The Woodland Trust Scotland is disappointed by today’s decision by the Scottish Government to allow the construction of the Beauly to Denny power line. The routing of the power line will endanger Scotland’s ever decreasing ancient woodland.
The Trust opposed the proposal on the basis that it would be damaging to the environment and would bring about the loss of or damage to ancient woodland and other woodland habitats and wildlife.
The construction has potential to affect 29 woods which are on Scottish Natural Heritage’s Ancient Woodland Inventory, loss of these woods will be caused by pylons, access routes for construction and maintenance and tree felling within the line corridors.
Ancient woodland is irreplaceable, the UK’s equivalent of the rainforest, it is land that has been wooded for hundreds of years. As places of inordinate beauty, reservoirs of evidence for environmental change, archaeology and economic history, they are home to more rare and threatened species than any other UK habitat. Unfortunately new planting can in no way compensate for the loss of the biodiversity provided by our few remaining tracts of ancient woodland, we simply cannot afford to lose it.
Christina Byrne for Woodland Trust Scotland said: “It is extremely disappointing that the Scottish Government have agreed to the route of the Beauly to Denny powerline. The proposed route will damage and destroy ancient woodland – an irreplaceable habitat. Only 1%of Scotland’s land area is of native woodland of ancient origin and we need to protect what is left of this precious resource.”
The Government has a duty to protect Scotland’s biodiversity and irreplaceable habitats, unfortunately, with today’s decision along with other recent decisions, such as the approval of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, it has neglected its duties towards protecting the environment.”