Thursday, 28 May 2020
As people begin to enjoy the outdoors more following the easing of some COVID-19 restrictions, FLS is encouraging everyone to exercise their patience first and foremost. The call from FLS Chief Executive, Simon Hodgson, highlights that the forestry organisation’s leisure and recreation facilities – including car parks, mountain bike trails and toilets - are unlikely to be fully open before th...
Thursday, 21 May 2020
Ahead of the May long weekend (22 – 25 May) Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is reminding people that all of its car parks and visitor facilities remain closed as part of Scotland’s response to the challenges of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Following the publication of Scotland’s route map through and out of the crisis (21 May), FLS is urging people to comply with the phasing announced and stay ...
Thursday, 21 May 2020
A significant programme of felling will start at Kilmun Hill (near Dunoon) next month as Forestry and Land Scotland tackles an outbreak of tree disease Phytophthora Ramorum. The only way of dealing with the disease, which causes extensive damage and mortality to larch trees and other plants, is to fell and remove affected trees to reduce the risk of its spread to other woodlands in Cowal an...
Wednesday, 20 May 2020
The regular return of red squirrels to a local Fife woodland after an absence of many years is being taken as nature’s ‘thumbs up’ for Forestry and Land Scotland’s (FLS) management of the site. The squirrel sighting - reported by a local resident who had thought to never see red squirrels back in the area in his lifetime – came one year after some thinning and clear felling was ca...
Tuesday, 19 May 2020
As it begins planning for a post-COVID recovery, Forestry and Land Scotland’s South Scotland team is beginning to think about work at Glentress. Included within the overarching aims of the Glentress Masterplan proposals, trail restructuring will bring about a ‘refresh’ at one of Scotland’s most popular mountain biking locations. Regional Manager, Sallie Bailey said; ...
Friday, 15 May 2020
State forestry organisations from Latvia, Barbados and Australia have all expressed a keen interest in learning more about some pioneering solutions being developed to try and improve the yield from Scotland’s existing seed stock. Planting trees is probably being the simplest and most effective method of tackling the global climate emergency. Meeting the challenges of growing more young t...
Wednesday, 13 May 2020
Anyone with an interest in how Forestry and Land Scotland’s Ashiestiel site, 6 km east of Walkerburn, is managed over the next 20 years is invited to take part in a consultation and give their views. The Land Management Plan being developed for the recently acquired Tweed Valley site includes details of how FLS intends to manage the site until 2030, and gives a direction of travel for the follo...
Wednesday, 13 May 2020
Anyone with an interest in how Forestry and Land Scotland’s (FLS) Piperhill site (2 km east of Sinclairston, East Ayrshire) is managed over the next 10 years is invited to take part in a consultation and give their views. This former open cast coal mine site, a recent FLS acquisition, is located on the shoulder slopes between North Kyle Forest to the south and extensive lowland pastures to the ...
Tuesday, 12 May 2020
Traffic management at Glen Croe on the A83 has been removed (2nd of May) thanks to the completion of landslip protection work at the roadside. The catchpit - large enough to capture the volume generated in the original landslip at the end of January – has been installed to collect any residual material from the landslip channel over the coming months and years. FLS Planning Manager, Joh...
Monday, 11 May 2020
Forestry and Land Scotland has vowed to deliver as much as possible of its business plan for 2020/21– with the preparations required for an eventual return to normal duties post-COVID19 underway. With the majority of FLS staff now working from home, some are still involved with essential felling work – while also maintaining physical distance and following current government and NHS health ad...
Monday, 04 May 2020
An unusual archaeological survey by Forestry and Land Scotland has added a new chapter to an old story – of a hidden fort built by William Wallace. The Dumfriesshire site is recorded in The New Statistical Account of Scotland (3) (published 1834-1845) as the location of a small fort occupied by Sir William Wallace – a hidden stronghold from which Wallace and his 16 men-at-arms would ‘...
Friday, 01 May 2020
A former visitor centre in Ardgartan that has been out of use for some time has been re-purposed…as a food bank distribution point to support the community in Arrochar and Tarbet. Forestry and Land Scotland’s (FLS) building, which have been unused and vacant for almost ten years, were due to be occupied by a new tenant – local Councillor, Iain Paterson - in time for the visitor s...