Timber on the riverside

Many rivers on Tayside are heavily wooded,often on both banks. While a certain % of trees are good for a river, 100% cover for long stretches is definitely a bad thing, creating shade and cooling the water. In this case, non-native sycamore pre-dominates, casts quite a heavy shade, competes with native trees and can potentially help the spread of grey squirels through catchments by providing a source of large seeds. It is however a very good firewood. Alders, although native, cast a dense shade, and they also tend to acidify watercourses because they have the ability to fix nitigen. Many riverside woods consist mainly of alders. Alders are a bad firewood, and the economics of thinning them are often very poor. These are the two most common species on this stretch of the Lyon. Both coppice very well, so if a decent market can be found locally for this material, they will provide a genuine renewable resource. Over a period of time, woodland management along a river should seek to reduce the % of both these species, and reduce the overall woodland cover to, probably, 30-50%. We will be collecting a range of woodland management information during our survey work. If we can quantify the resource available, local contractors will be better placed to invest in suitable harvesting equipment, and local users will be more aware of the likely local supplies. BIFF are well placed to co-ordinate such efforts.