Question reference: S6W-18127
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 23 May 2023
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Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 6 June 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) red squirrels were killed and (b) red squirrel dreys were disturbed during the breeding season as a result of commercial forestry operations, in each year since derogated licensing provisions were granted by NatureScot to Forestry and Land Scotland.
Answer
There are no records of adult squirrels being killed by forest operations on Scotland's national forests and land.
The estimated number of squirrels disturbed during the breeding season by forest operations on Scotland's national forests and land is as follows:
Year | Estimated No. of Squirrels Disturbed | As a % of the Total Squirrel Population Within LMP's |
FY 17-18 | 280 | 2.34% |
FY 18-19 | 278 | 2.41% |
2020 | 690 | 2.79% |
2021 | 472 | 2.18% |
2022 | 303 | 2.94% |
Note I: From April 2020 onwards, reporting was done on a calendar-year basis.
Note II: Squirrel numbers are calculated by multiplying published average squirrel densities per tree species by the respective areas of each tree species.
Note III: LMP is an acronym for Land Managemt Plan.