, and funded through the NatureScot Biodiversity C...
Friday, 11 December 2020
Forestry and Land Scotland has been helping Saving Wildcats colleagues at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Highland Wildlife Park to kit out the new conservation breeding enclosures as the next stage of this exciting European partnership project gets underway. With an unsustainable population of Wildcats now left in the wild in Scotland, FLS and RZSS – both partners in t...
Thursday, 10 December 2020
Forestry and Land Scotland is urging people not to pick wild rhododendron leaves for Christmas wreaths, flower arrangements or table decorations – in case they end up spreading a deadly tree disease. Rhododendron ponticum is an invasive species that can quickly smother a woodland and kill off ground vegetation.It is also a carrier of Phytophthora ramorum (more commonly referred to as P. r...
Wednesday, 09 December 2020
A project that is gearing up to revolutionise tree nursery practices is a contender in next week’s Scottish Public Service Awards. Nominated for the Sustainability Award, TreeTape is a new system of germinating and planting young trees that will help increase the number of viable seedlings grown from seed. A development partnership between CivTech, Forestry and Land Scotland and Cumbria Tree G...
Monday, 07 December 2020
Forestry and Land Scotland is inviting people in and around Shotts to take part in its development of a new Damside Land management Plan. The plan is concerned with a 480ha of former opencast coal mine site (1.5 km south of Shotts) that is situated between upland forestry and windfarms to the south, and mixed pastures and woodland to the north. It focuses on new woodland creation – both...