FDF will submit a petition to the Scottish Parliament in early September. Have you signed & returned it yet? The Petition calls on the Parliament to ensure that 4x4 off-road driving does not take place in any public forest managed by the Forestry Commission.
The FDF Committee has sent a letter to Ross Finnie, Minister of Rural Affairs, asking him not to permit 4x4 driving in the public forest. We have also written to Sir Peter Hutchison, Chairman of the Forestry Commission, to ask him to engage in a real consultation with the community, and to ask him not to renew after the end of the one year trial.
There appears to be little demand for off road driving in Durris Forest - despite intense marketing effort by LandRover in specialist magazines, and local advertising on Northsound.
Scottish Enterprise Grampian have ploughed large amounts of public money into supporting a project for which there appear to be few paying customers.
Only 117 LandRovers have driven the most intensely used off-road track in the forest in the first six months of the trial operation, as the Monitoring Report shows. On average, there seems to be less than one vehicle per day or five vehicles per week.
The major enhancement of local employment, promised in the planning application, seems to be limited to one part time ex-forest enterprise manager. Meantime the LandRovers are parked in a neat row at the Marcliffe. Are new vehicles provided after six months, as LandRover promised the community, to ensure that pollution is minimised?
The trial period of one year of off road driving in Durris Forest expires on 7 Nov. - the anniversary of the press launch by LRHE. If the Forestry Commission fails to listen to our views, we must expect planning applications to be submitted soon.
The Sheoch
Burn runs along the west boundary of Kirkton Wood. Otters live along the bank of the burn,
and it is an excellent habitat for acquatic invertebrates and the species that feed on
them.
The ‘spectacular
gorge of the Sheeoch’ is proposed for protection as an Area of Natural Beauty in the
Aberdeenshire Local Plan. The burn may be under threat. The Scottish Environmental
Protection Agency, SEPA, is concerned about pollution of the burn, possibly by forestry
activities upstream.
At Kirkton
itself is the beautiful old bridge just south of the road. The much neglected structure,
was built in the 18th Century, and is Cat: B listed. However the Council has
done nothing about this neglected structure, despite its identification in the local plan
five years ago, apart from adorning it with corrugated sheets.
FDF are
examining ways of rescuing the historic bridge. Have you any stories or sketches of the
bridge and the Sheoch Burn? FDF would like to build a picture of this part of our
heritage.
The FDF Committee visited Birse Community Trust
earlier in the summer, to exchange ideas on community forest projects. The committee meets
regularly to progress projects. If you have any suggestions, or would like to contribute
to one of the working groups, please contact any committee member.
((: 01330-…)
John Coyne (844787) Philip Dean (811308) Sandy Duthie (844507)
David Edgar (844598) Susan Gallagher(811884) Maureen Gibson(811396)
Paulette Gould(811625) Mark Hagger (811328)
Mike Potter (811725) SophieTrafford(811488)
Sandy Wallace (844343) James White (811756).
David Felstead (811884)(Membership Officer)
Kevin Peace (844625)(Forest Enterprise manager)
FDF Bike Fun Day
There was a steady trickle of people, young and old, who came along to try a variety of fun events in the forest, at the first Bike Fun Day run by Friends of Durris Forests. It was an unseasonably cold and wet day on 24 June. About 50 of all ages joined in the fun, riding mini time trials round the forest roads, hunting for cycle treasure, and various other activities. The event concluded with some traditional stories, linked to the forest location, by Kath and Jackie who had the participants enchanted. Many thanks to all those who helped to organise the activities.