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The Caledonian Pinewood Recovery (CPR) project aims to protect and preserve remaining fragments of Caledonian pinewoods by actively encouraging landowners to take action. We recognise that not everyone that is involved with pinewoods shares our view that nature, people and business all have to work together if Scotland’s rural areas are to thrive. To try and enable a more pragmatic and collaborative approach, and to improve our outreach, the CPR project team recently ran a workshop, with an invited guest list of about 35 people, representing the full range of Caledonian pinewood stakeholders.
The ‘Pinewoods – A realistic future’ workshop consisted of two days with pinewood owners, land agents, deer managers, foresters, nature conservationists, and representatives from Woodland Trust Scotland, Scottish Forestry, Forestry and Land Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage. The aim of the workshop was to discuss openly delegates’ views and, although set up by Trees for Life, it was independently facilitated as we considered ourselves as an equal voice with the others in the room.
The content of the two days helped us discover if we have any common values for pinewoods, the practical difficulties and opportunities of pinewood management and pragmatically what actions could be taken to get the most of our pinewoods for the future.
The workshop was purposely located in Coylumbridge so we could walk directly into parts of Rothiemurchas and see the real thing. Magnificent mature Scots pine trees, rich lichens hanging from every branch, stately juniper bushes dotted everywhere, carpets of blaeberry and the occasional glimpse of a Scottish crossbill. This allowed attendees to connect better with the pinewoods we were discussing and to remind them how amazing an ancient pinewood is.
We took the opportunity to update the room on our pinewood ecological health and future resilience assessments. Using the project concepts of diversity, continuity, mobility and connectivity. And, to discuss the common threats of herbivore browsing, climate change, fire and invasive non-native species. We also explored the issues which land managers have raised as being the problems and impediments to taking positive pinewood management forward.
Over the course of the two days there was plenty of opportunity for mixing and discussion amongst attendees. We chewed over thorny subjects such as the pros and cons of current forestry grants, deer impacts on woodlands, rural land management and the role of charities such as ourselves.
The overriding positive outcome of the workshop was the powerful network of contacts we made. Along with this, we shared knowledge, started new conversations, developed ideas and formed relationships.
One of the invited pinewood owners commented that the workshop was ‘inspirational, positive, with expert advice and conversations.’ Another attendee noted that CPR project officer James’ presentations were particularly useful. A professional forester with a large patch of Caledonian Pinewood in their domain mentioned how good it was to get to discuss things amongst such a diverse group of delegates, not just with forestry colleagues.
We have come away from the workshop further inspired to continue our important work. Knowing that the CPR project successes will not only be measured by the invaluable ecological information we have gathered but by the networks of contacts we have formed and conversations we have started with different people across Scotland who are involved with the management of Caledonian Pinewoods.
Thank you to the following funders for supporting Caledonian Pinewood Recovery; Esmee Fairburn Foundation, Woodland Trust Scotland, Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, HDH Wills Charitable Trust, The Paul and Louise Cook Endowment and Future Woodlands Scotland.