Assignment 5 – Photography is Simple

02/01/18

Forestry in Scotland

‘There were so many things a tree could do: add color, provide shade, drop fruit or become a children’s playground, a whole sky universe to climb and hang from; an architecture of food and pleasure, that was a tree’ (Bradbury, 1950).

When most people think of Scotland they think of heavily wooded areas, either replete with ancient forests or full of forestry commission pines. In reality it is neither.  At present only about 17% of the land area of Scotland is covered by trees, which, while lower than most other European countries, is a significant improvement from the 5% it was in 1919 when the Forestry Commission was started to increase the amount of timber available in Britain following shortages in World War 1. This initially led to the planting and harvesting of vast areas of soft wood, often non-native species, leaving desolate tracks, but since the 1980’s there has been a change towards planting of mixed species and use of the woodlands for a wide range of activities including timber production, biodiversity, carbon capture and social uses. (Nature.scot, 2017).

In Scotland most of the forested land remains under private ownership, but some is also owned by the government and managed by the Forestry Commission Scotland. (Scotland.forestry.gov.uk, 2017) There are complex planning agreements in place to make efficient use of the land that is suitable for forestry, as much of Scotland is too high and with too poor soil for tree plantations. There are still areas of land stripped of trees awaiting soil regeneration, and replanting and these look desolate and unwanted. Other areas are full of new growth and light.

This is the land I live in and travel though on a daily basis. It changes over the years but also remains eerily the same.

References

Bradbury, R. (1950). The Martian chronicles. New York: Doubleday.

Nature.scot. (2017). Managing our woodlands | Scottish Natural Heritage. [online] Available at: https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-management/managing-land/forests-and-woodlands/managing-our-woodlands [Accessed 29 Dec. 2017].

Scotland.forestry.gov.uk. (2017). The Scottish Forestry Strategy. [online] Available at: http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/supporting/strategy-policy-guidance/forestry-strategy [Accessed 29 Dec. 2017].

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