Forestry and woodlands

Alba trees is the UK’s largest cell grown nursery producing 30 million trees per year across three sites in the beautiful East Lothian countryside. As an industry leader they recognise the importance of cultivating the next generation of foresters to ensure our forests and woodlands are cared for in the future and ultimately safeguarding our planet against climate change.

Legislation to support Scotland’s rural economy and communities has passed Stage 1 in Parliament.

Further details about the actions farmers and crofters will have to take to receive agricultural support payments from 2025 have been unveiled. The new criteria for support will help farmers and crofters meet more of our food needs sustainably, and farm and croft while working to protect nature.

This week saw the publication by the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee (RAIC) of the Stage 1 Report on The Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill.

Scotland’s wildlife will benefit from increased protection thanks to a new law  passed by the Scottish Parliament.

The Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill includes a range of measures that will help tackle raptor persecution, and ensure that the management of species on grouse moors is done so sustainably and with animal welfare as a priority.

Views are being sought on proposals for the sustainable use of bioenergy, including growing crops which can be converted into electricity, heat and fuels.

Bioenergy is already a key component of Scotland’s energy system and is produced by using organic material from trees, plants and food waste as a greener source to replace fossil fuels.

Sustaining Rural Architecture

Rural Scotland is a charged landscape, alive with history and doused in myth. For city dwellers the countryside is a retreat for refuge and decompression, but it is also a place where infrastructures strain to reach and in which livings must be made.

The countryside is resistant to easy explanation and is thus vulnerable to stereotyping. How do we make meaningful work that responds to landscape and cultures that are diverse and sometimes perplexing, and what does this mean for the profession of architecture?

About Professor John Brennan

Creating Woodlands – learning from the experinces of others

If your community woodland group is wondering how to create a new woodland, this is the virtual session for you. Join us to hear how two woodland groups created their own new woodlands, and the processes they went through to get there. 

We will hear from: 

NatureScot has launched a new online service as part of work to modernise deer and wildlife management systems in Scotland.

The achievements of Scotland’s top land-based and aquaculture trainees were celebrated last night (Thursday 7th March) at Lantra Scotland’s ALBAS (Awards for Land-based and Aquaculture Skills) at the Crieff Hydro Hotel in Perthshire.

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