Proud of his present......

Brian (centre) was presented with this wonderful picture from work colleagues and friends. He is a very keen stalker, and no doubt will be looking forward to finally finding such a beast somewhere in Buchan or Moray. The picture is by A Davidson, and so life-like it could pass as a photograph.

Gavin Legge opens the speeches.....

Gavin Legge opens the speeches and speaks on behalf of Brian's fellow woodland officers.

Well done Gavin.....

The Conservator speaks.......

John Risby, ex-Grampian Conservator, now Conservator in Highland, sings Brian's praises.

The Forestry Commission Huntly girls recite a poem for Brian

VIDEO- Stewarts Hall in Huntly

This is a great Town Hall, with a great north-east feel about it. A great venue for an informal frendly party like this.

VIDEO- And again..........

Hazel features in Mull Grazing Workshop

Scottish Native Woods joined forces with the Argyll Island Native Woodland Project to organise a woodland grazing workshop on Mull. The workshop looked at the benefits of conservation grazing in Atlantic hazelwoods. Some Atlantic hazelwoods have "glue fungi", causing bits of deadwood to stick to living trees.

We also took delegates to a wood with hazel glove fungi. This is a Species Action Framework species, a weird looking flagship for Atlantic hazelwoods!

A good mixed audience of farmers, foresters and conservationists came together to discuss woodland grazing. Here are some of them framed by the massive branch of a veteran oak tree, which bears witness to a history of wood pasture.

Bighearted Scotland Awards Dinner

Some of us with our guests at the Bighearted Awards - over £60,000 was raised for the 6 member charities

Light shining through.........

Another day spent looking at plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS), this time down at Stanley near Perth. Ancient woodland remnants can survive under these conditions. This stand of Sitka Spruce could potentially be gradually thinned over a period of years to let in more light and revive the ground vegetation.

And again........

Planted oak woodland near Perth

Looking up....

....branches are a bit brittle.

Red squirrel signs........

Autumn is here.....

Autumn is definitely here now, with all sorts of bits & pieces falling from the trees last night.

Ash trees are known to be more brittle than most, although they are the most securely rooted of all our native trees.

Signs of climate change?

This Peacock butterfly is feeding on Buddleia near Loch Ness. Peacocks have been steadily moving their range further north. Fifteen years ago, they were rare in Highland.

Meanwhile, Buddleia is an introduced shrub which is starting to 'naturalise' in parts of Highland. The changing status of both species may well be attributable to changes in weather.

Green hazel nuts

Hazel nuts are now starting to ripen. They have a different taste when they are green.

It looks like it could be a good "nutting" year.

Spraying Japanese knotweed

The third year of spraying the largest stand of knotweed in Highland. It is generally considered that a five-year programme is necessary to ensure eradication.

Himalayan Balsam

As invasive plants go, this is one we really shouldn't have to struggle with. It is an annual plant with a short shelf-life. Prevent it from seeding for 2 years, and the problem is solved. Just pull it up before it flowers.

Young planted woodland

This is a young woodland that I planted in 1993 in Co. Tyrone in N. Ireland. It includes 46 different species of native and non-native trees and shrubs, and is an excellent place for people to practice their tree ID.

Although very young yet and planted on former farmland, this woodland has long since had many of the characteristics of a functioning woodland eco-system, with ash, aspen and blackthorm regeneration coming up thick and fast under the canopy of the older trees and already diversifying the overall structure.

Many people do not plant trees because they say "they will never see them". Well, plant your trees when you are young and dont leave it too late, and then you can both see them and enjoy them. As is seen below, some of the trees in this woodland will soon also be off a utilizable size.

Looking down a ride

This was left as an open ride in 1993, six metres wide. We were able at that point to drive a tractor down here and cut hay from this open strip for 3-4 years after planting....cant do that now!!

Crab Apple...Malus sylvestris

Young Wych elm

.......so far escaping the dreaded Dutch elm disease.

Ash in a young mixed woodland

Ash is often a good species to plant on fertile sites that are reasonably base rich and not too prone to frost. fast growing stems are often this greeny colour.

Ash tree, planted in 1993

Behind the Hedge 1

Behind the hedge 2

Hello....!!

Devil's bit scabious

Devil's bit scabious is a quirky name for a strking late season flower. Apparently the roots are short & truncated as if the devil has had a bite from them, and the flower was used to treat scabies. In the west it often occurs in open ground around woodland (there's hazel in the background of these pictures). It plays an important part in the life cycle of the marsh fritillary butterfly, another species which increasingly threatened elsewhere but which is thriving in Argyll. Marsh fritillary were spotted about 200 yards from this flower for the first time this summer.

This second picture shows the flower in full bloom, when it's also very attractive to bees.

Wood Pasture a link to the past

I noticed this area of scattered trees on a walk in the hills on the west coast. Closer inspection of the site made me think this unassuming area could be a living link to a historic system of land management.

Wood pasture is a habitat consisting of open woodland with grassland or heathland which has resulted from generations of people grazing livestock as well as maintaining the trees on the site. The people would have lived in valley, where the remains of their houses were still evident.

A feature of wood pasture is the presence of very old or veteran trees, which on this site were mainly oak.

Here are a couple of my favourite trees. The exposed location and resulting harsh conditions have sculpted an attractive mix of living and deadwood.

Nearby were the signs of the next generation of trees which with protection could maintain this open woodland as a feature in the landscape for future generations to enjoy.

More information on Wood Pasture can be obtained on the website of Scottish Natural Heritage www.snh.org.uk

Camserney Community Garden today

Dianne our fundraiser has just sent off a project report for Camserney Community garden today to the People's Postcode Trust, who funded some of the activities shown here, among others, this spring and early summer.

Peter Butter had his Camserney kids all out working this afternoon, cutting grass, preparing vegetables for the local show, doing repairs and all sorts of other tasks that needed doing.

Thanks to the People's Postcode Trust, Scottish Native Woods & others

This on their notice board........

People's Postcode Trust hedge

People's Postcode Trust Tractor in use

People's Postcode Trust Gazebo

Peter Butter giving the kids some instruction in cutting flowers for a show. The Gazebo is an excellent workshop for work like this. You can see all the prize tickets they have won for their garden produce recently displayed on the wall.......and that is only the past few months.

Winning prizes........

The kids from Camserney have been cleaning up in the vegetable sections of all the local shows this summer.

Acorns

Ancient Woodland restoration above Weem, Aberfeldy

Lots of berries

Aberfeldy's Poplar Avenue with its aspens

This is at the 12th hole on Aberfeldy Golf Course, and is called The Poplars. Behind is the famous Poplar Avenue....now composed entirely off native aspens, the planting of which was organized by Alan Drever the founder of Scottish Native Woods. There is a really nice feel about this tee, with the trees rustling in the background and a great view up the strath of the Tay towards the hills of Breadalbane.

BBC Landward

The BBC visited Glenurquhart this week to film an item on controlling invasive non-native plants for their Landward programme to be broadcast in the autumn.

Steve cuts balsam with a Martindale 781 slasher.

Presenter Dougie Vipond tells the camera why Himalayan balsam is a problem.

Meanwhile, an onlooker is bemused by all the attention.

Rock Whitebeam

One of the few scattered trees on this steep rocky slope is a rare specimen.

Rock whitebeam Sorbus rupicola is found on cliffs and steep rocky slopes of basic rock. The trees are found as either small groups or more commonly as isolated individual trees.

Rock whitebeam is apomictic, which means it can produce viable seed without sexual reproduction. The berries produced are dispersed by birds to regenerate in new locations.