Forestry Commission Expert Recommends Mediterrenean Species For Scottish Reforestation

[hatrack]

SCOTTISH forests should be replanted with Lebanon cedars, Italian elders and Macedonian pines and not native species, according to a leading expert in a Forestry Commission study.

The imported trees must form a vital part of a dramatic expansion of tree cover as global warming changes the Scottish environment, says Professor Sir David Read. Wet climate species such as Scots pines and native oaks could struggle to grow as temperatures increase and the environment becomes drier, suggests Read, a former vice-president of the Royal Society, in a report for the Forestry Commission.

He is now calling for trials of more exotic species from southern Europe to see which would thrive best in a changing Scottish landscape. But his suggestions have been condemned by the Woodland Trust for Scotland, which believes the focus should remain on planting new native woodland using traditional species.

Read, also Emeritus Professor of Plant Sciences at the University of Sheffield, said he believed a huge expansion in new forestry planting each year in Scotland was necessary to help soak up carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming. Under current government plans, the commission will increase tree cover in Scotland by up to 10,000 hectares a year.

EDIT

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Plant-foreign-trees-39to-save.6050105.jp

[Lorien]

1. No matter which species they choose, it's good to see that some are actually

taking climate change seriously. How about putting some Americans back to work with a massive tree planting campaign? (I know, I know...it's not privatized and profitable).

[WhiteTara]

2. makes me rethink my native only plantings

at my little piece of heaven. I'll think about a wetter colder winter species for some of my plantings.

[XemaSab]

3. It makes me think that maybe

ditching the southern California species is premature. x(