Thursday 24 July 2014

To buy or not to buy....

Last night we were invited to a community meeting at Moffat Town Hall.

There is a site just north of the main town centre which has come up for sale. It had a previous crop of conifers planted which have recently been felled. The community have been given the option to purchase the site and we were asked to have a look at it and give our thoughts.



We were of course delighted to be involved as it is great to see a community come together and support any biodiversity initiatives. 

Our woodland projects manager Tim and myself took a wander over the site before the meeting and jotted down a few things that should be considered before the community make their decision. 



There is certainly lots of potential at the site but as ever these things need to be considered in the short and the long term. Current restocking requirements, management planning, access, drainage, insurance, health and safety, boundary maintenance and designations are all things to throw into the mix. And then of course there's the question of funding. Some grants may be available but they come with a heavy administrative burden which would also require a lot of work.

The decision now lies with the local community as to what happens next. On a positive note it was great to see that this was even being considered. The community of Moffat clearly care about the environment around the town and we hope to see many more of them joining us at our sites to enjoy and help look after these special places.

Lynn
Site Officer

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