THE CENTRAL SCOTLAND FOREST TRUST
The Central Scotland Forest Trust leads the partnership which is creating the Central Scotland Forest.
There are formal partners (the Scottish Executive, Scottish Enterprise and the LECs, Forestry Commission Scotland, the area’s five Local Authorities and Scottish Natural Heritage) and informal partners including local communities, voluntary organisations, the private sector, farmers and landowners.
The Central Scotland Forest Trust has two key roles in the creation of the Central Scotland Forest.
Strategically, it defines the vision for the Forest, assembles the resources to create it, engages and co-ordinates partners, promotes the Forest and woodlands and monitors progress.
On a practical level, it acts as an implementer, undertaking projects including woodland planting (on derelict land, farmland and in urban areas), woodland management, access and recreation works (paths and facilities) and a range of community projects and landscape improvements.
It also provides opportunites for work-based training and volunteering.
The overall aim is to double the woodland cover in the Central Scotland Forest area to 34000 hectares by 2015.
Major activity areas include:
- Establishing amenity, community and commercial woodlands
- Bringing neglected woodlands and shelterbelts into sustainable management
- Constructing and repairing footpaths, cycleways and bridleways
- Removing “eyesores” such as derelict buildings and fences
- Landscaping highly visible transport corridors and business sites
- Developing the support and involvement of local communities
- Restructuring existing landholdings into viable farm-forestry units
- Creating, protecting, expanding and enhancing sites of natural, historic and cultural importance
- Connecting to new initiatives such as health, education, biodiversity and social justice
