Palacerigg Country Park Long Term Forest Plan Consultation

Exciting news as the development phase for the Nurturing Natural Connections project continues to move forward.

Palacerigg Country Park – Long Term Forest Plan renewal

Walker Hines Woodland Services have been commissioned to renew North Lanarkshire Council’s Long Term Forest Plan (LTFP) for Palacerigg Country Park, as part of the NNC development phase. The Palacerigg CP Long Term Forest Plans sets out the necessary works and permissions to improve and strengthen the woodlands within Palacerigg Country Park. We are looking for feedback from the community on these plans and you can see the proposal at Palacerigg Golf Course and there will are comment forms there for you to leave feedback. You can also leave feed back by emailing Walker Hines Woodland Services 

Aims

• To enhance the condition of the woodlands, increase tree quality & improve species & structural diversity.
• To improve the biodiversity value of the park.
• To undertake works in a cost-effective manner, achieving economies of scale in operations & improving the value of retained trees.

Objectives

• Improve woodland quality by thinning to promote the best stems & removing conifers vulnerable to wind damage
• Increase biodiversity by retaining sensitive habitats & leaving them undisturbed, increasing species diversity & improving the age & size structure of the woodlands
• Ensuring the woodlands are managed in a sustainable way within the constraints set by the other objectives

Key management issues

• High levels of public use of the Park suggest that dramatic changes need to be avoided, & that consultation & awareness-raising will be important
• The importance of the existing woodlands in providing a setting for the Park & its activities
• The preponderance of low quality semi-mature coniferous woodlands
• Existing management tracks also function as main recreational routes

Proposals

• Thinning 22.5 ha (9.75 ha phase 1, 12.8 ha phase 2)
• Felling 5.5 ha (5.5 ha phase 1, 1.0 ha phase 2)

Benefits of Thinning

Thinning allows the adjustment of the proportions of the species present in the woodland to favour variety & diversity. It can target coniferous species which may be vulnerable to wind-damage in the future & other species vulnerable to tree diseases.

It also encourages the development of appropriate woodland ground flora & the development of a shrub layer.

Benefits of Clear-felling

In some situations, it is beneficial to clear-fell small areas of conifers to remove pockets of wind-blow damage & allow re-stocking with native broadleaved trees.

Considerations

Proposals

The proposals follow those set out in the original long-term forest plan, but have been adjusted to take account of sensitive habitats, & protected birds & mammals.

Parts of the restocking in the east of the park will include a range of flowering tree species & understory planting in order to contribute towards a regional nature corridor for pollinators.

The felling near to the edge of Fannyside Loch will help to ‘soften’ the woodland edge & restocking will create a varied broadleaved fringe.

Implementation

The approval of the long-term forest plan renewal will provide permission for the woodland management from Scottish Forestry. The work will then be implemented by NLC with phase 1 in the next 5 years (2025-26) and phase 2 in the following 5 years (2029-30).

How to Comment

Your questions, comments and feedback on the proposals are welcome.

You can fill-in a feedback form and post it in the ‘Feedback Forms’ box provided or send it by post to Walker Hines Woodland Services at the address below.

The feedback form is also available on request by email.

Please also get in touch should you wish for further information.

Walker Hines Woodland Services

8 Kirkton Avenue, Bathgate, West Lothian, EH48 1EN

Email: mail@walkerhineswoodlandservices.co.uk

A note of all comments received will be passed on to Scottish Forestry, along with details of any amendments proposed.

If you wish to copy Scottish Forestry into your correspondence, their contact details are:

Scottish Forestry

Central Scotland Conservancy, Bothwell House,  Hamilton Business Park, Caird Park, Hamilton ML3 0QA  Email: centralscotland.cons@forestrey.gov.scot