A MILESTONE agreement between Upper Urr Environmental Trust (UUET) and Foresight Sustainable Forestry (FSF) was reached this week.
The agreement is the first of its kind for FSF and will give the UUET a 20-year lease for three hectares of land for public and community projects, including plans for a dedicated community woodland area, footpath creation, riparian broadleaf tree planting and habitat improvements, and peatland restoration work.
Over time UUET intend to to develop the site to provide recreational and educational opportunities whilst simultaneously increasing biodiversity.
Chairman of Upper Urr Environmental Trust Joe Seed is delighted that an agreement has been reached and is looking forward to restoring the land, he said: “Balancing commercial forestry and environmental issues is a difficult task in these times of unprecedented biodiversity loss. We welcome this opportunity to work with FSF to safeguard and restore an ecologically important area within the Galloway Landscape. We would encourage others to engage with developments in their area as it only takes a few individuals to make a difference.”
Managing director of Foresight Sustainable Forestry Robert Guest added: “We are thrilled to support this project in collaboration with the Upper Urr Environmental Trust team and hope it will provide a template for how sustainable timber production can operate alongside local communities and environmental charities for the benefit of all.
“This partnership was the natural choice given our shared goals with the UUET. We want to enhance biodiversity on our forestry sites wherever possible and we are excited to see how we can evolve and improve over time.”
