There are still places available on next Wednesday evening's (June 15) guided walk through Dunkeld's Craigvinean Forest to help forestry staff find out what the public wants to see in the popular forest.

It's all part of efforts by Forestry Commission Scotland to manage national forests in a way that takes account of local communities' views and aspirations, while also explaining to local communities how the Commission proposes to meet its wider objectives.

Wednesday evening's guided walk will build on an open meeting that the Commission's Tay Forest District staff held in the Birnam Institute in February, when they asked members of the public for their views on the Commission's long-term management plans for Craigvinean Forest and Ladywell Plantation.

The walk will provide an opportunity to ask questions and to hear - and see - how foresters plan to deal with issues raised at February's meeting. These include the maintenance of open views, the promotion of wildlife, and the avoidance of conflict between different activities, such as walking, mountain biking and horse riding.

The walk, starting at 7.30pm, should last about 1.5 hours and will be mostly easy going, but might require a small amount of uphill walking. Stout footwear and warm, waterproof clothing are advised. People who attended February’s public meeting were invited to volunteer for this walk, and will receive a reminder along with a note of the the Commission's responses to the concerns raised.

The walk is also open to anyone who missed the first meeting but who would like to learn more about the Craigvinean Forest Plan and to have an opportunity to discuss it.

Numbers on the walk are likely to be limited, so anyone planning to go along should book a place by phoning Tay Forest District on 01350 727284 or by e-mail to peter.fullarton@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

Craigvinean and Ladywell are national forests managed by Forestry Commission Scotland. They are important parts of the local landscape and contribute to Dunkeld’s wooded setting. Craigvinean stretches north from The Hermitage, covering the hillside to the west of the A9 and River Tay.

Three main changes to the management of the forests were discussed at the Birnam meeting, as outlined by Peter Fullarton:

"First, we proposed increasing the area managed without clear-felling trees. In such areas, we thin the forest regularly, leaving larger trees that provide a seed source, and letting in light that encourages natural regeneration.

“Second, we explained our ideas about developing Craigvinean as a national demonstration forest, where people can come and study management systems that provide an alternative to clear felling.

“The third change we discussed is the construction of a mountain bike recreation area at the north end of Craigvinean. We have been conducting a feasibility study into improving facilities for mountain biking in Tay Forest District, and Craigvinean looks like one of the best locations.

“As we explained at the meeting in Birnam, we are keen to adopt an appropriate balance between conservation, landscape, recreation and timber production that will enable us to manage these forests sustainably and efficiently.”

NOTES TO EDITOR:

1. Forestry Commission Scotland serves as the Scottish Executive's forestry department. It manages 666,000 hectares of national forest and other land owned by Scottish Ministers, supports other woodland owners with grants, felling licences, regulation and advice, and advises Ministers on forestry policy. For further information, visit www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland
2. Clear felling is the practice of felling all the trees in a harvesting area. Where possible, Forestry Commission Scotland is practising and encouraging alternatives to clear felling, such as "continuous-cover forestry", whereby only some of the trees are taken out of the harvesting area, leaving a "continuous cover" of trees whose seed will provide the next generation of trees on the site.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

• Charlton Clark, FC Scotland press office, tel: 0131 314 6507; mobile: 07810 181067
• Peter Fullarton, Tay Forest District, 01350 727284