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FLS leisure and recreation sites open for business

Tuesday, 14 July 2020

As Scotland’s tourism sector officially re-starts under the Scottish Government’s Phase 3 route map measures, Forestry and Land Scotland has pulled out all the stops to support the sector’s recovery and opened its visitor facilities across the country. After a Herculean effort to carry out all of the necessary health and safety checks, 95 percent of car parks, almost all visitor centres and...

Steep ground felling skills ensure river protection

Friday, 10 July 2020

The Forestry and Land Scotland team behind the steep ground felling along the Loch Ness-side A82 is keeping its hand in as the programme is adjusted after COVID-19 lockdown. No felling will take place beside the A82 this year because time will now be given over to catching up on the design and installation of the safety fences needed to keep road users safe in the unlikely event of any mishap.&nb...

Multi-agency plea for people to act responsibly and take their litter home

Wednesday, 08 July 2020

With the COVID-19 five mile travel restriction now lifted, Forestry and Land Scotland has been joined by land managers, environmental experts and campaigners in calling on the Scottish public to help prevent a repeat of the recent shameful scenes of littering. FLS has called for more responsible behaviour – and for members of the public to remember that while many car parks and beauty spot...

Seed-coat challenge solution a forestry game-changer

Monday, 06 July 2020

A Scottish Government Civ Tech Challenge launched by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) has helped create an award winning business that could benefit forestry around the world. The FLS challenge – to find a way of improving the chances of tree seed surviving and germinating to produce the seedlings that will sustain the ongoing success of Scotland’s £1bn forestry sector – met with a huge re...

Camping in the Forest decision “totally unacceptable” says Ewing

Friday, 03 July 2020

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing has branded the decision by Camping in the Forest (CiTF) to keep all their campsites closed for the remainder of the year as “totally unacceptable”. Scottish Ministers own Scotland’s national forests and land, with Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) managing it on their behalf, with the three campsites leased to CiTF, a business owned by the Camping and Ca...

Forest car parks set for phased re-opening

Thursday, 02 July 2020

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is starting to open its forest car parks from Friday 3 July onwards, in line with current Scottish Government COVID-19 guidance. The re-opening will be carried out on a phased basis which will allow the majority of FLS car parks across the country to welcome back visitors. At this stage, most of the larger visitor centres and their parking facilities will remain ...

Peatland work resumes in North Highland

Monday, 29 June 2020

Forestry and Land Scotland’s peatland restoration work at the 30ha  Meall an Lochain site in Benmore Forest (Sutherland) has resumed as the organisation restarts its work programmes in line with the Forestry Sector Restart and Resilience Plan. As the organisation’s staff begin to get back to work with new, safe-working practices, FLS has prioritised activities such as wildlife management...

Glentress Masterplanning process an example of ‘how it should be done’

Friday, 26 June 2020

Forestry and Land Scotland’s (FLS) approach to creating a master plan for development at Glentress has been hailed as an example of ‘how it should be done’. The FLS case study is one of 11 in a new Scottish Land Commission report that highlights the many benefits of greater community involvement in the early stages of development proposals. Benefits include helping to produce better places...

Newton nursery re-starts with Climate Emergency top of the agenda

Thursday, 25 June 2020

Forestry and Land Scotland’s team at the Newton Tree Nursery (near Elgin) has started back to work sowing seed to grow the trees of the future that will be urgently required as forestry resumes its climate emergency planting.  With national guidance in place to help the forestry sector emerge out of lockdown, the Newton team has been amongst the first FLS outdoor staff to resume work, bene...

Safety first plea as Beinn Ghuilean felling work resumes

Tuesday, 23 June 2020

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is appealing for help from the people of Campbeltown to keep a felling site at Beinn Ghuilean safe. The call comes ahead of the resumption of tree felling work (29 June) at Beinn Ghuilean – and is in response to vandalism at the site, which has seen some of the safety signage and barriers at the site removed or destroyed. FLS has already referred several report...

Cuningar Loop proves its mettle as lockdown oasis

Monday, 22 June 2020

Cuningar Loop, the urban woodland park in the heart of Glasgow has proved a real boon to local residents looking for lockdown exercise. Ideally situated for residents of Parkhead, Bridgeton and Rutherglen, the park has had a positive impact on the local area in the four years it has been open – but has proved its worth in the COVID-19 health crisis. Paige Klinkman, area Visitor Services Manage...

FLS trials new technique to restore sand dune habitats

Thursday, 18 June 2020

A new method of restoring sand dunes to their pristine and natural condition is being trialed by Forestry and Land Scotland at Morrich More, a site near Tain in East Sutherland. The project aims to remove trees – planted decades ago in a misguided attempt to help prevent dune erosion – and create the conditions that will allow dune vegetation to once more take hold and allow natural processes...