Minister faces plea from pinewoods campaigners for meeting

The call follows research by conservation charity Trees for Life that found the woods are in danger of disappearing forever, with the spread of non-native trees and grazing by deer threatening their survival.

The charity is now seeking an urgent meeting with Mairi McAllan, Minister for the Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform, in a push for immediate action.

“We need the Scottish Government to step up and show real leadership,” said the charity’s chief executive Steve Micklewright.

“The long-term solution requires reducing deer impacts over large areas, yet although NatureScot’s own assessments have shown that too many protected pinewoods remain threatened by deer, the agency is not using the powers it already has to rectify this,” he said.

“One essential immediate short-term fix is dedicating funding to ensure that urgent remedial action can be taken quickly to protect endangered pinewoods with fencing, or else the good work of the past is at risk of being lost forever.

“Without emergency repairs, these old fences are no longer keeping pinewoods safe from over-grazing.”

Micklewright added that the spread of non-native timber trees from surrounding plantations was a specific problem on land owned by Forestry And Land Scotland.

“While we applaud the agency’s efforts to help the country’s fragile rainforests recover, these are a different habitat to the Caledonian pinewoods,” he said.

“What we need to see, and urgently, is similar concerted and determined action to save the pinewoods before it’s too late.

“Many more sites on the National Forest Estate could be restored if Caledonian Pinewoods were prioritised. Just as the Scottish Government has made excellent commitments to recover our fragile rainforests, we need ministers to deliver the same for Caledonian Pinewoods.”

A public consultation on the future of forestry grant support has only just been opened by the Scottish Government.

A spokesperson said: “We recognise that Scotland’s Caledonian Pinewoods are irreplaceable and an iconic habitat. That’s why we are taking forward recommendations made by the Deer Working Group and are working to ensure deer management efforts are focused on high-risk areas.

“We are clear that effective deer management is vital if we are to bring populations in balance with nature. NatureScot will not hesitate to make use of the full range of powers available to them when necessary, to secure vital benefits for nature and climate.”

“The Forestry Grants Scheme helps support land owners for the initial costs of deer fencing. However, these fences are seen as temporary structures to enable new or existing woodlands to establish. The grants scheme contract requires that the landowner maintains these fences in good working order for at least five years after receiving payment.

“Over the next 12 weeks, we are seeking views on strengthening a number of key woodland priorities, including support for native woodlands and biodiversity. We would encourage all those with an interest in woodlands to give their feedback through the consultation.”

The spokesperson added: “In October 2022, we announced that Forestry And Land Scotland will receive over £1.3 million to control invasive non-native species and manage the impacts of wild deer, in order to promote the recovery of Scotland’s fragile rainforest ecosystem.

“We are working closely with the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest, Scottish Forestry, Forestry Land Scotland, NatureScot and other key partners to develop a policy to determine how we could scale up support in the longer term, including on the scope to further attract responsible private investment.”