Benefits of Small Scale Woodland – Event Summary
12 September 2017There were many positive discussions regarding woodland creation and the practical measures to be taken to achieve the goal of creating a woodland area. The existing woodlands visited were impressive and an inspiration to the attendees who do not currently have woodland cover on their respective properties.
Discussions of the day included;
- Species Choice – Shetland Amenity Trust discussed the possibility of supplying plants grown from locally sourced seed with the idea that this should perform better than imported stock.
- Grant Funding – options to help assist with woodland creation available through the Forestry Grant Scheme and/or support from The Woodland Trust.
- Weed Suppression – we looked at an example of how this was done through the use of sections of carpet. This reduces workload in the longer term and could, in turn, eliminate the use of herbicides.
- Benefits to livestock – shelter woodlands have the potential to reduce mortality after shearing and lambing, reduce winter feed costs and increase weight gain.
Our attendees noted that they were grateful for the opportunity to learn about woodland options and many went away with increased aspirations.
Many thanks to the owners for allowing us the opportunity to view their woodlands at Wethersta Brae and Burravoe.
Thanks also to our speakers;
- Sue White
- Eleanor Garty
- Douglas Priest
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