Our latest directors’ blog is written by Matthew Hay, who reflects on the state of nature in the UK after a recent trip to some of Italy’s wild and not-so-wild places. The last time I left the UK, it was to play the bagpipes at a wedding in Sri Lanka Read more…
Our latest Directors’ blog is by NatureScot’s Woodland Officer, Kate Holl, who has co-authored a best practice guide on how to establish common woodland plants in broadleaved woodlands. For more information on the recent publication, visit the NatureScot Press Release. I think spring is my favourite season, and this year Read more…
Our latest Directors’ blog is a guest article by independent film-maker Ross Harrison, whose latest video Forgetting Nature will be released on Wednesday 17th March. In this post, Ross discusses his rationale for making the film and why the nexus between our increasingly digital lives and ecological amnesia is important. Read more…
Our latest Directors’ blog is a guest article by Peter Cunningham, an aquatic biologist who has lived and worked in Wester Ross since 2001. In this article, he looks at the role of riparian woodlands (and alder in particular!) in sustaining wild fisheries, supporting riverbanks and reducing wildfires. I’m in Read more…
Our latest blog is a guest article by Dr Eleanor Harris, who takes her Confor hat off on this occasion to give us a personal view, outlining a vision for the lowlands that speaks to the needs of a 21st century society. I was inspired by Gus Routledge’s ‘upland vision’ Read more…
Our latest Directors’ blog is by Helen Armstrong, professional ecologist and founder of Broomhill Ecology. In it, she digests important new research on carbon sequestration in afforested ecosystems, and evaluates the implications this might have on woodland expansion policy in Scotland. Woodland expansion onto open ground is often cited as Read more…
Our latest Directors’ blog is a guest article by Gus Routledge, professional ecologist and ‘Scotland: The Big Picture’ trustee. In it, he explores the mindset of those opposed to native woodland expansion and the legitimacy of their concerns. Scotland’s native woodland was found to cover about 4% of our land Read more…
In the third instalment of our Directors’ blog, professional ecologist Andy McMullen questions the anti-tree orthodoxy of peatland conservationists. In Scotland, there can be an unfavourable attitude towards trees near peatlands. Some wariness is understandable following planting of the unique Caithness & Sutherland peatlands with non-native conifers in the 1970s Read more…
In the second instalment of our Directors’ blog, Nicky Penford takes a look at the many reasons our waders are struggling and asks how we can avoid making similar mistakes in the future. Like many, lockdown has prompted me to re-explore my local area, and the purchase of an electric Read more…