Thursday, 24 September 2020
Forestry and Land Scotland is inviting people to come and visit a local forest and get the maximum benefit of a walk, run, cycle or wheel in the woods. The invitation comes after new COVID-19 restrictions on visiting people at home came into effect. Simon Hodgson, FLS Chief Executive, said; “Not visiting friends and family at home for the moment is undoubtedly a difficult b...
Thursday, 24 September 2020
Forestry and Land Scotland is advising forest visitors to observe all safety signage and diversion signage when felling work begins in Dalbeattie forest at the end of this month (28 Sept). The work, which will affect an extensive area (18ha), is part of the local team’s planned commercial harvesting programme. Lesley Smith, FLS Communities & Communications Manager, for the area, said; “...
Tuesday, 15 September 2020
Forestry and Land Scotland is looking to help improve everyone’s enjoyment, minimise any future user conflicts and improve the natural environment in the Tweed Valley forests by setting out zones for different activities. The move is intended to support responsible access from mountain bikers, walkers and horse riders and to promote greater mutual understanding and consideration of other forest...
Friday, 11 September 2020
Forestry and Land Scotland’s North Region team is urging everyone to vote – before noon on 24 September - for another highland stalwart to become Woodland Trust Scotland's Tree of the Year 2020. The Lord President’s Oak, which stands in the middle of a railway bridge, is in the heart of Culloden forest and on the path to the famous St Mary’s Clootie Well. Laura McNally, FLS Area Visitor ...
Thursday, 10 September 2020
A partnership project in the Cairngorms National Park that seeks to secure habitat protection and improvements for six rare invertebrate species, has discovered shining guest ants in Inshriach Forest – after a four year gap! Last recorded at the Forestry and Land Scotland managed site in 2016, the rediscovery of the ants – and their appearance at three new sites across the National Park – p...
Monday, 07 September 2020
Forestry and Land Scotland is looking for new panel members for its Communities Asset Transfer Scheme (CATS). Launched in 2017 and following on from the success of the National Forest Land Scheme, the Community Asset Transfer Scheme (CATS) lets community bodies take on more direct responsibility for managing a parcel of Scotland’s national forest and land, where the community considers that it ...
Friday, 04 September 2020
Forestry and Land Scotland has announced that the Lodge Forest Visitor, near Aberfoyle, will re-open on Saturday after a two day closure. The Visitor Centre in Queen Elizabeth Forest Park was closed on Thursday to effect a full deep clean after a member of the café team tested positive for Coronavirus. Sue Morris, FLS visitor services manager in the area, said; “The Lodge was closed on Wedne...
Monday, 31 August 2020
Forestry and Land Scotland’s environment team is celebrating their role in yet another successful species reintroduction programme. Working in support of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, FLS assisted in the sourcing and capture of one of the seven white tailed sea eagle chicks that Roy and his team re-homed in the Isle of Wight. The young bird - collected under a Scottish Natural Heritage l...
Monday, 24 August 2020
One of Aberfoyle’s best known tourist attractions and a hub for visitors to the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park has reached the grand age of 60! Forestry and Land Scotland’s Lodge Forest visitor centre first opened its doors in August 1960 as David Marshall Lodge – named after the 1950s chairman of the Carnegie UK Trust, which helped fund the construction of the lodge. Originally intende...
Friday, 21 August 2020
Forestry and Land Scotland is attracting attention from across the forestry sector as it revolutionises tree nursery practices through new a mechanised process at the ‘grass roots’ level. FLS has been trialling a new ‘TreeTape’ technology that will help increase the number of viable seedlings grown from seed at Newton tree nursery near Elgin. This in turn will help ensure the continuity ...
Wednesday, 19 August 2020
Forestry and Land Scotland’s team in Perthshire is getting ready to establish a new seed stand that in decades to come will help sustain Scotland’s contribution to mitigating the Climate emergency – and conserve some remnant Caledonian Pine woods. An existing Scots Pine seed stand already exists at Keillour but although this is still producing seeds, the more mature trees require more...
Tuesday, 18 August 2020
Forestry and Land Scotland’s team in Aberdeenshire has been giving nature a hand by re-spacing trees that have, through natural regeneration, started to repopulate a recently felled site. The cleared site - in Gartly Forest – had begun to be re-seeded naturally from neighbouring trees, which although a welcome process, can result in germinated seeds growing too closely together…or too...