Friends of the Ochils Newsletter 16: Summer 2000Native Woodlands Project updateDavid GordonTHE NATIVE Woodlands Project aims to promote the regeneration and extension of native woodlands in the Ochils. By native we mean species such as ash, oak, birch, rowan, hawthorn, hazel, holly, juniper, alder and willow. The first two phases have been co-funded by FotO and Clackmannanshire Heritage Trust with grant aid from Scottish Natural Heritage. Phase 1 identified broad plating types suitable for different parts of the Ochils (see Newsletter 15). The report on Phase 2 by Heritage Woodlands has now identified and prioritised specific sites. Eight sites have been identified where the regeneration or establishment of native woodland is feasible in a technical sense and where the owners are favourably disposed. These are: Glensherrup
In total, the area of potential woodland, including unplanted areas within the woodland, would be 166 hectares: 0.6% of the 29,500 hectares in the project area. The two phases of the project have achieved their objective of establishing a clear basis for native regeneration of the woodlands in the Hillfoots glens. But - and it is a very big but - Phase 2 has also clearly shown the difficult economies involved. Given present costs and forestry grants, it would cost about £200,000 to establish the proposed woodlands. Fencing would account for nearly half the cost because many of the sites are long and thin. Income over the ten-year establishment period would total around £150,000. An overall funding gap of £50,000 is a large one to fill. But the timing of grant payments means that, if all sites went ahead at once, there would be a cumulative deficit of £100,000 at Year 5, before the final grant payment of £50,000. These numbers are unsustainable for a small body such as FotO and the report makes several recommendations for taking the work forward. In summary, and in my own words, these are: A structured approach is needed, incorporating a range of partners, to seek support from potential funders. This must include the native woodland initiatives and related bodies already working in the counties that divide up the Ochils. There needs to be formal project management and a legal entity able to receive and administer grant aid. On a broader canvas it would be worth considering a more holistic biodiversity initiative. The future of the Native Woodlands Project is thus tied up with the wider issue - covered elsewhere in this Newsletter - of creating an Ochils Project to encompass landscape, biodiversity, the rural economy and education. |