Photo: Lucy Sumsion
This project is being run in support of a pilot woodland grazing grant scheme being run by Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS). It is jointly funded by FCS and Scottish Natural Heritage. The aim of the scheme is to provide woodland owners with financial support for using domestic stock to manage woodlands to achieve biodiversity or archaeological objectives. Twenty-seven sites are involved in the pilot.
This project has several elements:
- Advice on, and assistance with implementing a standard approach to monitoring the impacts the stock on the woodlands in the pilot study
- Analysis of monitoring data and, if necessary, improvement of the monitoring approach
- Facilitation of exchange of information between scheme participants
- Development of a web-based ‘toolbox’ to provide easy access for future scheme participants to information that they might need to help them to write a woodland grazing plan
- Development of a subjective, indicator-based method of assessing both the past and current impact of large herbivores on woodlands. Detailed guidance on the use of the method are included in the Woodland Grazing Toolbox.
A new woodland grazing grant scheme formally became part of the Scottish Rural Development Programme on 1st April 2010 at which time the Woodland Grazing Toolbox went online at www.forestry.gov.uk/woodlandgrazingtoolbox.
A major upgrade of the Toolbox is due to take place before the end of March 2012.
The project is currently due to end in March 2013. By then , the project team will have analysed the monitoring data collected up until the end of the five years of the pilot project as well as provided continued development and updating of the Woodland Grazing Toolbox.
Many people have contributed to the production of the Woodland Grazing Toolbox and the support and advice given to members of the pilot woodland grazing project. They include: Bob Black (Argyll Woodlanders), Kate Holl (Scottish Natural Heritage), Richard Thompson, Nick Mainprize, Allan Tanner and Lisa MacLennan (Forestry Commission Scotland), Lucy Sumsion (National Farmers Union of Scotland), Meg Pollock (Scottish Agricultural College), Mike Smith and Peter Crowe (Forest Research), Phil Taylor (Beats! Design).
Contact
Dr Helen Armstrong
Centre for Human and Ecological Sciences
Forest Research
Northern Research Station
Roslin
Midlothian EH25 9SY
Tel: +44 (0)131 445 6954
Fax: +44 (0)131 445 5124
Email: helen.armstrong@forestry.gsi.gov.uk
