Upland Management: Rights & Wrongs

I have obtained funding through the Skills Development Scheme, which is part of the Scottish Rural Development Programme, to run three events in the Cairngorms National Park before the end of March, next year.

The events will cover three different topics in three different locations: bracken control, heather restoration and muirburn. The first of these three events will be held in Glenshee on Wednesday, 4 August 2010 and it will be based on the Spittal of Glenshee Hotel.  Presentations, including one by our own president, Prof Rob Marrs,  will be given in the morning and this will be followed by a series of practical demonstrations on an area of bracken close by, in the afternoon. Further details will be published soon.

The details for the remaining two events are being worked up at the moment, and I will circulate details as soon as they are available.

Peat bog restoration methods may harm insect species

See the short article on the University of Plymouth website.

Raising of water tables by blocking of grips appears not to be all good news.  First, it was the increase in Methane emissions after re-wetting and now it is damage to insect populations.  There are also question marks about the impact on dissolved and particulate organic carbon.

This is all very much emerging knowledge, and I will be trying to fill in the gaps in this Blog as more information comes available.

Apologies

I am conscious that my blogging has lapsed and I apologise to anyone who has been looking for a continuation of the normal snippets of news and nuggets of information.

I am now back from leave with renewed enthusiasm for communication and will do my best to catch up on some of the recent events and happenings in the upland world.

To show you how tough having a sailing holiday on Scotland's West Coast can be, this is a souvenir of Oban on the longest day.