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0 10,000 20,0005,000Metres

Carron Valley FDPScottish Lowlands FD

Jan 2015

Scale: 13,500 @ A1

Opportunities and Constraints

LegendForest BlockSSSIScheduled MonumentLEPOPublic Right of WayForest Road

! ! Telephone lineÏ Ï Overhead power line

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Climate- Predicted change towards a warm, moist climate over the coming decades will increase therange of suitable species for productive crops in future.- Potential threats from changing climate offers opportunity to increase forest resilience throughredesign of coupe size and structure, ride networks, use of CCF etc.- Broadly undulating terrain and general topography means that there are extensive areas thatare relatively sheltered, particularly on the lower slopes around the reservoir.- Prevailing cool, wet conditions will restrict the range of suitable species for productive crops.- Predicted climate change likely to lead to increase in extreme weather conditions (e.g. highwinds or torrential downpours) which may increase windthrow risk and impact on water supply.- Upland elevation of large areas increases exposure levels and windthrow risk.

Ground Conditions- Better quality, more fertile soils (surface water gleys and brownearths) are more prevalent on lower slopes and increase therange of suitable species.- Poorer quality soils (bog and iron pans) predominate on upperslopes, restricting range of suitable species.- High rainfall and poor drainage in some areas tends to restrictrange of suitable species, and increases risk of windthrow due toreduced rooting depth.

Existing Species- Wide range of other species (both conifer and broadleaf) currently presentas minor components indicates that the site has good potential fordiversifying the range of productive species.- 75% of existing woodland is Sitka spruce, reducing species diversity andlimiting resilience.- DNB-infected pine already present, and larch will potentially be at risk fromPhytophthora ramorum.- Some of existing alternate conifer stock (e.g. HL, DF) is in small, isolatedareas which are difficult to manage economically.

Age Diversity- Prolific Sitka spruce regeneration across site providesopportunity to achieve more diverse age structure.- Ongoing restructuring of age classes amongst productivecrops offers potential to continue age diversification.- High levels of windblow have restricted recruitment intoolder (40+ years) age classes.

Harvesting Access- Good road network across the site means that most coupes are within economicreach of standard harvester/forwarder combination.- Steep slopes may place operational restrictions on how some areas can be worked.- Some areas (mainly on the slopes around Meikle Bin + Little Bin) are over 500mfrom nearest road, and hence difficult to work economically.- Loch shore road currently unsuitable for operational access in some areas.

Wildlife Management- Recent enhancements to management programme are bringing more deer glades and access routesback into operational use.- Majority of existing woodland sufficiently mature to minimise impact of browsing.- When restocking with soft conifers or broadleaves, design of suitably sized areas can maximiseopportunities for deer control.- Browsing damage on new crops (due to deer, sheep and hare) has been an issue in recent years. Roedeer are widespread, Red present primarily on Cairnoch Hill.- Need for strategic location of fence enclosures may impose some limitations on timing of restockingwith ‘softer’ species.- Some areas have limited access due to previously established ATV tracks becoming overgrown.

Thinning/LISS- Sheltered areas on lower slopes include areas of thicket stagecrop, offering potential to expand thinning operations and to planoperations much earlier in the thinning window.- Prolific Sitka spruce regeneration across the site offers potentialto move towards LISS management approach in some areas.- Relatively little thinning undertaken to date, limiting potentialareas for conversion to LISS.- Where thinning has been undertaken, it has often been late,resulting in ‘rack only’ thinnings in some coupes, and sometimesblowing subsequently.

Watercourses + Reservoirs- Extensive network of watercourses across main block provides opportunity to extend riparian woodland networks.- Water quality is sufficiently high in some watercourses to allow fish to spawn.- Water quality is of paramount concern for the two reservoirs adjacent to the site, with implications for specieschoice, management regimes etc.- Extensive network of watercourses across the site has a potential impact on operational access to productive areas.- Many existing watercourses are either planted hard up with conifers, or have filled in with natural regeneration(mostly Sitka).- Watercourses within the block total approx. 90km in length, making active management (e.g. clearance of Sitkaregen.) problematic in terms of budgets and manpower.

Biodiversity/Priority Habitats- Osprey, black grouse, pine marten and red squirrel are all present on site, offeringpotential to protect and enhance environment for several important species.- Priority open habitat areas of blanket bog provide opportunity to improve biodiversityacross the site.- Ongoing programme of age diversification will offer increased potential in future for areasto be designated as Natural Reserve or Long Term Retention.- Trial area at SE corner of the forest suggests that programme of selective Sitka removalmight allow creation of upland fringe in some areas.- Endrick Water SSSI and Clacharie Burn SINC do not require any specific managementactions due to the nature of the designations.- Presence of important species may place restrictions on what operations can be carriedout (and when), and may also impact on species choice (e.g. large seeded broadleaves inred squirrel areas).- Open habitats are largely concentrated around summits on upper slopes, and will limitpotential to increase woodland cover.- Relatively small area of the forest is given over to management as NaturalReserve/Minimum Intervention/Long Term Retention- Attempts to create ‘upland fringe’ habitat as transition between main woodland and openground beyond have not always been successful due to prolific Sitka regeneration,browsing and poor targeting of soft species.- Non-native invasive species present in several boundary areas (Rhododendron, Japaneseknotweed), requiring ongoing management.

Heritage- Buffers around sites of interest provides opportunity todiversify forest structure and create internal views.- Several sites of archaeological interest present, potentiallylimiting planting and operational activity.- Strip of woodland between reservoir and B818 at northeastend of the forest is designated LEPO.

Recreation- Extensive network of forest roads and series of purpose-built trails providesextensive MTB opportunities across the site.- Potential to increase recreational usage across more of the site over timethrough increasing number of path ‘loops’ off the forest roads, consideringopportunities for long distance horse routes etc.- Potential to open out viewpoints (both temporary and permanent) duringthe course of thinning/felling operations, and to create semi-permanentwoodland along some stretches of key routes through use of CCF andincreased broadleaf component.- Clanranald Trust Historic Fort project offers potential to develop significantrecreation attraction.- Key recreation routes may require additional management over and abovewhat is required from a silvicultural perspective.- Two popular walking routes (Loch shore trail and route up to Meikle Bin) ateither end of the forest, but relatively little recreational use elsewhere.- Most of existing roads and trails infrastructure offers relatively fewviewpoints onto the wider landscape.- Several Rights of Way present within the eastern end of the forest.

Forest Habitat Networks- Extensive network of watercourses across the site offers excellentpotential to develop network of riparian woodlands linking up fromreservoir through the woodland to the open habitat above.- Existing woodland contains relatively little linkage in terms of seminatural woodland networks, either internally or within wider landscape.- Previous attempts to develop open or broadleaved networks alongriparian areas have suffered due to extensive Sitka spruce regenerationand/or lack of ongoing management.

Landscape- Potential opportunity to redesign coupes shapes to take better account of landscapeimpact, and vary coupe size according to the scale of the landform – larger on lowsummits and upper hillsides, smaller along the lower slopes and in the valleys.- Felling and restocking programme offers opportunity to improve views to and within theforest, and to soften existing hard edges.- Potential to enhance landscape by introducing more autumn colour into woodlandmakeup, and creating a more diverse setting to the reservoir.- Situation of the forest means that much of the site is highly visible from the public road.- Existing coupe shapes have not always been designed with visual impact as a mainconsideration. Boundary edges tend to sit starkly in the wider landscape.- Difficult to create well-scaled open space along upper margin due to extensive naturalregeneration of Sitka spruce.- Previously programmed felling/restocking operations will need to progress with existingcoupe shapes/timings in the short term.

Utilities- Utilities impact on relatively small area of the site,and offer opportunity to utilise mandatory openspace to increase habitat diversity.- Utilities require periodic access for maintenanceand may require buffer zones for safety.