UKC

There are two glens close to me which have been recently cleared of commercial pine by Forestry and Land Scotland { formerly known as the state Forestry Commision} 

I suggested to the manager that they actively enrich this area with deciduous trees, native to the area. They said they were adopting a policy of natural regeneration. Although there are small areas of old woodland adjacent, previous experience in my adjacent valley proves it is a very slow process.

Does anyone know if Forestry and Land Scotland have actively planted and enriched  an area to create a native woodland? [ of course, Deer protection is an issue but it is anyway with natural regeneration.}  

I don't know who's responsible but I think there's been a huge replanting scheme in the Trossachs and native woodland replanted at Shieldaig.

Sorry, don't have an answer to your question but are they going to re plant eventually?

If not you could always plant a few trees yourself and offset your carbon footprint a bit?

Legalise cannabis growing. All those plants resetting carbon plus huge tax revenue.

I'm not entirely sure I understand the question. What do you mean by enrichment?

If you're asking whether FLS or (FES as it was) have created new native woodlands or replanted areas that were previously commercial plantations with native species the answer is yes, many times, both by planting and natural regeneration.

Not sure how well gangja would do outdoors in Invernesshire.

Good thinking all the same.

It wouldn’t capture the carbon for long round these parts

Yes that is what I mean -creating new native woodlands. They have left the very very few natives- so enrichment meant adding in a whole lot more to produce a native woodland. You said  you knew of ones actually "planted"- can you name one. I think the FLS should actively plant these Glens  rather than just leave to natural regeneration. But I need examples to make my case and an understanding of the methodology- e.g. just using those  tubular tree protectors or other better methods that don't produce etiolated weak growth?? The Manager just said he was leaving the bomb sites to natural regeneration. They aren't vast glens  (Glen Liath and the Pass Road Glen to Ault-na Goire- , South Loch Ness}  and quite accessible.

Thanks

The saplings have to be reared on mass- though putting seeds in the ground with a stick, after collecting them from trees is a layman's way like the famous book "the Man who planted trees" by Jean Giono

Me neither. But I know it does well outdoors in C Scotland. 

Really? I am surprised.

You'd need to build a big fence to keep all the deer and people out.

Maybe lay a few mines as well, like they do in California.

Oh I don't know.

Collect seeds from the remnants of the existing wood, bring them on as saplings at home for two or three years and then plant them out?

http://www.thegreattrossachsforest.co.uk/trossachs/great-conservation/habit...

The Trossachs.

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/ben-shieldaig-estate/

Shieldaig. This one better work out coz I gave them money!

Yip. SWIM obviously. But a wee plantation in the middle of some forestry in the Campsies did reasonably well in the 80's.

Why ? are you just impatient ?

Just looked into this site but Sthrathcarrron Estate is private and woodland trust does the planting- I think the landlord is that Danish bloke. 

The landlord here is State Forestry and Land- I had researchers for FLS  stay st my B&B who were researching bigger, fatter and earlier harvesting  of none native pine for the Industry of harvetsing- didn't know much else.!

Like the Trossachs link- Thanks. I've bookmarked both.

yes.  What's more, I have lost my patience!!Young as I am, I do not want to cark it with just a stick on the horizon.

15 years ago when the Forestry Commission harvested the first large compartment of pines around my place, I got the then manager Mr Grant to not replant with pine  and also not to decimate all the existing natives in those pine plantations. Over the years, yes, I've seen regeneration and I have a nice nativity around me. No oak in any form has happened [ had old ones up a path} , and a native scots pine on my skyline. But in those years none have naturally popped up. Why not aid and abet There is an SSSI at the bottom and a range of riparian trees in some quantity  to emulate.

One of my old jobs included spending several months each spring doing herbivore impact assessments on FES's newly planted sites, both non-native and native. It was a while back and there were so many that they've all started to blur, but a couple that spring to mind were loads of new native planting around Loch Katrine and a couple of big new native sites around Glen Orchy, but there'll be plenty of others.

I'm a bit out of touch, but a few years back there were restrictions on where Scots pine could be planted due to the risk of bringing diseases from nursery stock, so sites were being left to naturally regenerate in the hope that local scots pine would be the seed source. Perhaps that's what happening in your site?

Thanks, I've book marked those sites and the info on Scots Pine is interesting.

I've heard the same - seedlings ok in isolated brand new areas, but not adjoining to existing native woodland due to the risk of disease spread.

Its many years since I had any dealings with Scottish forestry but at the time restrictions on seed provenance for Scots pine were to maintain the genetic structure of the native forests following research which showed clear genetic differences between regions.

These restrictions were due to Dothistroma needle blight, an airborne fungal pathogen. It mainly affects Lodgepole and corsican pine but does also affect Scots pine, so there was always a fear that bringing infected nursery stock into an area would spread it. The planting restrictions were particularly tight around the remnants of old caledonian pine.