New riverbank woodlands are being planted across Scotland to help tackle rising temperatures due to climate change, restore habitats and reinstate healthy river systems that support some of Scotland's most iconic species including otter, osprey, and Atlantic salmon.
Foresters at Forestry and Land Scotland is now planting hundreds of hectares of new ‘riparian’ (riverside) woodlands, in all regions, but especially in the north of Scotland.
Former forestry practices allowed the planting of non-native conifers right to the edge of watercourses, increasing acidity in some cases and causing other problems like over-shading.
As the conifer forests of the mid twentieth century are restructured by felling, riparian zones are being replanted with mostly native species including Alder and Downy Birch, Aspen, and Rowan.
FLS is also planting new woodlands on riverbanks in glens that - over centuries – have been denuded of trees largely because of deer grazing pressures.
The new woodlands can very quickly establish and bring benefits to animals, insects and fish that rely on a rich, riverside ecosystem of shrubs and bushes, tall trees, tiny trees, and even dead and dying trees, festooned in lichens, liverworts, and mosses.
Foresters are finding that in those areas where new riverbank woodlands have already been planted, the benefits are being seen within 5-7 years - and increasing every season.
More on:
Posted On: 30/10/2023