Chapter 8. Forests
8.1 Forests are the locale of wonder tales. Gustav Dor�'s 'Stag viewing himself in the stream'
8.2 Sherwood 'Forest' never had many trees, even in the days of Robin Hood, but it did have ancient trees.
8.3 Tropical rain forests are supplying the timber which developed countries can no longer obtain within their own borders (Courtesy of Marian Grierson) [].
8.4 'Multiple-use forestry' can be interpreted in several ways: A. Six uses in one compartment; B. Six uses in six separate compartments; C. Six uses in overlapping compartments; D. Six uses overlapping with uses outside the forest. [Ven4]
8.5 Sir Walter Scott was an enthusiastic forester on his own estate, at Abottsford.
8.6 Since the end of the eighteenth century, most people have believed that plantations should look 'natural', as in diagram C above. The alternatives, of zoning, concealment and innovation are shown in diagrams A, B, and D.
8.7 A larch plantation in the Lake District National Park, overlooking Derwent Water.
8.8 A forest ride in Dumfries and Galloway. In 1983, Prince Charles had the impression that someone had simply 'planted huge numbers of exactly the same type of tree, slapped a deer fence round the whole lot and then gone off to wait for it all to mature into a cash crop'.
8.9 Lord Clinton's Rule required a strip of hardwood to conceal conifer plantations (above). The strip was left in place when clear-felling took place (below). [Note: the artwork is at differenct sizes: the final illustrations should be at the same size]
8.10 Dame Sylvia Crowe helped to convert many plantations to the irregular style of landscape design.
8.11 The contrast between a farmed hill and a planted hill is dramatic - but contrary to the irregular style of forest design.
8.12 Tarn Howes, a man-made lake in a man-made forest, shows that it is possible to create new landscapes which are highly valued by tourists.
8.13 A magnificent stand of Sessile Oak on the west shore of Loch Trool is, rightly, being managed for its scenic and scientific interest. Note the Forestry Commission planting in the background.
8.14 The steep hillside on the east shore of Loch Trool was planted with conifers, which are not flourishing. Instead, natural regeneration of hardwoods, as on the island, should have been encouraged.
8.15 This stand of Sessile Oak was, foolishly, underplanted with Hemlock and Douglas Fir, in preparation for removing the oak.
8.16 Signboard for the Galloway Forest Park.
8.17 Many streams which would have made good habitats or footpath routes were killed by the forest canopy.
8.18 It is possible to obtain a better cash return from planting chalets than from planting trees.
8.19 This forest, and the pond, are being devastated by clear-felling.
8.20 It is necessary for forest landscape plans to deal with visual amenity, recreation, nature conservation and timber production. This can be done by developing landscape management objectives for defined zones within the forest. For example, Zone A - preservation + nature conservation; Zone B - retention + recreation + nature conservation; Zone C - partial retention + recreation; Zone D - modification; Zone E -maximum modification for timber production.
8.21 Public signs should explain forest plans, as they do other major industrial land uses. The photograph shows a plan for the T�rnich mine (see Fig 6.11) .
