Langburn

The overall area for this woodland creation is 71.22 Hectares (Ha) of which over a half (53%) will be planted with trees, resulting in approximately 60,000 trees being planted.

Species as per the concept map have been selected based on site suitability criteria. This includes but it is not limited to, climatic conditions, topography and soil types.

Where suitable species have also been selected to support local wildlife. In this instance, broadleaves with buds such as willow and birch provide food early in season and seed-bearing species in summer.  Shrubs such as hawthorn and rowan also provide a food source late in the season.

Up to 5% of the species mix will include Scots pine due to its special significance in Scotland. Additional parcels of Scots pine and birch mix, as identified on the concept map, will help to soften the edges from neighbouring evergreen conifers.

Across the 38 hectares of proposed planting, the woodland is expected to capture 15,247 tonnes CO2e over the next 100 years and the project is expected to be issued with 12,198 PIUs by the Woodland Carbon Code.

No PWS or their catchment have been identified at Langburn.

In Scotland, the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 establishes a statutory right of responsible non-motorised access for recreational and other purposes to land and inland water.  Therefore, responsible public access is permitted throughout the forest in accordance with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

However, due to the isolated location of the site no formal public footpaths are planned.

A Deer Management Plan is a formal requirement for a Woodland Creation Plan.  This management plan considers a list of factors such as, but not limited to, structure of woodland, species planted, land ownership patterns and ecological sensitivities.  Co-operation with neighbouring farmland, forests and local Deer Management Groups are essential in the development of a sustainable deer management plan.

As part of the woodland creation proposal a deep peat survey has been conducted.  Any areas identified as deep peat (>50cm) are excluded from planting and remain as open ground.  Our methods follow the UK Forestry Standard 5^th Edition mandating that new forests will not be established on peat exceeding 50cm in depth or on sites where it would compromise hydrology of adjacent bog or wetland habitat.

In Scotland a Woodland Expansion Advisory Group (WEAG) has been established with the purpose of providing advice on which type of land is best for tree planting and potential mitigation measures.  As part of the woodland creation proposal the land has been assessed against the ‘James Hutton Institute – Land Capability for Agriculture’ classification (LCA), which is used to rank land based on its potential productivity and cropping flexibility.

The assessment of LCA on site did not meet the indicative threshold set by the WEAG – no further action is required.  However, to protect a priority habitat at Langburn approximately 14ha of the land will be retained under a grazing regime.