Field Notes: What a difference a year makes

Schiehallion manager Liz Auty's collage shows changes at East Schiehallion thanks to the generosity of our supporters and volunteers

Felling

During the winter we felled three hectares of conifer plantation woodland, mainly Sitka spruce and lodgepole pine and extracted the timber.

Fencing

A new deer fence now encloses 10Ha of land close to the Braes of Foss car park, and a stock fence with electric top wires and an offset electric wire encloses a further 72Ha out to our southern boundary at Glen Mhor

Planting

In the spring and autumn with the help of over 100 volunteers we planted almost 6,000 trees including birch, rowan, willow, aspen, scots pine and oak. It was fantastic to be involved in such a wide range of people and groups, volunteers and staff from within the partnership, schools, universities and corporate supporters all contributed – sometimes despite challenging weather conditions.

Regeneration

Already there are encouraging signs of vegetation flourishing, like the willow regeneration pictured above.

Next steps for 2019

This year we will be looking after all those young trees, as well as planting more in the autumn. Other partners in the (Heart of Scotland Forest Partnership) will also be planting, so look out for news of that work here soon.

This work was made possible thanks to the generosity of everyone who donated to our (Heart of Scotland Forest appeal) and funding from The April Trust, Original Buff, S.A, Woodland Trust Scotland, Tree of Knowledge and funding under the Scottish Government's Forestry Grant Scheme supported by the European Union.