New Woodland Map of Scotland Published  

A new woodland map of Scotland, showing all woodland down to 0.5ha in size, has been published. The map has been created from data gathered for the Forestry Commission’s next National Forest Inventory (NFI), which will be the most accurate and comprehensive inventory of information about Britain’s woodlands that has ever been compiled.

Assessing the current area of woodland across Britain, the provisional findings are that Scotland has 1.384 million hectares of forest, or 17.8% forest cover, a slight increase on the previous estimate.

When completed the NFI will provide information on issues such as the composition, age, health and condition of woodlands, sequestered carbon, timber volume and many other topics spanning all public, private, urban and rural woodland.

It will also help to ensure that Britain's forests can withstand expected changes in the climate and contribute to climate change mitigation. NFI information will also underpin a wide range of future decisions about topics such as nature conservation, research, tree planting, forest and timber industries' development, and public recreation.

UK Wildlife Watching Events

RX Wildlife Festival

The RX Wildlife Festival runs from May 28th 2011 until June 5th 2011. There's a wide range of countryside activities planned, centred around Dungeness, Hastings, Rye and Romney Marsh.

Events include a wildlife art exhibition, guided walks, beginners birdwatching and pond dipping.

Visit the festival's website for more details.

Head Start For Restoration Of Valleys’ Ancient Woodlands  

The first steps have been taken towards restoring some of the most precious habitats in the Heads of the Valleys.

Forestry Commission Wales is carrying out a four-year survey of all Ancient Woodland Sites (AWS) and Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) across South Wales, which provide a last refuge for many of our rarest plants and endangered wildlife.

The results will help them to identify which areas are under most threat and enable it to prioritise its work to restore these delicate woodlands to how they were centuries ago.

Ancient woodlands are the subject of a number of UK Biodiversity Action Plans aimed at conserving and enhancing these irreplaceable areas, which provide the sole habitat for some plants and animals.

Countryside 2011- A Great Introduction To The Great Outdoors

Countryside 2011 runs from 28 May to 12 June and according to its website: ' includes hundreds of country based activities and events throughout South East England.'

Many events are free and there looks to be plenty going on - go to their website for more details

Free Nature Alerts

The Woodland Trust are offering the chance to sign up for their free nature alerts. Sent to your email inbox on a weekly basis the alerts include lots of great information on the latest sightings of birds, animals and flowers all around the country, plus free downloads of useful fact packed countryside information booklets and guides.

To find out more go the Woodland Trust website

Osprey Chick Hatches In Tweed Valley 

From the Forestry Commission:

Birdwatchers are thrilled to bits as an osprey chick has been spotted in the Tweed Valley Osprey Watch nest. The chick was spotted on Sunday (15th May) for the first time. At  the moment staff at the CCTV centre, based at Kailzie Gardens in the Scottish Borders, don’t know how many eggs are in the nest.

The proud parents are the same couple that have used the nest since 2004 and have raised 17 chicks between them. The male is from Aberfoyle originally and 12 years old. The female’s age is unknown as she has not been ringed.

The Tweed Valley Osprey Project, a partnership between Forestry Commission Scotland, Kailzie Gardens and RSPB Scotland, has helped safeguard ospreys and allowed the public to enjoy them through two viewing centres.

The CCTV visitor centre is open at Kailzie Gardens, near Peebles, and a new centre is expected to open shortly at Glentress. Live camera action from the nest can be seen just now at Kailzie so visitors can follow the osprey family’s every move.

Kailzie Gardens also has a number of other CCTV feeds for a number of other bird species including herons and blue tits.

More details about the Tweed Valley ospreys can be found at www.forestry.gov.uk/tweedvalleyospreys.

Get Expert Advice At Smallholder Festival  

Landowners considering planting trees will be able to seek out help from the experts at the Smallholder and Garden Festival to be held at the Royal Welsh showground in Builth Wells on May 21 and 22.

Forestry Commission Wales staff will be on hand at the South Glamorgan Exhibition Hall to give advice on the new Glastir Woodland Creation scheme, which offers an attractive grant rate to landowners who want to plant new areas of woodland.

Woodland officers will explain the benefits of planting trees for farmers and smallholders, which include providing timber and fuel, creating shelter for crops, stock or buildings and preventing run-off and reduce soil erosion.

The increased level of grant on offer reflects the Assembly Government’s strategy, Woodlands for Wales, which emphasises the need to plant more woodlands. Under the new scheme, which was launched at the end of October, farmers could get up to £9,000 per hectare to plant new woodland.

For more details on the Glastir grant scheme, please ring 0300 068 0300 or email bww.ts@forestry.gsi.gov.uk  and ask for a Glastir information pack or visit www.forestry.gov.uk/glastirwoodland.
Background information on the show can be found at www.rwas.co.uk/en/garden-festival/the-smallholder-garden-festival.

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Have A Wild & Green UK Escape

If you're looking for accommodation for a UK holiday that allows you to have a green escape; staying with people who really care about the environment, wildlife and nature, then try Wild & Green Escapes for loads of ideas and inspiration.

Machine’s new lease of life is good news for threatened species  

From the Forestry Commission:
A machine more used to cutting down trees destined for sawmills throughout Wales is playing a vital role in helping to preserve some of our rarest plants, insects and bird life. Forestry Commission Wales has converted one of its harvesters to solve the problem of restoring sensitive heathland which endangered species such as the black grouse depend on.

The unique machine has already been put to work in Clocaenog forest, where open areas of mixed woodland and heather have been cut to encourage the regeneration of heather shoots and cotton grass, all vital for the recovery of black grouse, nightjars and other species that are reliant on this open woodland habitat. 

Cornish Sea Safari

If you're heading to Cornwall in the coming months and like the idea of a boat trip to see the amazing local wildlife then you might be interested to learn more about Marine Discovery Penzance

How To Go Green For Your Holidays

Ahead of next month's Green Tourism Week (June 6-12) Wild & Green have put together ideas, inspiration and guidance on how to be a responsible tourist and have a great green holiday in the UK.

Learn more @ Wild & Green

Where's a top ten bluebell hotspot?  

Wombwell Wood, near Barnsley, has been named as one of the top ten places on the Forestry Commission estate in England to see bluebells. A vivid blue carpet has sprung up in the 145 hectare (362 acre) South Yorkshire wood – popular with local walkers and famed for its gnarled old oaks. Bluebells are a good indicator that a wood’s roots go back many centuries and those that grow in Britain represent a significant proportion of the world’s population.

The Forestry Commission has launched a new web page for people to post their bluebell images at http://www.facebook.com/#!/forestry.commission.england

Holiday Shopping @ Farmers Markets

When on your holidays in the UK you might want to do your bit for supporting the local economy and local food producers by shopping at a farmers markets.

Wild & Green Escapes has done some research and these websites look useful for finding out when and where farmers markets are running throughout the UK:

* UK http://www.farmersmarkets.net/
* Scotland  http://www.scottishfarmersmarkets.co.uk/
* Wales http://www.fmiw.co.uk/

Happy shopping!

Chicks away in Kielder!  

News from the Forestry Commission -

Nature lovers are being offered a rare chance to pay a house call on the next generation of owls in Kielder Water & Forest Park. The Forestry Commission is staging three spectacular owl nights in the 62,000-hectare wilderness on 13, 18 and 20 May when experts involved in a 30-year conservation project will take people to see newly born chicks. The event is being staged as part of Wild about Kielder, a major campaign by the Kielder Partnership to celebrate the North Tyne’s astonishing wildlife.

To join the owl nights you will need to book in advance by calling Kielder Castle Visitor Centre on 01434 250209.  The cost is £10 per person. All the events start at 7pm and meet at:

• Warksburn Picnic Site near Stonehaugh – 13 May
• Greenhuagh School, Greenhaugh, near Bellingham – 18 May
• Kielder Castle – 20 May

For more information on Wild at Kielder visit http://www.visitkielder.com/

Online Guide To Birdsong

The National Trust has a great online guide to birdsong on its website.  You're guided through the 5 minute birdsong broadcast, advised which birds are singing when and learn to identify the sounds of the robin, wren, chaffinch, blackbird and many others - well worth a listen!

Bluebells Arrive Early

According to the Springwatch Easter Special the bluebells have arrived early- by as much as 2 weeks!

The coming bank holiday weekend is a great opportunity to get out to your local woods and enjoy the sight of these brilliant blue flowers carpeting the woodland floor.

The Woodland Trust has a section on its website to help you find bluebell woodlands in the UK and the Forestry Commisson has done likewise. On the National Trust's website you can join its Bluebell Watch campaign and discover where bluebells have been spotted around the UK.