« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
Scotland's Native Trees and Shrubs
New landscapes, new ideas
One of the fundamental criteria for successful application of the Cost Effective Landscape: Learning from Nature process is the recognition and acceptance that to move forward there will always be alternative ways of doing things and scope for improvement. This attitude and process of continual self-assessment should be seen as a strength rather than a weakness.
The reader is invited to consider whether the techniques of designing with native trees and shrubs have moved forward much in recent times? Has the Hardy Nursery Stock Industry developed many new products for designers to use? Is there scope for new ideas? Is the time ripe for innovation and enterprise bearing in mind the fundamental moves towards biodiversity and sustainable development and the debate on climate change?
Cellular phone telecommunication masts are increasingly being erected in prominent places in the open countryside and along transport corridors. The view from the road is consequently being devalued by these installations. Siting them in or near existing woodland can reduce their visual impact. In many cases additional planting can reduce their impact further, especially the ancillary equipment, fences and means of access to the site. This provides an opportunity for planting native trees and shrubs that could have multiple benefits. Agricultural windbreaks could be improved, existing woodlands extended, forming a more coherent landscape pattern and biodiversity improved as a result of habitat de-fragmentation. Where there is no established woodland in the immediate vicinity of the new masts it might be appropriate to plant new woodland. 'Rapid response planting' would provide rapid screening.
This guide focuses on one aspect only of the landscape design process - the selection, procurement and use of native trees and shrubs. It sets out to inform, inspire and apprise landscape designers and policy makers alike of the benefits and potential for more imaginative use of native trees and shrubs. It also attempts to encourage landscape designers to want to learn more about our native trees and shrubs, to develop a deeper relationship with them, explore new ideas and derive more enjoyment in the process - a tall order but an important one for Scotland's landscape and wildlife.
Like old churches, castles, quarries and reservoirs, native trees can leave a long lasting trace on the landscape. Today's landscape designers like yesterday's architects and engineers have the opportunity and the responsibility to do their best.
There is a tendency to associate native trees and shrubs with uninspiring design. This is not so. The time is now ripe to demonstrate that enriching design with native trees and shrubs can be both exciting and rewarding.
« Previous | Contents | Next »