Give feedback on community use of Caithness land and forests
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Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) invites feedback from Caithness residents on how to make best use of forest and land.
FLS engages communities on decisions about how it manages the national forests through its land management plans and in a wide range of projects and activities – from staging events or facilitating community volunteering, to developing community renewables schemes or leasing or selling land through its pioneering Community Asset Transfer Scheme. It is now looking for feedback on how to increase the levels of community involvement to help deliver the objectives of local communities alongside its own.
An example of a community project is near Wick, where the Friends of Newtonhill Woodland have, amongst other things, improved recreational access by developing a new path network and refurbished an old croft for use as a base for a volunteer program which takes place in the surrounding Newtonhill Woodland.
In launching the consultation, Environment and Land Reform Minister, Mairi McAllan, said: “As Scotland’s largest land manager FLS makes a unique contribution towards biodiversity restoration and towards achieving Net Zero. But it also has a unique relationship with the many communities that live and work in and around Scotland’s national forests and land, as well as the many communities who use this important natural resource.
“FLS is now looking to build on its track record and help ensure more people engage with their work and help shape the forests and land around them.
“This is a great opportunity for people to comment on what is working well, what can be done better and what challenges and barriers need to be overcome so that more communities’ ambitions can be realised.”
The Communities Strategy will sit alongside FLS’ Visitor Services Strategy, and will focus on how communities can get more involved in the decisions, management and use of the national forests and land.
The consultation will run for 12 weeks from May 31 and responses can be submitted online or via the Communities mailbox (fls.communities@forestryandland.gov.scot).
