Wild Land News no 66, Spring 2006

Native forest for Loch Katrine Article

John Digney reports on a woodland regeneration project at the heart of Scotland's first National Park.

There is public road access to Loch Katrine at only two points, but walkers and cyclists can enjoy 12 miles of its shoreline along a virtually traffic-free road. Photo:John Digney

Loch Katrine lies at the centre of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. From its beautifully wooded eastern end at the true heart of the Trossachs it stretches 9 miles north-west to lonely Glen Gyle. Here the wild scene is marred only by an ugly pylon line - arguably a greater intrusion than the relatively discreet Victorian engineering works that converted the loch into a reservoir to supply Glasgow with clean water. Loch Katrine seems to suffer relatively little from the effects of drawdown that disfigure the hydro-electric reservoirs in the north.

Following a major policy review by its predecessor in 2001, the present water authority, Scottish Water, took the decision to dispose of the non-core elements of its Loch Katrine operation. Sheep-farming has ceased on the surrounding hills after concerns over water contamination, and the running of the 106-year-old steamer, SS Sir Walter Scott, was transferred to a charitable trust. 2005 marked the beginning of a new era when Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) took on a 150-year lease for the entire catchment of Loch Katrine and its feeder, Loch Arklet.

FCS have now carried out a detailed survey of the 9598ha catchment and have produced an ambitious management plan, at the heart of which is a native woodland regeneration scheme on a grand scale. This will link with native woodland schemes on the neighbouring RSPB Inversnaid reserve to the west and the Woodland Trust's Glen Finglas estate to the east. Information will be shared between the three organisations and work coordinated to produce a habitat network stretching from Loch Lomond to Callander with a continuous corridor for flora and fauna.

Scope of the project

Trees could potentially be established throughout the catchment up to an altitude of 350m - a total of 3600ha - but rather than continuous cover, the aim is actually to achieve 2000ha of new native woodland of which 800ha will be planted, with the remainder occurring through natural regeneration. Planting will be scheduled to begin in spring 2008 and continue until 2014.

Aerial photography was used to ascertain the extent of existing woodland. Broadleaves currently cover 669ha, and there are 122ha of commercially planted conifers of which only 17ha, mostly Scots pine, will be retained. Birch and oak are relatively plentiful, but others such as slope alder, wych elm, hazel, juniper and aspen are under-represented.

Constraints

The north-west end of Loch Katrine with Loch Arklet to its left, see from Beinn Bhreac. Loch Tinker is the small hill lochan in the foreground. Photo:John Digney

The choice of where to plant has been influenced by a variety of factors. The entire catchment is designated an Area of Great Landscape Value and includes two National Scenic Areas. FCS recognise the importance of retaining open space in key areas for the huge numbers of visitors to enjoy uninterrupted views of this celebrated landscape. Also to be taken into account are two areas designated as SSSIs, amounting to 222ha, and the need to safeguard existing habitats such as blanket bog, heath and grassland will be another constraint. There are ornithological considerations too as the catchment is home to a number of protected bird species, and SWLG's David Jarman has been consulted about certain geomorphological features which need to be acknowledged in the design plan.

Access

Long before the new legislation was enacted, FCS operated a policy of open access, and this will have a major bearing on the pattern of planting which will take account of routes people are most likely to follow on the hills. Rights of way will not be impeded, and FCS are working with the Sir Walter Scott Trust to improve opportunities for walkers and cyclists. The steamer timetable is to be revised to allow greater flexibility for passengers wishing to spend time ashore, and an additional shuttle vessel is to be introduced to give access to smaller piers on the loch. FCS will construct new paths and improve existing ones to provide walks of various length for a range of abilities.

A community-led project to restore sections of old road, including a portion of early 18th century military road between Stronachlachar and Inversnaid, is hoped to be incorporated into the final scheme. It will provide a traffic-free link between Loch Katrine and Loch Lomond as well as a circular walk from Stronachlachar. FCS have stressed their commitment to working with local communities.

Fencing

Although fenced enclosures will protect the areas of newly planted trees until they are well enough established to withstand browsing - up to 20 years - the controversial proposal to construct a deer fence right across the catchment has now been abandoned. Various options were considered for the line this should take, and the preference was for a 28km fence running approximately east to west and linking the lochs, which themselves are natural barriers to deer movement. After much debate within the Balquhidder Deer Management Group, of which FCS in Aberfoyle is a member, it was decided to drop the idea, much to the relief of those of us who despair at the proliferation of fencing across open country.

There has been some deer movement into the catchment from estates to the north, and although densities are currently greater than FCS would like, the impact will be monitored and it is hoped that the absence of grazing stock on the hills will compensate. However, once the water treatment works at Milngavie, north of Glasgow, have been completed, a farming operation will be established, initially with native breeds of cattle. This will help to meet biodiversity objectives and keep rank vegetation down. There are no plans as yet to return sheep to the area, but that option is not ruled out for some future stage.

Conclusion

The aim of this project will be to maintain the wild character of the area and restore the kind of woodland that nature intended here. It all seems a far cry from the days when we watched in horror and disbelief as cherished landscapes were transformed under a suffocating blanket of sitka, and routes to and from the hills became a maddening struggle through the tightly packed trees. Today the expression "felling to recycle" is very much part of FCS language when harvesting is uneconomic but the need to remove or redesign plantations is acknowledged.

So for those of us who have seen many commercial conifer plantations come and go, perhaps the only regret is that we are unlikely to live long enough to see this native forest reach full maturity.

We are grateful to Russell Lamont of FCS for his help in providing much of the information for this article.