Government agencies and neighbouring land owners and managers should work together to manage and protect Scotland’s native woodland areas according to forestry minister, Lewis Macdonald.
Speaking at a conference to present the findings of a three-year pilot project, Mr Macdonald said designated sites cannot be managed in isolation.
The project set out to manage 30 woodland areas totalling 4,000ha as exemplars of how such areas could be managed to secure their long-term well-being. All the areas were within Special Areas of Conservation and fell into three types of woodland – Atlantic oakwoods, alder flood-plain woodland and mixed gorge woodland.
