YOUR VIEWS: Give power giant an inch, it won’t take your meter

Having read your article ‘Not so smart with their meters roll-out in Badenoch’ on page 34 of February 15th’s Strathy, I would like to add my experience as a Kingussie resident with SSE.

Two-and-a-half-years ago I requested a change of meter from pay-as-you-go (PAYG) to standard smart meter. Despite being very clear in calls an email and a couple of SMSs (texts), twice the engineer turned up with a smart PAYG meter.

On the second occasion, the engineer was able to instal a standard meter as a ‘temporary’ measure.

He informed the meter department, got me set up with my wee monitor and it was all good to go, all I had to do was wait for an appointment to exchange the meters.

This set-up worked perfectly for two months, then suddenly stopped communicating, no-one has explained that.

Since then, I’ve spoken to various different people, I have been allocated a manager twice, I received some compensation, two appointments were cancelled last minute, I was compensated for that.

For the last 18months, I have been told repeatedly that there are no engineers available in this area. Now I am waiting for someone from the fault team to get in touch.I won’t be holding my breath.

SSE and OVO recently got together, like in the last few months, so, really the meter issue cannot be laid at OVO’s door in my opinion.

Gwen McDermott

Kingussie.

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Reaction to delay in dualling A9 is ‘near hysterical’

To the obvious delight of the Tories and Unionist opposition, the near hysterical reaction of some SNP members and office bearers to the Scottish Government’s delay in dualling the A9, is utterly ludicrous.

Sadly against the tragedy of road deaths, Covid, Brexit, Ukraine and strikes, along with a cost of living crisis overseen by corrupt and incompetent UK governments, has drastically reduced the flow of cash to Holyrood.

However, let it be clear that the SNP-led Scottish Government’s commitment to complete the A9 duelling, remains absolute. Holyrood Transport Minister, Jenny Gilruth announced that contracts are being re-tendered “with pace and urgency”.

I stand with others as we support and urge the SNP administration to complete the A9 project, since no other party government would take it on.

In truth however, against all other SNP policy considerations (including GRR) I believe unity of purpose is vital if we are to keep Independence, Climate Change and Human Rights to the forefront.

Grant Frazer

Newtonmore.

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Convenient and clean transport links are a must

It was good to see that some of the Inverness bus fleet is to go electric.

I don’t suppose that Deutsche Bank owned Stagecoach would have proceeded with the improvement if the Scottish Government’s SULEBS fund had not put up almost half the required cash.

There has been a suggestion that the Scottish Government through this fund might also finance the improvement of inter community transport in the Highlands.

It might be thought that such an initiative would be particularly appropriate for the Cairngorms National Park.

Surely here, clean convenient transport should be a priority and not just for the obvious benefits of emission reductions and the provision of an alternative to the car.

Why cannot we have a decent, clean bus service throughout Badenoch and Strathspey? Why is it allowed that Stagecoach/ Citylink coaches only now serve Aviemore?

The problem as with so much is a lack of cash. A reset of how our land is used could surely at least begin to address the shortfall.

Why with our vast land resource have we a housing shortage? Why is ‘out of town’ commercial development so limited?

The situation throughout Europe is so strikingly different.

Surely it’s possible to have a much more populated, much more diversely populated Highlands.

With more economic activity there could be more resource for public provision, including, not least, our currently dire bus services.

Dick Webster

Campbell Crescent

Kingussie.

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Caledonian Forest in need of vital support

I was pleased to see the Strathy article last week (page 20) on the recent Trees for Life survey of the remaining Caledonian Pinewoods (CPs), because they are indeed in need of greater protection.

Their treatment by the authorities Scottish Forestry (ex-Forestry Commission), NatureScot (formerly Scottish Natural Heritage), and the Cairngorms National Park since the turn of the century has been nothing short of shocking.

Thankfully it is mainly the small isolated CPs in the southwest of the Highlands which are most at risk, not the large pinewoods of Strathspey, Deeside, and Glen Affric. But these do have their own problems regarding naturalness.

Everyone agrees the CPs are special due to the fact that they are the most natural woodland habitat we have – direct natural descendants of the boreal forests established some 9000 years ago as the glaciers retreated.

They are clinging on despite the effects of previous climate change to wet and windy conditions, causing peat expansion and forest decline.

Also by anthropogenic activities such as clearance by fire and felling and/or the prevention of regeneration by allowing overgrazing by farm stock or deer.

Yet despite having some of the highest nature conservation designations, there is little in the way of real safeguards or grants to encourage owners to protect them. Nor do the authorities lead by example in their own authenticated CPs. Since the 18th Century much of the former CP area has been felled and replaced by plantation, right up to the 1990s when efforts to protect them led to some recognition and acceptance this was necessary.

Properly managed CPs are recognised as having a greater conservation value than plantations, with old growth and a much wider range of rare pinewood specific flora and flora.

Planting cannot replicate the wide range of biotic agencies – natural processes operating above and below the ground, as it involves gross human intervention at every stage from seed collection, through nursery operations, to selection of planted tree position and soil disturbance, often by screefing and even mounding.

There is also a risk of introducing harmful pathogens. It is for these reasons that the qualification for CP status is ‘descended from one generation to another by natural means’ since post-glacial times, which excludes planted areas and even subsequent natural regeneration from plantations. Planting breaks the continuity of forest evolution and contravenes integrity.

Apart from the previous planting of non-indigenous conifers such as Sitka spruce and Lodgepole pine, local origin Scots pine was also used in the Highlands, especially on infertile soils such as podsols under dry heath.

For example in Strathspey there are thousands of hectares of planted Scots pine, so there is no shortage of local origin pinewood. Nor is there any need to plant in or near CP areas, especially if it inhibits natural expansion.

It is vital that buffer and regeneration zones be meaningful and kept free of any planting, even of local origin Scots pine and minor broadleaves, up to the treeline in areas near remnants, for future natural expansion.

This is not being done at present despite Government policies which consistently advocate natural regeneration as being the most beneficial for conservation, education and amenity, with planting only as a last resort, are shown by the TfL report as being ignored by the very authorities which should be protecting our rare and fragile CPs.

One cannot restore (or expand) a natural forest by unnatural means.

What is required is a revision of forestry grants to make it more attractive financially for owners in and around CP areas to choose natural regeneration with browsing control, instead of expensive (taxpayer refunded) planting and fencing, together with realistic zonation of future expansion areas and strict legislation banning planting in them.

There are plenty of bare hillsides distant from CPs for planting without downgrading our rare and valuable ancient pinewoods.

Basil Dunlop

Grantown.

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