The aim of this conversation is to proactively collect visions for a positive future for south west Scotland that address known, existing and potential future issues, irrespective of whether a National Park goes ahead or not.

Sometimes, a journey leads you down paths never contemplated when you first set out.

Just how does the Scottish Government’s commitment to planting 45,000 acres of forest each year between now and 2050 work to mitigate the biodiversity crisis?

Galloway faces an existential crisis. A trio of demographic, economic and environmental decline risks turning this jewel of Scotland into little more than a giant power generating facility accompanied by plantations of cheap wood. Major changes are needed, and perhaps one such major change would be the establishment of a national park.

A groundbreaking Guide intended to improve the process of engagement with local people and communities in new woodland creation projects in Scotland has been launched.

Dumfries & Galloway hosts a significant proportion of the United Kingdom’s commercial woodland creation schemes. With discussion ongoing on the national stage regarding land use change, the ‘Woodlands Plus’ project aims to add local value - employment, biodiversity or public access - to three forestry sites in the region.

Supporting native tree planting across the region with grants of up to £1,000, scheme recipients last year varied from farmers and landowners through to community groups and schools, all of whom benefitted from the flexible and easy scheme to make their small scale tree planting ambitions come true.

Saturday 15th June was a milestone for the Glaisters Bridge Community Woodland Site, near Corsock. New paths have been cut enabling access around the site and 250 trees were planted by a band of volunteers.

Feedback event scheduled to discuss the findings of recent land use reports and next steps.

Volunteers are sought to come and try their hand at tree planting, and can hear more about plans on the site. Tree Planting will be between 11am-3pm on Saturday 15th June, with light lunch provided for those on site at lunchtime!

The latest feature-length documentary from ‘Scotland: The Big Picture’ has been touring the country in recent months and is coming to the CatStrand on 6th June at 7.30pm.

Groups across the Glenkens have been hard at work to turn the Glenkens Land Use Vision into reality.

Upper Urr Environmental Trust (UUET) have signed a community lease agreement with Foresight Sustainable Forestry Company (FSF), FSF’s first charitable community collaboration since launching in 2021.

Muirdrochwood Woodland, near Carsphairn, has been a hive of activity since ownership passed to Carsphairn Community Woodland Ltd. The Directors are now looking to recruit the next Forestry Pre-Apprentice for a whole range of outdoor and practical tasks on site.

The Glenkens Rectified Estate Mapping and Land Information Network (‘GREMLIN’) project has interpreted 44 estate maps from the 1800s, using the contents to measure and classify land use in the Glenkens 200 years ago.

The South of Scotland Tree Planting project has just announced a new round of funding, with £120,000 available over the next 12 months to enable community groups, farmers and landowners
to plant around 15,000 landscape trees across the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway.

At the start of May the Board of the Scottish Land Commission came to Galloway to meet land use agencies and partners, and visit examples of innovative responses to land use pressures.

A group of S6 pupils from across Dumfries and Galloway were at Vattenfall’s new South Kyle Wind Farm last month to learn more about wind turbine design and opportunities in the green economy.