NEWS RELEASE
Ramblers Scotland members, meeting in Pitlochry this weekend, have called for future management of Scotland’s state owned forests to promote more opportunities for outdoor recreation, new standards for renewable energy generation and better integration with surrounding land uses .
Alison Mitchell, Convener of Ramblers Scotland welcomed the recent decision to shelve controversial plans to lease large parts of the forest estate to private sector interests in order to raise funds.
Alison Mitchell said :
“There should be 4 main priorities at the heart of future forestry policy in Scotland:
New planting is needed to help in the battle to absorb carbon and combat climate change. This should be focussed in lowland areas, where faster growth from a diverse range of tree species is preferable to the upland single species monocultures of the past. New lowland woods will also provide more people with better opportunities for enjoying the outdoors close to where they live.
More paths are needed within our forest areas and especially to facilitate access to and from hill ground. Too many forests cover huge areas of ground with impenetrable ranks of conifers – these need to be opened up for public use and enjoyment.
Better integration with deer management is needed. Over large areas of Scotland deer populations need to be massively reduced, forests need to be restructured to give far more open space, deer fences need to be taken down so that deer and trees are managed in an integrated way. Paying for more stalkers to cull the deer would be far more cost effective than erecting and maintaining mile upon mile of expensive and not very effective deer fencing.
Within the forest estate new standards need developing for renewable energy developments, especially wind turbine establishment. Many forests and the surrounding land can accommodate such renewable energy developments, providing turbines are much smaller in height than those being erected across many hills, are kept well away from skylines and are not located on peaty ground”
Finally, Alison Mitchell noted that the meeting was being held close to Blair Atholl which it is hoped would soon become the southern entry point to the Cairngorms National Park. She thanked John Swinney, the local MSP, for his efforts over the years to secure the southern extension to the national park. She urged the Scottish Government to now address the need to develop the case designating the Cairngorms as a World Heritage Site:
“Successive governments have recognised, for over 20 years, the potential for designation of the Cairngorms as a WHS but little progress has been made in turning fine words into action. The SNP Government now has the opportunity to secure international recognition for the natural and cultural qualities of this magnificent mountain range and with it the associated economic and environmental benefits”.
ENDS
Notes:
Ramblers Scotland is the representative body for walkers in Scotland, with over 7,800 members and 58 local groups throughout the country. We want Scotland to be a place where people choose to walk and where it’s easy and enjoyable to do so. We aim for good-quality walking environments and to make walking accessible to all. We are working for walkers from the centre of the city to the top of a remote mountain.
The Ramblers Scottish Council 2009 was held at the Atholl Palace Hotel, Pitlochry on Saturday, 21st March - Sunday, 22nd March. This is the main opportunity in the year for our members to help formulate, influence and debate the organisation's policy in Scotland.
Motion passed by the Scottish Parliament on 19 March:
That the Parliament notes the unanimous recommendation of the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee that the Scottish Government drop proposals for leasing up to 25% of the Forestry Commission estate for a period of 75 years; notes that the Forestry Commission makes a major contribution to the economy of Scotland and can also make a major contribution towards helping Scotland meet its climate change targets; welcomes the decision of the Scottish Government to amend the Climate Change Bill to remove the relevant clauses; calls on the Scottish Government to bring forward its review of the operation of the Scotland Rural Development Programme urgently, including reviewing the level awarded for grants, and to pursue proposals for joint ventures to deliver renewables projects in the Forestry Commission estate; considers that all forestry proposals in future must be part of an integrated land-use strategy, and further calls on the Scottish Government to introduce a comprehensive sustainable land-use strategy, taking into account the strategic economic, social and environmental impacts and benefits of forestry, agriculture, recreation and other land uses and setting out, where appropriate, the contribution each can make in dealing with the consequences of climate change.
Relevant motions passed at Ramblers Scottish Council meeting:
(1) That Scottish Council, whilst not opposed in principle to investigating creative ways of managing the National Forest Estate, calls upon the Scottish Government to take account of the following substantive issues in their proposals in relation to the raising of funds to plant more trees, namely,
a) to ensure future investment, for present and future generations, in all forest areas, whether under public or private management, which ensures (i) that public access, whether by right or custom, is maintained; (ii) the protection and appropriate management of existing paths and tracks; (iii) the creation of new opportunities for non motorised recreation.
b) to ensure that improvements are made in the integration of the management of forests and deer populations, both within and around the forests
c) to ensure appropriate use of land within the National Forest Estate for renewable energy developments which gives due regard for the outstanding quality of the landscape across much of Scotland.
(2) Following the principles of public access to Scotland’s countryside, as laid down in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and the accompanying Scottish Outdoor Access Code, this Scottish Council urges that the Forestry Commission, on both its own land and through its regulatory and grant aid functions, ensures that:
a) where possible it opens up lanes, corridors or other access routes in their forests to assist walkers or climbers to take access to or from hills and high land lying above the present forest plantings, along with gates and stiles to facilitate such access.
b) it includes the above access improvements in future design plans and their implementation in all plantings, in association with consultation with appropriate stakeholders.
