Forest and Woodland in the Cairngorms National Park

Introduction

The Cairngorms National Park contains the most extensive tracts of Caledonian forest in Britain, comprising pine, juniper and broadleaved species.

The Park also contains the best examples in Scotland of bog woodland, mountain willow scrub and stands of aspen. The native pine woodlands of predominantly self-sown Scots pine are the western-most link to the extensive boreal forest which formerly covered a much larger area of northern Europe.

This extensive, varied and predominantly native network is one of the most valuable ecological networks in Britain, and it is one of the most widely recognised special qualities of the Park.

With the unarguable onset of climate change there has never been a more important time to ensure that the species and habitats within the Park are protected and enhanced.

Cairngorms Forest and Woodland Framework

The Forests of the Cairngorms: Cairngorms National Park, Forest and Woodland Framework, is the first of a range of frameworks covering the major 'landscape scale' land management activities within the Park. This Framework, which is a supporting document to the Cairngorms National Park Plan, will help to ensure that future forestry activity is directed to where it matters most and that other important habitats and activities such as the management of farms, moorland, wetland and recreational resources also benefit.

The strategic objectives and local priorities fully endorse the seven themes within the Scottish Forestry Strategy, and clarify what needs to be done within the Park to:

• Mitigate against climate change;
• Develop a sustainable timber resource;
• Aid forestry business development;
• Foster community development;
• Promote access and health;
• Improve environmental quality; and
• Benefit woodland biodiversity.

In addition to priorities for the Cairngorms as a whole, it provides further specific priorities for four distinct areas: Strathspey; Glenlivet, Glen Avon and Strathdon; Deeside; and the Angus Glens.

Partners and links

This Framework has been developed by a number of partners working in the Cairngorms area. It bring together into one document the range of Indicative Forest Strategies produced by the four local authorities which operate in the Park - Highland, Aberdeenshire, Moray and Angus - and other policies covering woodland management in the Cairngorms.

The Park is managed by a wide range of private, public and NGO land owners, all of whom have an equally wide range of land management objectives. Forests and woodlands occupy approximately a quarter of the Park area. This framework will help to ensure that management of this resource is targeted at maximising all the social, economic and environmental benefits that forests so richly provide.

Cairngorms Forest Habitat Network Project

The CNPA are working with Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Highland Birchwoods, Forest Research, Forest Enterprise Scotland and others to initiate a Cairngorms Forest Habitat Network Project.  This project will focus on:

• Obtaining alternative funding sources; and
• Working with land managers to target the most cost effective management. 

Contact

For further information, or if you wish to discuss any aspect of the Cairngorms Forest and Woodland Framework, please contact:

Will Boyd-Wallis
Senior Land Management Office
Cairngorms National park Authority
14 The Square
Grantown-on-Spey
Moray PH26 3HG
Email: willboydwallis@cairngorms.co.uk
Tel: 01479 870547

---