Projects
Impact of deer on montane habitats
Forest Enterprise Scotland (FES) manages the national forest estate in Scotland and is responsible for timber production, conservation and recreation. SCL has worked withFES for many years in Glen Affric, quantifying patterns of deer abundance and impacts. In the latest phase of the work, we installed a suite of experimental enclosures high on a ridge above the upper glen after using a helicopter to drop off the materials on the site. The plan is to follow the response of the vegetation inside the fences over time to quantify changes.
Saltmarsh and mudflat restoration as mitigation for a new bridge
MorganVinci Joint Venture (MVJV) won the contract for the Upper Forth Crossing, now known as the Clackmannshire bridge. SCL was asked to design a program of monitoring which would confirm the extent to which the mitigation plan for the bridge construction had been successful. The mitigation work involved creating new saltmarsh and mudflat habitat.
Deforestation of peatland for bog restoration
ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) is the largest developer of onshore windfarms in the UK. SCL has worked with SPR for almost a decade now, quantifying patterns of plant re-colonisation of commercial forest land cleared of trees in order to restore blanket bog. The aim of the project is to develop a detailed understanding of the factors which control the process, in order to ensure that mitigation proposals in EIA’s are achievable.
Peatland Assessment
ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) is the largest developer of onshore windfarms in theUK. A prospective site in the north of Scotland was the subject of a detailed scoping study aimed at providing all the information needed to determine whether or not a development was appropriate at the chosen location.
