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News Release from: Forestry Commission | Subject: Scottish urban woodlands
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 09 December 2004
Woodland boost for Scottish towns
Scottish Forestry Minister Lewis Macdonald has approved grants that will help bring back to life 33 neglected urban woodlands across Scotland.
Scottish Forestry Minister Lewis Macdonald has approved grants that will help bring back to life 33 neglected urban woodlands across Scotland, whose total area is more than twice the size of Cumbernauld The grants are part of the Scottish Executive's drive to use woodlands to improve the lives of people living in cities, towns and villages
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 15 Jul 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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More than 2400 hectares of existing urban woodland will be revitalised through a variety of ways including: thinning to open up more space and light; felling or respacing to improve access; removal of fly-tipping and dumped cars; planting of new trees; and better information and recreation facilities to help more people enjoy their local woodlands.
Some of the winners include:.
* Bishops Estate, Easterhouse, Glasgow (100 hectares).
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This is an important network of woodlands owned by Glasgow City Council with 40,000 people living close by.
More than 2,200 metres of new footpaths will be built, 1,500 metres of footpaths will be upgraded, access points will be improved, 100 tonnes of fly-tipped rubbish will be removed, the woods will be cleared of litter, and 14 hectares of woodland will be thinned.
A full-time community ranger will be appointed to boost community working and education.
* Green Link, near Motherwell (50 hectares).
This woodland is owned by North Lanarkshire Council.
More than 1800 metres of new cycleway will be constructed to link local settlements to new jobs at the regenerated Ravenscraig Steelworks site.
Nearly 4000 metres of new footpath will be built, 4470 metres of existing footpath will be maintained, and interpretation and signage will be provided.
Twenty-two hectares of trees will be thinned, 7750 native trees will be planted, and fly-tipping and rubbish will be cleared.
Two new community rangers will be appointed to run extensive education and community events.
* St Magdelenes Hill, Perth (44 hectares).
This woodland is owned by the Perth and Kinross Council and managed in partnership with the St Magdelenes Hill Project Steering Group.
Plans include the construction of 3260m of new paths and the upgrade of 932m of existing paths and a new carpark, protection of the species rich grassland on the site, selective thinning of the trees currently on site, and planting of seven ha of native trees.
Fly tipped rubbish will be removed.
Recreation proposals for the site include the development of a mountain boarding track which will be the first public access track in Scotland.
This track will also cater for mountain biking, and when it snows, tobogganing and ski-ing.
Leaflets describing the footpaths on the Hill, and the connecting paths to the wider local network, will be produced.
* Corstorphine Hill, Edinburgh (76 hectares).
This woodland is managed by the City of Edinburgh District Council in partnership with the community group, Friends of Corstorphine Hill.
Plans include the construction of more than 3000 metres of new paths, improvements to 4700 metres of existing paths, thinning of 40ha of trees, and planting of 14,000 native trees.
Fly tipped rubbish will be removed, 16 community events are planned, and a leaflet on the Hill will be produced.
Announcing the £1.7 million woodland cash boost, Lewis Macdonald said: "Through this funding we aim to help more people living in built-up areas to enjoy the many benefits that local woodlands can bring.
Woods are great places for exercise, such as walking, running and cycling.
They are also natural stress busters, where you can get away from it all.
By bringing back to life many of our neglected woodlands we can improve the quality of life for those living and working in cities, towns and villages in Scotland.
"An important factor in this woodland revival is to encourage local communities to become more involved in the care of their woodlands.
By encouraging local people to take an active role we can also help to protect these woodlands and boost community spirit." Grants have been approved for improving woodlands in the following main towns - Galashiels, Irvine, Linwood, Motherwell, Hamilton, Stonehouse, East Kilbride, Glasgow, Bishopbriggs, Airdrie, Cumbernauld, Livingston, Edinburgh, Saltburn, Clackmannanshire, Oakley, Helensburgh, Perth, Oban and Inverness.
The funding to revitalise woodlands across Scotland is primarily from the WIAT (Woods in and Around Towns) Challenge Fund to which applicants submit bids to Forestry Commission Scotland.
This money is paid as a top-up to standard grants from the Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme.
All the bids to the WIAT grant scheme had to include community consultation, improved access, landscape enhancement and work to boost wildlife habitats.
Settlements with a population greater than 3000 were invited to apply for the grants.
Further information on the WIAT scheme is available on www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland.
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