Since 2020, a large number of Statutory Plant Health Notices (SPHNs) have been issued by Scottish Forestry (SF) within Loch Eck due to the disease Phytophthora ramorum. The spread of the disease has prompt a large number of amendments to the approved felling coupes in the area in order to fell larch and attempt to stop the disease spreading. However the rapid spread has increased the number of SPHNs in the forest block where the majority of the larch is now infected.

As a consequence a block amendment has been submitted to Scottish Forestry to gain approval for felling all the larch and associated species within the 5 years of the existing plan period with several key benefits:

• It will allow FLS to plan felling operations in advance of SPHNs being issued and expedite the delivery of SPHN felling.
  
  
• It allows the removal of larch across the entire forest to be planned in a holistic manner.
• It will help reduce the administrative burden on FLS and SF of submitting and approving multiple amendments for different SPHNs issued over the block.
  
  
• It increases the transparency of FLS plans and operations compared to submitting multiple smaller amendments, which would not necessarily be placed on the Scottish Forestry Public Register.

The amendment proposes new or reshaped felling coupes where the Larch species are present, and other coupes where larch species were absent have been delayed t to ensure that the felling remains sustainable. This felling work has been ongoing since start of the disease and will continue to ensure above objectives. The restock would mainly remain as proposed on current approved LMP.

A link to the amended maps illustrating the amended Land Management Plan can be found below. A map of the extend of the SPHNs is also available below.

Please note that the coupes marked in red (phase1) and Orange (phase 2) are the proposed coupes to be felled within the 5 remaining years period of the Land Management Plan.

Documents and maps

• Current phases map (PDF)
• Current species map (PDF)
• Proposed felling map (PDF)
• Proposed future restocking map (PDF)
• SPHN map (PDF)
• Amendment summary (PDF)