15 MAY 2005 NEWS RELEASE No: 7605

A huge area of native woodland twice the size of Dundee will begin taking shape across the heart of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park over the next 20 years.

Spread over almost 8500 hectares (21,000 acres), it will be a size of mostly-broadleaved woodland that has probably not been seen in Scotland since the Middle Ages.

This vision follows the lease by Scottish Water of its 9600-hectare property around Loch Katrine and Loch Arklet to Forestry Commission Scotland, which Forestry Minister Lewis Macdonald will formally announce at a ceremony at the loch tomorrow (Monday May 16).

The Commission has ambitious plans to begin restoring thousands of hectares of natural habitats around the loch over the next 10 to 20 years, including at least 2000ha of native woodland habitat. This project, when added to neighbouring properties where native woodland is also being restored, will create the biggest continuous area of native woodland habitat south of the Highlands, and Scotland's biggest native woodland that comprises mostly broadleaved trees rather than conifers.

Loch Katrine lies between two other properties where native woodland habitat is also being restored. They are RSPB Scotland's 817-hectare Inversnaid property to the west, and the Woodland Trust Scotland's 4085ha Glen Finglas estate to the east.

There are already 1500ha of native woodland habitat established or regenerating at Loch Katrine, and the Commission plans to restore at least 2000 more. The Woodland Trust expects to restore about 2000ha at Glen Finglas, and the RSPB expects to restore about 400ha of native woodland and montane scrub habitat at Inversnaid.

The jigsaw of landholdings where native woodland is being restored continues south of Inversnaid, in a strip along the eastern shores of Loch Lomond. From north to south, the Jensen Foundation is restoring about 300ha on Comer Estate, the Commission is restoring about 1900ha in Ptarmigan, Rowardennan and Sallochy Forests, and the Royal Scottish Forestry Society is restoring about 385ha of native woodland habitat at its Cashel Forest.

Added together, the woodland across the five contiguous properties will form a continuous area of native woodland and associated habitat of almost 8500ha, and possibly more, stretching up the eastern shore of Loch Lomond and across the Trossachs almost as far east as Callander.

The woodland at Loch Katrine will comprise mostly birch and Scots pine, with oak on the lower slopes near the loch, as well as hazel, rowan, alder, willow, juniper, ash, bird cherry and aspen, with montane scrub of woody shrub species and stunted forest trees in the harsher environment of the higher slopes.

The exact area of woodland habitat to be restored at Loch Katrine will depend on the outcome of discussions between Scottish Water and the Commission based on the catchment's "hydrological yield" (the amount of water that runs off the land into the loch). This can vary according to the type of vegetation in the catchment.

Welcoming the lease, Lewis Macdonald said,

"This is a win-win deal for all concerned, most importantly for the people of Scotland. The Loch Katrine property is believed to be the largest single landholding taken into Forestry Commission management for more than 30 years.

"Scotland lost nearly all of its original woodland as our ancestors cleared the land for farming, settlements, industry and development, so that we have only about 1 or 2 per cent of this priceless natural asset left today. So it's wonderful that at Loch Katrine we can make such a significant contribution towards replacing some of that lost heritage.

"It will free up resources at Scottish Water to allow it to concentrate on its core activity at Loch Katrine of providing clean water to the people of Glasgow, and greater efficiencies to its customers.

"It will make a major contribution to the achievement of the aims of Scotland's national parks, particularly the aim of conserving and enhancing the natural and cultural heritage of the area.

"It will also enable us to deliver locally on priorities for action in our Scottish Forestry Strategy, which calls for us to expand, enhance and link areas of native woodland. This is something that is strongly supported for the Loch Katrine area by the integrated catchment management plan, the national park's Forestry & Woodland Framework, and the draft national park plan. Forestry Commission Scotland, with its wealth of expertise and experience in this field, is ideally placed to take this forward.

"Another priority in our forestry strategy is to increase forestry's contribution to tourism. And here at Loch Katrine, the Commission will work with local communities and businesses, the National Park Authority, Stirling Council, Scottish Natural Heritage, its neighbours, VisitScotland and other partners to maximise the potential benefits for public recreation and tourism, the local community, and local jobs.

"The Commission will work in partnership with the local community and next-door neighbours with compatible objectives to achieve an even greater asset on a whole-landscape scale across the heart of the national park, not just on a single property. Forestry Commission Scotland, Woodland Trust Scotland and RSPB Scotland have worked in partnership with one another for many years on native woodland and biodiversity projects, and I am very pleased that they have already begun working together, and with national park staff, to identify the potential for co-operation and shared interests in the area.

"Loch Katrine's proximity to Glasgow, in particular, also provides a wonderful opportunity for our Healthy Living initiative and the Forestry Commission's Active Woods campaign to get people to enjoy exercise in the peace and quiet and fresh air of a woodland as a great way to improve their health, fitness and well-being.

"Loch Katrine and its surrounding landscape are already a magnificent asset, much loved and enjoyed by visitors and the people of Scotland. However, I am confident that in decades to come, thanks to what we are announcing today, it will become truly one of the jewels in the crown of the national park and the nation."

The leaders of a number of organisations voiced support for the plan. Scottish Water Chief Executive Officer Dr Jon Hargreaves said,

"This is an exciting project that will protect and enhance the natural environment of Loch Katrine now and for future generations to enjoy. It is a wonderful part of Scotland and the future development of this land will offer significant benefits for the nation as a whole.

"We have now delivered on our commitment in the Integrated Catchment Plan to look at the future management of this land to ensure it is developed by Forestry Commission Scotland, who are the experts in this field. Their plans for this land are ambitious and are to be welcomed.

"This land transfer is not only good for Scotland's world-famous natural environment, but also for Scotland's water customers, because this now allows Scottish Water to focus on our main priority, which is to provide clean, safe drinking water, and achieve greater efficiencies for our customers."

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority convenor Gillie Thomson said,

“The new arrangements create an exciting opportunity for the Loch Katrine area of the national park because they will enable Forestry Commission Scotland to make progress with important restoration work on native woodland and other wildlife habitats.

“It is most encouraging to see the Local Woodland & Forestry Framework, which was developed by the Forestry Commission, SNH and the National Park Authority, being put into action. This work demonstrates what partnership working can achieve, and we look forward to identifying further opportunities as we develop the first National Park Plan during 2005.” (Consultation on the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park Plan will run from Monday 16 May until September 2005.)

Loch Katrine Community Trust chairperson Kate Longworth said,

"We are delighted that Forestry Commission Scotland is taking over the management of this very special area. For the Trust the main aim is to combine a thriving rural community with the environmental needs of Loch Katrine, and we believe that the Commission has an excellent understanding of what this means to the people of Loch Katrine. We look forward to continuing an already established good working relationship with the Commission, and wish it all the very best as it starts work at Loch Katrine."

Woodland Trust Scotland director Angela Douglas said,

"The Woodland Trust Scotland is creating a native woodland at Glen Finglas that even on its own has the potential to be one of the largest native broadleaved woods in Scotland, and we are exploring options for expanding the native woodland to the east of Glen Finglas. We look forward to combining that effort with Forestry Commission Scotland's ambitions for Loch Katrine to provide an even greater asset. This is all good news for native woodland in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park."

RSPB Scotland director Stuart Housden said,

"This is a unique and important opportunity to re-create a great swathe of forest - stretching from the RSPB's Inversnaid reserve on Loch Lomondside right across to Glen Finglas - which is vital for the long-term survival of threatened woodland wildlife such as the black grouse in this area."

George McRobbie, chair of the Perth & Argyll Regional Forestry Forum, which advises the Commission on local issues in Argyll and east central Scotland said,

“I am delighted that Forestry Commission Scotland has leased this wonderful catchment. The Forum visited Loch Katrine last year and is convinced that this presents the Commission with an opportunity to create a world-class landscape. Restoration to native woodland is key to what the Forum believes can be a showcase for sustainable development, balancing environmental, economic and social interests. In particular, the proximity of this wild land to Glasgow gives an opportunity for forestry to make a proactive contribution to health and well being that could be very significant.”

NOTES TO EDITOR / BACKGROUND:

1. The lease began on April 1st and will run for 150 years. The price was a one-off payment of £2 million, which included the purchase of the Edra farm steading.
2. The lease agreement provides that Scottish Water and the Commission will work in partnership to ensure that Glasgow continues to receive a high-quality water supply.
3. Woodland establishment will occur by encouraging natural regeneration from existing woodland areas, and by planting where necessary, in conjunction with the removal of less-appropriate, non-native conifer trees. Planting will use local seed sources, and tree species will be matched to suitable sites based on factors such as soil type and location.
4. Following the completion of the Milngavie water treatment plant, the Commission proposes to explore and demonstrate the use of managed low-intensity grazing by cattle and sheep in some areas of the catchment to encourage and sustain open habitats of value to wildlife. The maintenance of wood pasture, which contains very old, open-grown trees, will also benefit from grazing. Red deer numbers will be managed at a level compatible with woodland regeneration.
5. Wildlife species expected to benefit and grow in numbers as a result of the habitat restoration include birds such as black grouse, wood warbler, redstart, crossbill, red grouse, eagles, ospreys, short-eared owls and pied flycatcher, butterflies such as the purple hairstreak and pearl-bordered fritillary, and animals such as mountain hares.
6. The Commission intends to work closely with the new trust being established to operate the steamship tourism business at the Trossachs Pier and Stronachlachar by providing informal recreation sites supported by facilities such as car parks, walks, trails and picnic sites. These facilities will integrate with the recreation infrastructure in the 20,000ha Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, as well as links westwards to the West Highland Way and eastwards to the Scottish National Cycle Route.
7. The scale of Loch Katrine is expected to provide ideal opportunities for environmental education, interpretation and information provision.
8. Early tasks for the Commission will be to prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of its proposals in consultation with neighbours and stakeholders, and a forest plan that integrates with and draws from the national park plan, the local Forestry & Woodland Framework for the national park, and the integrated catchment management plan for the Loch Katrine area that was prepared for Scottish Water. The Commission will also undertake sustainable management of the property's areas of wood pasture and other open habitats.
9. The LL & Trossachs NP Plan is expected to emphasise the potential for a more-integrated approach to land use management in helping to deliver the Park's objectives. Land-use agencies, including Forestry Commission Scotland, SNH, SEERAD, and the Deer Commission for Scotland, supported by the Scottish Agricultural College, have formed a Land Use Initiatives Group to work with the park authority to realise its vision. The Loch Katrine catchment is expected to to become an exemplar for this approach elsewhere in the national park and beyond.
10. The Commission is the biggest single land manager in the national park. Including Loch Katrine, it manages 66,500ha, including the popular Queen Elizabeth and Argyll Forest Parks, which receive an estimated 1.1 million visits a year. The Commission's visitor centre in Queen Elizabeth Forest Park at Aberfoyle receives more than 120,000 visitors a year.
11. There are few other places in Scotland where there are continuous areas of native forest habitat of comparable size, either existing or in prospect. In the two best-known examples, the dominant species is Scots pine (a conifer) rather than broadleaved species such as birch and oak. The first is an area comprising Inshriach Forest, Rothiemurchus Estate, Kinveachy Estate, Glenmore Forest Park and Abernethy Forest Reserve in Speyside, where it is estimated about 16,000ha will eventually be covered by native woodland habitat. The second is the Glen Affric National Nature Reserve in Inverness-shire, where the Commission, which manages it, estimates about 10,000ha will eventually be native woodland habitat. At Loch Maree in the western Highlands, private owners are restoring native woodland over more than 6000ha.
12. The claim that there might not have been such a large single area of native, predominantly broadleaved woodland in Scotland since the Middle Ages is supported by the Historiographer Royal, Professor T C Smout of St Andrews University, an author and writer on Scotland’s woodland history.
13. Forestry Commission Scotland serves as the Scottish Executive's forestry department. It manages 666,000ha of national forest lands owned by Scottish Ministers for mutiple benefits, including timber production, nature conservation, public recreation, and rural and community development; assists other woodland owners with grants, tree felling licences, advice and regulation; promotes the benefits of forests and forestry; and advises Ministers on forestry policy.

NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS:

• FC Scotland - Charlton Clark, 0131 314 6507; mobile 07810 181067;
• Scottish Water - John MacNeil, 01383 848236;
• Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority - Sheila Winstone, 01389 722667;
• Woodland Trust Scotland - Andrew Fairbairn, 01764 662554;
• RSPB Scotland - Rob Tomlinson, 0131 311 6536.