Emma Roddick MSP Visits Assynt

Earlier this month, some of our team met with Emma Roddick MSP in Assynt, to talk about the importance of land management in the area.

On a driech and soggy summer day, Engagement Manager Romany Garnett and Wild Places Manager Rich Williams had planned to meet Emma Roddick MSP at our Quinag estate in Assynt. Unfortunately, as the weather refused to lighten up, they decided to take shelter in the nearby Culag Woods, managed by the Culag Community Woodland Trust (CCWT). 

As our neighbours, we have enjoyed a very positive mutually beneficial relationship with CCWT: our staff utilise the woodlands for guided walks in Lochinver and at Little Assynt, which is also managed by CCWT. By welcoming our volunteer groups to both locations, we have greatly benefitted each other's work. There are also plans for the John Muir Trust to use an area in Culag Woods for working with the schools on a new woodland biodiversity project.

While sheltering from the rain, our team explained the current situation on deer to the MSP.  Many habitats on Quinag in Assynt, particularly native woodland, have declined and disappeared. And one of the main reasons for this is the unsustainable rise in deer population.

We’re working to reverse this decline and encourage nature to develop a rich variety of wild landscapes and habitat. This is particularly important for saving the ancient Ardvar Woodlands on the north side of Quinag. Deer are an essential part of the ecosystem but their high numbers are preventing young trees from growing.

Reducing deer density is essential for woodland restoration. Our objective is to allow recovery of the remnant woodlands on Quinag. On the south side there is an ancient holly grove spreading across the lower slopes of Doire Cuilinn as well as vulnerable populations of other tree species, all struggling to survive. On the north side there are downy birch woodlands with rowan, wych elm, aspen, oak, and hazel, which are part of a larger Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation; these also continue to suffer browsing damage from deer. As the deer move back and forth between these two areas, reducing the deer population and their impacts across Quinag is essential for the survival and recovery of these woodlands.

Community involvement

Another important element of our deer management plan is to encourage the local community to become involved in stalking. In such a male dominated environment, we are keen to encourage women to learn the skills required to stalk and process venison for their own consumption.

A women’s stalking group is being developed by the Trust to encourage and enable women to learn about stalking and butchery in a safe an inclusive environment. Participants can learn how to move around the hill, read the landscape, camera stalk and eventually how to shoot and gralloch a deer and butcher it. Learning these new skills will develop confidence and provide many health and wellbeing benefits from being outdoors and feeling connected to the land.

Emma Roddick was impressed by this project as a way to increase local involvement in the land and to empower local women to broaden their skill sets and strengthen their sense of community. She said: “Hearing more about the local women’s deer stalking group and the work they do to ensure the restoration of biodiversity in the places the John Muir Trust has stewardship over was fascinating, and it was clear how seriously the team takes this task. I am very grateful to the whole John Muir Trust team who gave up their time to show me just a small part of the vital work they do for our natural environment.”

It was a truly positive day, despite the weather. It is so important to keep our local MSPs up to date with our work, both what we have accomplished already and what we are striving to accomplish in the future.

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• The Culag Community Woodland Trust (CCWT) was formed in 1995 to manage Culag Wood under a 50-year lease from the owners, Assynt Estates and Highland Council. Managed by members of the local community and supported by an active membership of volunteers and staff, CCWT strives to create employment and training opportunities for local people, support improvements in wellbeing for locals and visitors and encourage education about the area’s natural environment. Find out more about CCWT.