Grants to bring woods back to Western Isles

By JENNY FYALL
Published on Sunday 19 February 2012 00:48

THEY are windswept islands renowned for their treeless landscapes – but it hasn’t always been this way.

Now landowners on the Western Isles are to be offered new grants to help recover the archipelago with forests once again.

Ministers will this week announce that grants almost double the size of those given to farmers on the mainland will be made available to help boost native species, such as birch, willow, rowan and aspen.

Studies have revealed that the Outer Hebridean chain has just 0.1 per cent of native woodland cover, far less than most areas of Scotland.

Now landowners in the Western Isles will get a subsidy of £4,160 for every hectare of native woodland planted under the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP), compared to £2,224 on the mainland.

Environment minister Stewart Stevenson urged landowners to take advantage of the grant. “Establishing more trees will not only offer variety in the landscape but will also increase biodiversity and offer shelter to people and to livestock,” he said.

“We became aware that the previous levels of support from SRDP were insufficient to revive local interest in establishing woodland on the islands. This new level of support, together with the specialist advice and assistance available from Forestry Commission Scotland, offers local land managers a golden opportunity to get involved in woodland creation across the islands.”

Pollen records show that the islands had a naturally wooded landscape up to 8,000 years ago, but as human settlement spread the tree cover was gradually cut down to provide wood for burning and grazing land for animals.

The islands have been depleted of mass tree cover for centuries now, but forestry experts believe that despite the often harsh climate – the island’s are one of the windiest regions in Europe which severely hampers tree growth at heights of just 100 metres above sea level – woodlands can thrive again.

A previous report prepared for the island’s council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, states: “Growing trees in the Western Isles is on the margin in terms of physical factors, including wind exposure and soils. However, provided site and species are carefully chosen, as in much of upland Scotland and parts of Norway with similar conditions, trees can, and do, grow successfully.”

The new grant will be available until 2013 and landowners must agree to plant an area between 0.25 hectares and 3 hectares, and must avoid deep peat and traditional machair grasslands.

At present, tree plantations are in isolated pockets, such as in the grounds of Lews Castle in Stornoway on Lewis, and cover just a tiny fraction of the islands. Although there are some large plantations of commercially-grown, imported pine species, they are not viewed as enhancing the island environment.

Councillor Archie Campbell, chairman of the Comhairle’s sustainable development committee, said: “The recent Native Woodland Survey of Scotland found that the Outer Hebrides had only 336ha of native woodland – less than 0.1 per cent of total land area – and it’s no surprise that we value these woodlands greatly. We are delighted to see this enhanced support for planting new native woodlands.”

Applications will be assessed by Forestry Commission Scotland.

John Risby, conservator for the Highlands and Islands at Forestry Commission Scotland, said the lack of cover “reflects the historic land uses with settlement and burning and grazing”, and that the lower rate previously offered under the SRDP had not reflected the extra costs faced for planting woodland on the islands.

“The costs are so much higher so we were finding that no-one was wanting to plant trees because it was so expensive,” he said. “So we have been through a process to get a higher rate of grant.

“The big issue in the Western Isles is exposure, which means you have to plant them at a much higher density, so you need more trees. You also have to bring the plants and materials over from the mainland, so it costs more.”

Risby said it was very important to have a wide range of native woodlands. “They are quite different to the open habitats like the machair and the peatlands. They support a different array of flora and fauna and contribute a lot in terms of biodiversity.

“And the other important aspect is how people relate to them. They are somewhere people visit or walk in or just enjoy, and they contribute to the landscape.”

» [e-mail]

Comments

There are 15 comments to this article

Order by:

• Newest first
• |
• Oldest first

Page 1 of 1

• 1
• Show all

15

Hector the Lessor

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 06:57 AM

#6ELDee. I reckon it would be a pretty safe move and a positive influence to the communities. It should also be noted that the London Establishment is no longer building battle ships out of oak so there is every chance they will provide a future benefit for generations to come.

• Report Unsuitable

14

BLMac

Monday, February 20, 2012 at 10:22 AM

So we are trying to get the place to look like it did 8,000 years ago? There was a low population density then, we'll have to clear out all the surplus people first. Oh, we already did that. This proposal is just another teat for parasitic absentee land owners to suck on. Why not pick the period of say 300 years ago, and fill the hills with independent crofters and cattle instead?

• Report Unsuitable

13

Ron Greer

Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 05:39 PM

12---I think you would it helpful if you contacted Victor Clements at Scottish Native Woods in Aberfeldy.

• Report Unsuitable

12

Peter Nkosi

Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 05:06 PM

#5 & 6, Slioch. Thanks for that most useful link; it gives lots of juicy details about the trees and the grants. When I came up with 440 trees per hectare, I was thinking of a blue gum plantation in Africa.........The link was also useful to see how to translate from Scotsmanish to something which the internet can recognise.

• Report Unsuitable

11

Ron Greer

Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 04:14 PM

9 --agreed, but that will need land reform and none of the major parties have strategic land reform on the agenda. The Scottish National Party can't even get its head round a national park being owned by the nation

• Report Unsuitable

10

Ron Greer

Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 04:10 PM

8 and they get subsidies to attain the grazing levels that prevent tree regeneration in the first place, then there's the associated burning regime-----

• Report Unsuitable

9

bumpkin

Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 04:06 PM

the highlands are crying out for people, the trees will follow.

• Report Unsuitable

8

bumpkin

Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 04:05 PM

more public money for the aristocracy, what a nonsense.

• Report Unsuitable

7

Ron Greer

Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 12:33 PM

2 From my 40 years of experience of planting trees at Loch Garry, near Drumochter and study trips to Iceland and coastal sub-arctic Norway, a miracle is not required.

• Report Unsuitable

6

ELDee

Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 11:51 AM

It would also be good if it coiuld be done to the rest of the highlands, afterall the forests were chopped down to make somebodies fleet of ships and charcoal for iron smelting. There are areas of the highlands thaat are crying out for new trees.

• Report Unsuitable

5

Slioch.

Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 09:32 AM

# 3 Peter Nkosi ...................... see:...................... http:\\www.scotland.gov.uk\Topics\farmingrural\SRDP\RuralPriorities\Options\WoodlandCreation\NandWIslesNativeWoodland .......................... (replace backward slashes with forward)

• Report Unsuitable

4

Slioch.

Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 09:29 AM

#3 Peter Nkosi ... Grants for broadleaved planting generally look for 1100 stems per hectare and for conifers 1600. Denser planting in windswept locations like the Outer Isles where the trees will remain small and stormblasted and need to give one another mutual shelter is considered necessary. "Minimum Stocking densities - 3000 trees per hectare at year 5" according to the FC website.

• Report Unsuitable

3

Peter Nkosi

Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 09:03 AM

I wish that the author of this article had provided more details about the planting of the new trees. How many trees can be planted in 1 hectare? I am guessing about 440 if they are planted 5 metres apart. Where will the farmer buy the new trees, and how much will they cost? Will £4,160 per hectare cover the cost of buying and planting the trees, and looking after them until they can fend for themselves? Is the grant paid up-front, or only after the trees have become established?

• Report Unsuitable

2

jerrymanders

Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 07:29 AM

#1 If they could actually do this it would be a miracle.

• Report Unsuitable

1

Christopher Hobe Morrison

Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 03:49 AM

If they could actually do this it would be wonderful.

• Report Unsuitable

Order by:

• Newest first
• |
• Oldest first

Page 1 of 1

• 1
• Show all

Logged in as:

Comment here. Start typing your comment here:

Post comment

Please adhere to our Community guidelines

Your view

Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.