RTS Forestry, on behalf of Blackford Farms — a 6,700-hectare estate in Perthshire — has initiated stakeholder engagement for a proposed Woodland Creation Scheme in the Ochil Hills. The scheme proposes six planting areas combining semi-natural native woodland with commercial conifers, with aims including biodiversity enhancement, carbon sequestration, and improved landscape connectivity between existing woodlands.
The design incorporates mitigation measures informed by environmental surveys. Areas of deep peat, priority habitats such as dry acid dwarf shrub heath and blanket bog, and groundwater-dependent ecosystems are excluded from planting. Buffers are proposed around confirmed otter resting sites, and ground works would be scheduled outside the bird breeding season where possible. All known non-designated historic features are avoided, with suitable buffer zones.
FotO acknowledged receipt of the consultation and coordinated a site visit ahead of the September 2025 committee meeting. The deadline for stakeholder feedback was 22 September 2025.