LOCAL campaigners have described how a fight to protect a small area of woods near Helensburgh turned into a national bid for legislation to safeguard Scotland’s ancient woodlands.

Rhu residents Audrey Baird and Fiona Baker took their fight to the Scottish Parliament last year after concern at the condition of the ancient bluebell wood in Whistler’s Glen led them to realise the lack of formal legal protection for trees in Scotland that are hundreds of years old.

In May of last year the Advertiser reported on Audrey’s worry after mountain bike tracks were constructed in the woodland, with the land owner’s permission, potentially threatening the wildlife habitat for birds, mammals and wild flowers as well as native trees.

The duo founded a new group, Help Trees Help Us, to encourage members of the public to back a plea for formal legislation to protect what little is left of Scotland’s ancient woodlands – and lodged a petition at the Scottish Parliament demanding that ministers take action before Glasgow hosts the COP26 climate conference in November.

Speaking at a Helensburgh Community Council (HCC) webinar on the subject, Audrey said: “More than half of Scotland’s remaining ancient woodland has no specific designation such as a SSSI [site of special scientific interest], NNR [national nature reserve] or anything else that can afford it some protection.

“Scotland is a land of codes, policies, strategies, plans, consultations and statements of intent, but it appears to us that there is very little legislative backbone to protect our ancient woodlands.

READ MORE: Mountain bikers 'destroying Rhu's precious bluebell woods'

“We’re not just talking about trees – an ancient woodland is an irreplaceable ecosystem that includes soil, biodiversity, wildlife habitats and water courses.”

To be defined as “ancient”, a woodland in Scotland must date back to at least 1750, compared to 1600 in England. And while the percentage of Scotland’s land mass that is covered by trees has risen from five per cent to 18 per cent in the last hundred years, more than three-quarters of the trees that exist now are non-native commercial forestry.

Audrey continued: “Unfortunately, for many people trees are for chopping down for firewood, or to make cardboard boxes, toilet roll or furniture.

“To many they are also an irritation, blocking a view of a loch, stopping sunlight getting in or taking up space that could be tarmacked or built upon.

“There is certainly an epidemic of people destroying mature trees in their gardens, in Helensburgh and Lomond and elsewhere, over the last few years.”

Concern at what was happening in the Whistler’s Glen wood was cited in the petition which Audrey and Fiona submitted to Holyrood last year, and which has since been signed by more than 1,500 people, including TV presenter Professor Alice Roberts and environmentalist Sir Jonathan Porritt.

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It has now been discussed three times by the parliament’s public petitions committee, and has attracted written responses from groups including the Woodland Trust, NatureScot – which was formerly known as Scottish Natural Heritage – and the Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance.

Heads of Planning Scotland, the body that represents planning officers from the country’s 32 councils, said in its submission: “Any legislation that protects this resource from incremental destruction should be a priority for the Scottish Government and UK Government.

“Specific national legal protection for Scotland’s remaining ancient, native and semi-native woodlands would be a long overdue start.

“This is a land use issue, not simply a developmental issue, and as long as there is an “anything goes” approach to that, then short of properly enforced statutory protection, these assets will remain at risk and continue to be degraded.”

The petition will be considered again by the parliament’s new petitions committee after next month’s election.

The HCC meeting also heard of fears over the application of guidelines that say new commercial forestry plantations should comprise at least 35 per cent native species; Audrey pointed towards the recent decision by Argyll and Bute Council not to raise concern at plans for new commercial plantations near Rhu where, she said, the level of native species planted will be between seven and 12 per cent.

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