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Sprucing up our native forest could begin tomorrow



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Published Date: 22 March 2008
By Jim Crumley
IF YOU were to select a single piece of current Scottish parliamentary business with the most potential to transform the nature of the country, the chances are you might overlook the forestry policy review.
It is, I concede, a long shot, but I would like Mike Russell, the environment minister, to contemplate not the rebranding of a forestry industry, but rather the establishment of a national native forest.

We can start to transform the nature...



The full article contains 716 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

 
1

Slioch,

Scottish Highlands 22/03/2008 10:04:10
It is a pity that Jim Crumley, a writer with a keen sense for and appreciation of landscape, should exhibit such ignorance with respect to biodiversity in the above article.

He states that he has little time for regarding Sitka spruce as a an alien species. In support he mentions capercaillies, sea eagles, red kites, red squirrels, beaver, lynx, boar, bear, wolf and people, because they have been or may in the future be, imported into Scotland. However, all of those latter species are native species in Scotland, and even where the original Scottish population entirely died out (as with caper, sea eagle and red kite) the introductions were from populations which would not likely have been genetically distinct from those native Scottish populations for more than a few hundred years.

In contrast, there are no native spruce trees in Scotland, and the Sitka spruce comes from a continent that has been genetically distinct from European spruce trees for some 65 million years (when the Atlantic began to open). To describe Sitka spruce in Scotland as anything else than an alien species is simply to turn truth into untruth. There seems little point in discussing anything with someone who makes such an absurd proclamation.

Further, the effect of allowing Sitka spruce to reign free would be catastrophic for much of our native woodlands, particularly in the west. Sitka spruce is a vigorously invasive species, out-competing native tree species as well as destroying ground flora with its dense shade. The Atlantic oakwoods and much of the western pinewoods would be overwhelmed. That is destroying biodiversity, not enhancing it.

A more misguided or damaging proposal for the future of Scotland's woodlands than this aspect of Jim Crumley's otherwise reasonable suggestions would be difficult to imagine.
2

Angus,

Alexandria 22/03/2008 22:52:53
1 Slioch,

Jim Crumley is quite right! The whole idea of "nativeness" is a complete fallacy based on fiction rather than fact.

Take the red squirrel, for instance. There is no evidence that the red squirrel evolved naturally in this country for 10,000 years as the so-called conservationists would have us believe and the current population is decended from European imports.

However, the word “species” is only a descriptive term within a man-made classification system, so it is ridiculous for conservationists to latch the adjective “native” onto a classification, when in the real world it should relate to actual animals that have been born and bred in a location to which their native standing rightfully applies.

If it is important to conservationists that a species evolves naturally in Britain to earn its “native species” status here, then it should be equally important that the same species having evolved in a different natural environment abroad, should not be regarded as “native” to this country.

If the Forestry Commission were to follow jim's idea they should also bear in mind the need for construction timber which would reduce the need for environmentally damaging imports and reduce the human footprint on forests for the benefit of wildlife.

That would be real conservation rather than the social engineering they have currently adopted - woodland theme-parks and playgrounds.


 

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