Forestry chiefs are appealing to the public to stop taking motor vehicles into national forests in Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park, apart from on the designated “Three Lochs Forest Drive” in the Trossachs.

And they have begun mounting patrols to look for people taking vehicles such as motorbikes, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), cars and four-by-fours into national forests.

Forestry Commission Scotland's recreation manager for Cowal and The Trossachs, Shirley Leek, said,

"We are becoming increasingly concerned about the number of people illegally taking cars, four-by-fours, ATVs and motorbikes into the forests. We want to remind people that this is illegal, dangerous and inconsiderate, and it can cost the taxpayer a lot of money to repair the damage that motor vehicles cause to the forest environment.

"It is possible that some people believe that Scotland's new access legislation gives them the right to enter national forests with motor vehicles, but this is not so. The legislation is for the benefit of people such as walkers, horse riders and cyclists."

Ms Leek said the Commission was concerned for public safety if unauthorised motor vehicles continued to be used in the forests.

"There is a real risk that someone will be hurt when these vehicles are used on trails that are intended for walkers, cyclists and horse riders," she said. "Horse riders are in particular danger if their horses are startled by machines suddenly appearing.

“Equally, unauthorised use of vehicles on forest roads adds greatly to the traffic associated with forest work or joint accesses, and is socially unacceptable as well as unsafe."

The Commission is also concerned about the damage the vehicles do to forest trails, and the disturbance to wildlife, forest neighbours, and people who visit the forests to enjoy the peace and quiet.

"These vehicles do a lot of damage to the paths and trails, which are provided and maintained at taxpayers' expense, and to the fragile wildlife habitats in the forest. The more money we have to spend on repairing the damage, the less we have to spend on other facilities for public enjoyment of the forests.

"Sometimes the offenders genuinely don't know that it's illegal, and nor do they realise that their insurance won't cover them if they have an accident in the forest, and they stop their activities once these are explained to them. Unfortunately, however, many of them are well aware it's illegal, but do it anyway. For this reason we would appreciate the public's help by reporting any incidents, along with registration numbers if possible.

"The majority of the public tell us that they want their forests kept for quiet recreation, because they value the chance to get away from it all in a peaceful, attractive place such as a forest. Noisy motor vehicles are incompatible with this unless they are carefully controlled and zoned, although if motorbike and ATV users want to talk to us about the possibility of providing places for them to ride, we would be happy to discuss this with them."

There is a forest drive in Achray Forest at Aberfoyle that the public may take motor vehicles on, and the Commission sometimes organises special events in the forests for four-by-four enthusiasts.

Further information about the national forests in the national park is available from Cowal & Trossachs Forest District at Aberfoyle, telephone 01877 382383, or from the Forestry Commission's public enquiries line, 0845 FORESTS (0845 367 3787).

NOTES TO EDITOR:

1. National forests are public forests owned by Scottish Ministers and managed by Forestry Commission Scotland. Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park has one of the highest concentrations of national forest land in Scotland.
2. Forestry Commission Scotland serves as the Scottish Executive's forestry department. It manages 656,000 hectares of national forest land owned by Scottish Ministers to provide multiple benefits including public recreation, timber production and nature conservation; supports other woodland owners with grants, felling licences, advice and regulation; and advises Ministers on forestry policy.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

FC Scotland press officer Charlton Clark, 0131 314 6507; mobile 07810 181067; or
Shirley Leek, forest ranger, 01877 382383.