The Forest Habitat Network, established by Forestry Commission Scotland and Midlothian, East Lothian and Edinburgh city councils, aims to create green corridors to reconnect the area’s woodlands and improve access to forests for residents.
Environment minister Michael Russell backed the partnership, saying that it is “very important that we sensitively manage an expansion of this woodland cover” and that the scheme would help “increase the wealth and economic competitiveness of the region”.
The network has been set up in response to housing growth in the Lothians, which is set to see 5,000 new homes constructed every year, and wants to see developments that are “not harmful to the environment”.
