Feedback of public sought on best use of Scottish forest and land
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People in Strathspey and Badenoch are being invited to offer their thoughts on how to make best use of Scotland's national forest and land.
The invitation, from Forestry and Land Scotland, is looking for feedback from people across the north of Scotland on how to further grow its work with communities across the country.
FLS engages communities on decisions about how it manages the national forests through its land management plans and in a wide range of projects and activities – from staging events or facilitating community volunteering, to developing community renewables schemes or leasing or selling land through its Community Asset Transfer Scheme.
FLS is now looking for feedback on how to increase the levels of community involvement to help deliver the objectives of local communities alongside its own.
In launching the consultation, environment and land reform minister, Mairi McAllan, said: “As Scotland’s largest land manager FLS makes a unique contribution towards biodiversity restoration and towards achieving Net Zero. But it also has a unique relationship with the many communities that live and work in and around Scotland’s national forests and land, as well as the many communities who use this important natural resource.
“FLS is now looking to build on its track record and help ensure more people engage with their work and help shape the forests and land around them.
“This is a great opportunity for people to comment on what is working well, what can be done better and what challenges and barriers need to be overcome so that more communities’ ambitions can be realised.”
An example of a community project in north Scotland is near Wick, where the Friends of Newtonhill Woodland have, amongst other things, improved recreational access by developing a new path network and refurbished an old croft for use as a base for a volunteer program which takes place in the surrounding Newtonhill Woodland.
The Communities Strategy will sit alongside FLS’ Visitor Services Strategy, and will focus on how communities can get more involved in the decisions, management and use of the national forests and land.
The consultation will run for 12 weeks from May 31 and responses can be submitted to fls.communities@forestryandland.gov.scot.
You can also let us know if you are interested in being involved in future workshops to develop the action plan.
