That the Parliament notes the publication by Trees for Life of Caledonian Pinewoods, which, it understands, presents the results of a four-year study of the status and condition of the last remaining remnants of this habitat; understands that Caledonian pinewoods are unique to Scotland and are home to Scotland’s national tree, the Scots pine; acknowledges what it sees as the wealth of biodiversity that the pinewoods support, including rare and endangered species such as wild cat, capercaillie and twinflower; considers that pinewoods can make a contribution to mitigating the impacts of climate change; understands that Caledonian pinewoods would have once covered most of Scotland but are confined to just 84 remnants, covering less than 2% of their original area; believes that browsing by deer and the spread of invasive non-native species means that many pinewoods will not survive without urgent action; supports Trees for Life’s recommendations for landscape scale deer management, targeted grant funding to enable urgent remedial action, and considers that Forestry and Land Scotland takes a leadership role in pinewood restoration, especially in the removal of invasive non-native species, such as rhododendron.
Supported by:
Colin Beattie, Finlay Carson, Maggie Chapman, Kenneth Gibson, Pam Gosal, Christine Grahame, Bill Kidd, Gillian Mackay, John Mason, Stuart McMillan, Marie McNair, Audrey Nicoll, Mark Ruskell, Paul Sweeney, David Torrance, Mercedes Villalba