The Borders Forest Trust

Annual Review 2011Rooted in the community

T R U S T

2010(£)1,069,064

25 1,069,089

30,634192,200398,652621,486

(83,535)

537,951

1,607,040

1,529,62332,930

1,562,553

For me, a highlight of the year was showing a party of environmental lawyers round Carrifran and sharing the enjoyment and inspiration which they gained from their visit. Tree planting at the Wildwood has almost come to an end but this unique project will continue to win hearts and minds long into the future.

2011 was a year of mixed fortunes for the Trust. Sadly, the appointment of Callum Rankine as Director was not a success and this inevitably led to a loss of momentum, slowing down the development of new initiatives. Considerable care has been taken in recruiting his successor and from a strong field of candidates we are delighted to welcome Jane Rosegrant who starts as Director in June.

It was bitterly disappointing to so narrowly fail in the attempt to purchase the Talla and Gameshope estate jointly with John Muir Trust but it was a credit to both organisations that they managed to work so well together and came so close to pulling this off. The wonderfully generous response to our appeal from so many supporters was truly remarkable.

The Financial Summary for the year shows a large surplus but the figures are distorted by the receipt of a very large grant for woodland work at Corehead which was actually carried out in 2010. The underlying financial position for the year was satisfactory overall though some projects ended up in deficit. We are very grateful to the many organisations and individuals who contributed to our work but it continued to be a difficult climate in which to raise funds.

With the help of staff and Trustees, a useful start was made with reviewing and updating systems and procedures within the Trust as well as producing a Strategy which will form the basis of a three year Business Plan.

This Review gives a flavour of the wide ranging work and significant progress made by the Trust during the year. That so much was achieved was mainly due to our committed staff and I would particularly thank them as well as the Trustees who have helped in many ways to keep the Trust moving forward.

John Hunt

Chairman’s Report

Annual Review 2011 32 Annual Review 2011

Financial Summary

2011(£)1,063,233

96,671 1,159,904

27,033283,983410,505721,521

(90,775)

630,746

1,790,650

1,571,877148,173

1,720,050

Balance Sheet

Fixed AssetsTangible Fixed AssetsFixed asset investmentsTotal

Current AssetsStockDebtors Cash at bankTotal

CreditorsAmount due within one year

Net Current Assets

Total Assets less Current Liabilities

Charity FundsRestricted FundsUnrestricted Funds

Total

Income and Expenditure

Incoming ResourcesDonations & membership Activities for Generating FundsInvestment IncomeGrants Receivable Total Resources ExpendedCosts of Generating Voluntary IncomeFundraising expenses & other costsCharitable ActivitiesGovernance Costs

Total Net Movement in Funds

Fund balance at 1st Jan 10Fund balance at 31st Dec 09

(£)80,371

103,9125,470

575,323

765,076

12,2753,280

574,48915,177

605,221

159,855

£1,720,050£1,562,553

Grants 2011

Awards for All Buccleuch EstatesCattanach Charitable Trust Forests For People Forestry Commission ScotlandJohn Watson Trust LEADER Robertson Trust Scottish Borders Council Scottish Natural Heritage SGRPID SCVO – Future Jobs Fund The Tubney Charitable TrustVoluntary Action Fund Sundry

Total

(£)2,0622,7138,000

25,59112,317

1,50047,045

9,00028,34047,356

313,62714,23050,00012,440

1,102

575,323

Operations Expenditure 2011

Borders Forest TrustCommunity WoodlandsCoreheadEducation General Ettrick MarshesWildwoodWoodland HabitatsBlack Grouse

Total

(£)43,42963,596

301,50739,575

12532,16376,899

17,195

574,489

The financial summary is taken from the Borders Forest Trust 2011 Accounts, copies of which are available on request from the BFT office. These Accounts have been produced in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting by charities.

Whether it’s a double dip recession, global warming or the imminent collapse of the Euro, there always seems to be something to worry about. Where better to go to escape than your local woodland?

Just about everyone loves trees, but they need our protection. The Borders region has lost 99 per cent of its native woodland cover – a figure we need to reverse. Since 1996 Borders Forest Trust has been spearheading the effort to do just that, planting over a million and a half trees with the help of individuals, groups and communities.

Whether you want to volunteer, walk, monitor wildlife, build a den or plant an orchard from scratch, someone at Borders Forest Trust will be able to point you in the right direction. With the help of the people of the south of Scotland, we can ensure our woodland sanctuaries continue to thrive.

Rory Bremner

Patron’s Foreward

Summary of Financial Statements for the year ending 31 December 2011.

This surplus is due to a large grant for woodland work at Corehead received in 2011 but paid for in 2010.

Woodland at Cauldshiels Loch. Photo: Keith Robeson

The large amount of Unrestricted Funds is due mainly to a large grant received for work at Corehead which was carried out and paid for in 2010

Corehead Farm

Annual Review 2011 54 Annual Review 2011

The Woodland Habitat Project encompasses sites planted under the Ancient Woodlands, Riparian Woodlands, Ettrick Woodlands, Wood Pasture and Juniper Restoration Projects together with new native woodland plantings. The Woodland Habitat projects cover an area of 1810 hectares contained within 67 sites managed in partnership with local landowners and farmers.

The main focus of new planting for 2011 was Over Kirkhope and the adjoining farm, Broadgairhill, in the Upper Ettrick Valley. These farms are privately owned by the Oliver family who are committed to native woodand conservation and are working with the Trust as agents to co-ordinate and deliver the planting of a total of 336ha (440,000 trees) between these two farms. 2011 saw the completion of the planting in spring on Over Kirkhope Farm with the final two compartments at Brockhope Burn and Kirkhope Burn being planted with 147,000 trees. During the summer months, planning got underway for the first compartment of 80.13ha at Broadgairhill and in autumn planting on this farm started. To enable access to the inaccessible planting sites on Broadgairhill, a new hill track was created. These farms are located only 2km as the crow flies from Wildwood

which in turn is only 2km from Corehead. The combined planting from these sites will create 850ha of new native woodland, a substantial core of native woodland in the area that once was clothed in the Ettrick Forest.

During 2011, the Trust successfully secured funding from the Community Jobs Scheme, a new scheme that superceded the Future Jobs Fund. This funding enabled BFT to continue to deliver the Woodland Work Experience project and create jobs in the forestry sector for four young local unemployed people. Guy Thomson, Bryan Wallace, Graham Copeland and Billy Joe Brown worked in the Woodland Habitats team for a six month period and gained experience in a range of native woodland establishment and maintenance activities on a number of the woodland habitat sites.

Work continued during the year on the Forest Habitat Project started in 2010. The project had two components. The first involved the creation of a map based Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify suitable areas for potential native woodland planting that would assist in the creation of a native woodland network. The GIS generated maps proved to be useful

Woodland Habitats and indicative although it highlighted that it could not be used alone without site visits as well. The second part of the project involved promoting new native woodland creation to landowners and preparing initial grant applications to SRDP for new planting works. At the end of the project, nine applications had been submitted and it is hoped that a number of these will be taken forward to development stage in 2012.

Work has been ongoing with several small areas of new native planting and this has largely been carried out working in partnership with Hugh Chalmers of the Tweed Forum.

The Trust is grateful to funders of its woodland habitats work who include SNH, SBC, the Scottish Government and the European Community, Scottish Borders Leader 2007-2013 Programme.

The Carrifran Wildwood project aims to recreate, in the Southern Uplands of Scotland, an extensive tract of mainly forested wilderness with most of the species present in the area before human activities became dominant.

Over the course of the year much was achieved in terms of planting, maintenance and community involvement at Carrifran. The on-going tree planting was carried out by volunteers and a self-employed contractor who did some high level planting to ensure there were enough trees in situ to comply with grant conditions. Contractors planted 1,000 trees above the burn between Firth Hope and Broomy Gutter and a total of 8,750 trees were planted by volunteers and contractors. These included planting of the first Scots pines from seeds collected in a possibly native stand of old pines in the north of the Kielder forest. Volunteers were also responsible for growing-on ivy and honeysuckle from seeds and cuttings collected in the valley and nearby.

Carrifran WildwoodThere is now woodland at various stages of development in the valley and these two species were planted in the shade under the most mature stands of trees.

Wildlife surveys carried out during the year included the final two mammal surveys, two bird surveys and two butterfly surveys. These were carried out by our Tuesday volunteers. The mammal surveys will give us information on the species present in the valley and their distribution within it. Mammals recorded range from Roe Deer to Pygmy Shrew and it is anticipated to repeat the survey in ten years time.

Over a few months the deer exclosure at Holly Gill was dismantled and the wire and netting taken down to the floor of the valley for final removal off site. The deer fence was no longer deemed necessary in this compartment as the trees have reached an established height where they are no longer considered to be highly vulnerable to deer browsing. Posts and other wooden parts can be reused on site.

Key Achievements 2011

• 181, 540 trees planted • 65 existing sites managed • 2 new sites managed • 8 proposals developed for new native woodlands

Corehead Farm is a special place in the Moffat Hills that links the Devil’s Beef Tub to Hart Fell and the headwaters of the Annan to those of the Tweed. Borders Forest Trust will manage this land to preserve its unique character and to maximise its biodiversity potential in a way that includes the local community and provides access and education opportunities for all.

2011 saw the completion of new native woodland planting in the first and largest compartment at Corehead, Tweedhope Valley. This compartment is 106.66ha and took 128,000 trees to complete. The work was largely carried out by the TreeSurv contract team with assistance from volunteers on a number of volunteer planting days in spring.

With the first valley planted, attention turned to planning for the second planting season in Whitehope valley (40.43ha), Stotfield Gill (1.98ha) and Coreknowe (3.76ha). 2.4km of stock fencing was erected to exclude sheep from the latter 2 compartments. Whitehope valley is one of the more remote valleys and transport to this area for staff and contractors proved to be particularly challenging especially given that Corehead experienced one of the wettest years on record in 2011. To enable planting to go ahead and ensure safe access a new access track was dug into the hill below Cocklaw Knowe. This track has proved invaluable to those making the 2km trip up to Whitehope Burn and beyond to Lochan Burn and it will be landscaped to help blend it into the surroundings.

In advance of the planting in Whitehope valley in 2011/12 and Lochan Burn in 2012/13, work began on a deer fence to surround these valleys and protect the trees from deer browsing. The deer fence is 6km long and has been marked with wooden slats on the top line to minimise the risk of bird strike, in particular Black grouse who are becoming more frequently observed on the farm.

A series of events were held which attracted a number of new visitors to the farm. These ranged from an ethnobotany walk, Easter egg hunt to a historical talk in the Devil’s Beef Tub from local historian Alistair Moffat. A number of educational activities were organised for local school children to enable them to explore the site and find out about the changing land use.

Jim Mitchell and his family team from Henderland Bank in the Yarrow valley continued his farming contract at Corehead and took good care of the flock of 320 Scottish Blackface sheep.

There were some staff changes in 2011 with the departure of Ed Glenwright in October to join the John Muir Trust. Following his departure the Woodland Habitats team, Nicola Hunt, Tim Frost and George Moffat stepped in to cover the Site Manager’s work until the new replacement was appointed at the end of 2011. Phil Roe joined the team at the start of January 2012 bringing with him valuable career experience from both forestry and rangering.

Our thanks go to all those who have helped including our contractors TreeSurv and Derek Murray, Jim Mitchell and his family team, the Steering Group members in particular the chair Carol Woolliams and Peter Dreghorn and dedicated volunteers including volunteer dyker Martin Tilstone and all those who helped plant trees on the volunteer days.

Thanks also to the project’s funders who include: the Scottish Government and the European Community, Dumfries and Galloway Leader 2007-2013 Programme; SNH; The Tubney Charitable Trust; Forestry Commission Scotland – SRDP, Brown Forbes Memorial Fund. The project was assisted by the purchase of carbon credits by The Green Insurance Company organised through Forest Carbon Ltd. We are extremely grateful for their support.

Key Achievements 2011

• 106,000 trees planted by TreeSurv • 4000 trees planted by volunteers • 12 events held • 7 school visits • 695 new visitors attending events and volunteering • 4.5km deer fence constructed • 2.4km of stock fence • 17 volunteer days

New planting in Tweedhope

Developing woodland at Carrifran, September 2011

The Wildwood Steering Group would like to give special thanks to the dedicated Tuesday volunteers and Boundary Wardens for their continuing hard work and enthusiasm.

Key Achievements 2011

• Conservation management of 666ha of land • 8750 trees and shrubs of various species planted • 264 volunteer days • 2km of deer fence taken down • Mammal survey completed

Annual Review 2011 76 Annual Review 2011

This project aims to support community owned and managed woodland in the Borders, encourage greater participation in woodland activities and re-kindle a woodland culture within the people of the south of Scotland.

Volunteering played an important part in the community woodland project in 2011 with volunteers from all over the Borders attending the weekly volunteer session. Work included drainage digging, invasive species removal, vegetation clearance, path works and tree tube removal. Volunteers came from various organisations such as Volunteer Centre Borders, Borders College, Job Centre, Momentum, Face to Face, Apex Borders, SAMH, Ways to Work and Galashiels Resource Centre. Thanks go to all the volunteers for their valiant efforts within the community woodlands especially during the very wet summer. Also many thanks to the community woodland groups themselves for their efforts in sustaining and managing the woodlands for the general public to enjoy especially during the difficult economic climate with limited funds available.

Events in community woodlands in 2011 included native tree planting and fruit tree planting at Darnick Community Woodland with over 50 participants keen to get their hands dirty. Other highlights included a Woodland Folklore event at Venlaw Community Woodland in Peebles and an Evening Chorus event

at Gordon Community Woodland. A series of six willow sculpture workshops took place in community woodlands with funding from Awards for All and FCS International Year of Forests, giving people the chance to learn new skills and enjoy healthy outdoor activity. Almost 100 people took part and the wildlife-themed sculptures were fixed in the woodlands for visitors to enjoy.

A new orchard venture was initiated at BFT-owned Drygrange Community Woodland in partnership with A Greener Melrose with plans to plant a mixture of hazel, plum, apple, damson, gooseberry and blackcurrant.

2011 was the final year for the Woodland Youth Training Project and it proved to be a great success with young people gaining certification in rural and woodland management skills. Having participated in the project, one trainee went on to gain a conservation apprenticeship with the North York Moors National Park and another four trainees gained six months of employment through the Future Jobs Fund. Thanks go to the following funders for their support of this project: Voluntary Action Fund, Scottish Borders LEADER 2007-13 Programme, Hugh Fraser Foundation, Blackford Trust and Lloyds TSB Foundation. Also thanks to Forestry Commission Scotland for supporting the Community Woodland Officer post.

Community Woodlands

Real Wood Studios is a collectively owned bespoke furniture workshop, showroom, sawmill and timber merchant, specialising in the creative use of locally sourced native hardwoods in the Scottish Borders.

Real Wood Studios entered its third year of business in March 2011 and it was a year of continuing development and success.

The new 190 square metre flooring and cladding workshop building was completed, providing space and new machinery which allowed an expansion of the range of native hardwood products on offer. It also houses the Woodmizer LT40 mobile sawmill which was in demand throughout the year, providing a cutting service to landowners in the Borders and surrounding regions.

Real Wood StudiosThe six furniture makers continued to take on a varied mix of projects from new and existing customers, with works including a house renovation, a custom-built library and bespoke doors as well as tables, chairs and other household furniture. Fireplace mantels were introduced as a new product line and proved popular – each one unique and crafted from native hardwoods.

There was a change of personnel at the workshop as Sarah Roughton, a talented designer-maker who had been based at Monteviot Nurseries for five years, moved away from the local area. Later in 2011 a new addition appeared in the form of Caledonia Log Homes. House-builder Chris Houston has moved on-site at Real Wood Studios, creating handcrafted log buildings and garden furniture.

Key Achievements 2011

• Educational activities with 2,000 young people (approximately) • Work with 27 schools and 6 groups and clubs associated with young people • 14 children’s/family events (approximately 460 participants) • Facilitation and delivery (incl. on- going trainee support) of the Forest School Teacher Training project: Level 3 Forest School Practitioner Course (16 participants) Level 2 Forest School Assistants Course (12 participants) Level 1 Introduction to Forest School Course (18 participants) • Assisted with a Community Orchard Planting Day at Langlee Community Centre

Key Achievements 2011

• 15 community woodlands/ orchards assisted (Glenkinnon, Wooden Anna, Broomlands, Darnick, Wooplaw, Venlaw, Houndwood, Eyemouth, Jubilee, Eshiels, Gordon, Drygrange, Crailing Orchard, Drygrange Orchard and Leadburn) • 40 volunteer work sessions in community woodlands (316 volunteer days) • 25 trainee work sessions (79 trainee days) • 10 training courses with 40 people trained • 31 community woodland meetings attended • 15 community woodland events (398 participants) • 27 healthy woodland walks (114 walk day input) • New orchard established at Drygrange Community Woodland

This project aims to deliver a range of innovative educational projects aimed to raise awareness of our woodland heritage and the natural environment and also develop projects to promote a sustainable future for all forms of environmental education. The main components of Borders Forest Trust’s education project are Forest Schools and General Woodland Education. Forest School is ‘an inspirational process, that offers children and young people opportunities to achieve, develop confidence and self esteem, through hands on learning experiences in a local woodland setting’. General Woodland Education can cover a wide array of curricular topics, Eco-school themes and also promotes general health and wellbeing.

Forest SchoolsThroughout 2011 the Community Liaison & Education Officer (CLEO) continued to deliver a variety of Forest School themed projects and further developed the Forest School teacher training project and network.

The Forest School Teacher Training Project aims to arm teachers with the skills and confidence to take learning and the curriculum outdoors and also lead Forest School projects on their

own - increasing opportunities for more young people to benefit, whilst also increasing the capacity for Forest School project delivery in a sustainable way.

Over the course of the year the CLEO delivered nine Forest School projects with different Nursery, Primary and Secondary school groups in the Borders. These projects benefitted over 160 young people.

During 2011, the CLEO continued to offer support and assistance to teacher trainees who have been on BFT-facilitated Forest School Training Courses – 76 school staff have participated to date. In 2011 a Forest School Assistants Course (Level 2 OCN) and a further Introduction to Forest School Course (Level 1 OCN) were funded through a one off Scottish Government/Forestry Commission Scotland fund geared to develop self sufficient teams of FS-qualified staff within school settings.

Environmental EducationIn 2011 the CLEO worked with just under 2000 young people from 27 local schools and six other clubs or groups in both educational and recreational woodland activities.

In addition, the CLEO delivered fourteen well-attended public events in different woodland sites around the Borders, including a Family Fun Night at Gordon Wood with 85 children and parents from Earlston Cubs, Scouts and Guides Groups and a family Hunter Gatherer event at Whitmuir Organics with Bigworld Adventures.

The team continued to promote the use of local hardwoods at events including the Border Union Show, Dumfries & Galloway Game Fair and Tweed Valley Forest Festival and were the focus of a special feature on BBC Scotland’s Landward programme.

Morebattle Tree Hugging Girls

Putting the final touches to the willow sculpture at Gordon

Showing off the Woodmizer at the D&G Game Fair

Education

T R U S T

Our vision for the south of Scotland is a place where a rich network of native woodlands and wild places flourish, cared for by local communities. We work to conserve, restore and manage native woodlands and other natural habitats for the benefit of people and wildlife. We support community woodlands, habitat restoration, education and arts projects and are involved in the sustainable use of hardwood timber. Our vision can only be realised with the participation and support of people in the south of Scotland.

Rooted in the communityStaffSarah Anderson, Office Manager (appointed 09/03/10)Lisa Brydon, Community Woodlands Officer (appointed 30/06/08)Anna Craigen, Community Liaison & Education Officer (appointed 25/04/02)Louisa Finch, Communications & Fundraising Officer (appointed 05/01/09)Tim Frost, Woodland Site Manager (appointed 07/12/10)Nicola Hunt, Project Manager (appointed 09/04/01)George Moffat, Woodland Officer (appointed 01/10/97)Phil Roe, Corehead Site Manager (appointed 09/01/12)Sandra Smith-Maxwell, Finance Officer (appointed 16/01/06)

TrusteesPhilip Ashmole (appointed 21/07/11 – Second term)Michael Baker (appointed 18/06/09 – First term)Neil Campbell (appointed 10/06/10 – Second term)Rose Clarkson (appointed 18/06/09 – Second term)Rosalind Grant-Robertson (appointed 10/06/10 – Second term)John Hunt, Chairman (appointed 18/06/09 – Second term)Michael Ireland (appointed 21/07/11 – Second term)Jim Knight (appointed 18/06/09 – First term)Donald McPhillimy (appointed 10/6/10 – First term)Brenda Robertson (appointed 21/07/11 – First term)Alex Smith (appointed 10/6/10 – First term)Stephanie Young (appointed 10/6/10 – First term)

PatronRory Bremner

FundersBorders Forest Trust gratefully acknowledges financial support from:

The Blackford TrustThe Brown Forbes Memorial FundThe Cattanach Charitable TrustThe Ernest Cook TrustThe R S Hayward TrustThe Hugh Fraser FoundationJohn Watson’s Trust

ThanksOur sincere thanks go to all of the members, volunteers, supporters, funders and partner organizations who make our work possible.

Mailing and registered address:Monteviot Nurseries, Ancrum, Jedburgh, Scottish Borders TD8 6TU

Tel: 01835 830750Email: enquiries@bordersforesttrust.orgWeb: www.bordersforesttrust.org

Borders Forest Trust is a Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in Scotland No. SC162581. Scottish Charity No. SC024358.

Published by The Borders Forest Trust.Designed by Weesleekit and printed by Caledonian Colour Printers.

Many thanks to Keith Robeson for the use of his photograph on the front cover, showing woodlands at Mellerstain.

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