75 years of public forestry conservation work in Glen Affric

The Herald Scotland

6 days ago

Regarded as one of the most beautiful places in Scotland, it contains one of the best (and third largest) examples of the Caledonian Forest that once covered much of Scotland.
FLS North Region Manager, Alex Macleod, said: 'Glen Affric is a special and spectacular place. We have been working here for a long time, working with other landowners, and community and volunteer groups, on the long and slow process of restoring the Caledonian forest in this iconic Glen.
'In all that time, we estimate that we've protected and restored hundreds of hectares of Caledonian Pinewood through planting and allowing natural regeneration of Scots Pine and native broadleaves.
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'That Affric looks as it now does belies the fact that this most natural looking of destinations is under constant management. But it is a fitting testament to the success of decades of effort that has included planting and forest management, as well as fencing and – crucially – deer management to protect the young trees.
'Where possible we are using natural processes to protect and restore the rare habitats and species in the area but it's unlikely that Glen Affric will ever be wholly free of management but we can thank those mid-20th century foresters for having the long-term vision that has helped us create what is there today.'
Amongst its many designations, it is a Caledonian Forest Reserve, a site of special scientific interest, a national scenic area and a national nature reserve, as well as holding several other European conservation designations.
Deer management has been pivotal to success. When the Forestry Commission acquired Glen Affric (1948) years of unchecked deer browsing meant that there were very few Scots pine trees under 100 years of age. Some of those trees had to be felled to make space for the millions of young trees (grown from local Scots pine seed) planted by the Forestry Commission in fenced pinewood reserves at the start of the forest regeneration process.
In the 1950s the Commission was still fulfilling its post-war remit to increase tree cover, so also planted species like lodgepole pine and Sitka spruce. However, within 20 years, the evolution of forestry knowledge and thinking saw a reversal of this policy and the reduction of non-native species from key areas.
The core pinewood is anticipated to be free of non-native species within the next decade but productive forestry will continue to have a presence in the Glen both to allow ongoing restructuring of forests and provide local economic benefit.
Mr Macleod added: 'The 75 years of work has seen a significant protection and expansion of the Caledonian woodland, major improvements in the structure of woodlands and the reach of montane woodland, as well as the restoration of wetlands, peatland and other open land habitats. This has been a real boost for biodiversity with a wide range of animal, bird and insect species – from dragonflies to red deer, and mountain hares to golden eagles.
'It has also been a real boost for visitor numbers, with the Glen renowned as a high value, high quality recreation area and visitor destination.
'High visitor numbers– and the potential impact that this could have – climate change and wildlife management are going to be the main challenges that we will continue to address as we move towards us reaching our centenary in Glen Affric.
'We remain fully committed to the sensitive stewardship of Glen Affric on behalf of the nation and to our continued partnership working with our neighbours, the local communities and stakeholders, such as Trees for Life, Affric Highlands and the Deer Management Group, to ensure that Glen Affric is cared for future generations to experience and enjoy.'
A good deal of experience has been built up about the practical application of interventions over 75 years of work but there is still scope for more science and research to be done to better understand both how these interventions affect the less visible species and functions, and what natural processes are doing in Glen Affric.