Riparian and Wet Woodland

Action Plan Reference Action Target Date Lead Agency Personnel Fund Source Progress at February 2001 Year/s incorporated into operational plan
Riparian 1 Secure a presumption against new conifer plantations on floodplains. Promote regeneration of native floodplain woodland. Ongoing FC FC, FE      
Ensure that action plan objectives are recognised in Indicative Forestry Strategies for the region and take account of the importance of wet and riparian woodland. Ongoing LA/ LBAP LAs, FC, FE, SNH, LBAP   Moray IFS currently out for consultation specifically inlcudes floodplain and riparin woodland.  
Ensure that action plan objectives are integrated with catchment management planning process. Ongoing FC SEPA, LA, LBAP, Rivers Projects   Catchment management planning proces progressing in Dee and Spey. Riparian habitats as a primary focus.  
Ensure that wet/riparian woodland is considered in the development of Forest Plans & Forest Design Plans. Ongoing FC FC, SNH, LA FC Grant    
Incorporate riparian woodland into workshops for LA planners & road’s dept. Annual LA LAs, NERP LA North East Rivers Project Workshop on natural heritage highlighted riparian and wet woodland.  
Promote management to link fragmented riparian & wet woodlands. Ongoing FC/ SERAD FC, SEPA, LA, FE, NERP, SLF, SWT, SAC, FWAG, DDSFB, SNH FC, SERAD, NERP, SNH    
Ensure wet/riparian woodland is considered in fisheries management planning. Ongoing DSFB DSFB   Dee habitat enhancement project primarily considering riparian habitats is progressing. Similar initaitives begin explored on the Deveron and Ythan.  
Riparian 2 Promote high percentage/complete broadleaved planting for riparian and floodplain woodland schemes undertaken as part of the Grampian Forest Challenge Fund. Ongoing FC FC, LA, Grampian Forest FC    
Ensure that wet/riparian woodland is considered for Woodland Improvement Grants (WIG) & Farm Woodland Premium Scheme (FWPS). Ongoing FC FC, FWAG, SAC, SERAD FC, SERAD Included in comments on review of WGS, FWPS  
Promote flexibility to grant conditions for FWPS to make the scheme accessible to more farmers (i.e. reduce minimum width of planting along water courses from 15m to 10m). Ongoing FC FC, SERAD FC, SERAD Inlcuded in comments on review of WGS, FWPS  
Encourage the uptake of management options for semi-natural woodland in the Rural Stewardship Scheme (RSS). 2001-ongoing LBAP Farmland working group SERAD, FWAG, SAC, NFUS, SLF SERAD    
Encourage the set up of a local grant aid initiative to support management and creation of small-scale riparian woodland (Dee River Enhancement Project etc) 2001 for 3 years DSFB LA, NERP, DDSFB, SNH, FWAG, DevDSFB SNH, HLF, EU Funds, DDSFB North East Rivers HLF bid progressing  
Riparian 3 With Landowners consent promote appropriate statutory and non-statutory designation of sites and ensure that identified Local Wildlife Sites are incorporated into the planning system Ongoing SNH, SWT, LA SNH, SWT, LA, RSPB, Moray area sub-group SNH, SWT Moray Biodiversity Group pregressing with assessment of surveyed wildlife sites.  
Support proposals for linking up wet/ riparian woodland and expanding areas of floodplain woodland outlined in the Moray FE Strategic Plan and other FE documents. Ongoing FE FE, FC, SNH, LA, SEPA FE    
Review and resolve gaps in legislation and felling regulations to prevent loss of small stands of riparian trees. Ongoing FC, SNH FC, SEPA, SNH, LA FC    
Riparian 4 Identify areas where abstraction & interaction with riparian/ wet woodland is an issue. Ongoing SEPA SEPA, LA, NOSWA      
Riparian 5 Ensure integration of objectives and management statements with relevant Species and Habitat Action Plans. Ongoing LBAP LBAP LBAP    
Riparian 6 Review survey information at large scale resolution. 2001 NESBReC NESBReC, GW, DSFB, SEPA, FE, SWT, MLURI, BCT, LA Roads Department LA, SNH, NESBReC    
Carry out survey at finer detail resolution. Either i) aerial high speed video OR ii) Millennium aerial photo set. 2001   MULURI HLF    
Riparian 7 Distribute standard site recording form for wet/riparian woodland. Collate and act on information gathered. 2001 ongoing NESBReC All working group partners, SWT, landowners, BCT, FE LA, NESBReC NESBReC developing standard recording cards for distribution.  
Identify priority sites for creation, management & expansion. Ongoing LBAP, NENW SEPA, DSFB, NENW, FC, FWAG, SAC, DDSFB, BCT, DevDSFB Project Officer’s time.    
Identify priority sites for ecological engineering. 2001 SEPA SEPA, Consultants, NOSWA SEPA    
Riparian 8 Review current approaches to site assessment. Dec-01 Joint Grampian Forest, FE, FWAG, SAC, Ugie & Ythan Rivers Projects, DDSFB, SEPA (HEI), DevDSFB, NERP SNH    
Restore natural drainage, promote in management guidelines and demonstration projects. 2001 Onward Project Specific GF, FE, FWAG, SAC, Ugie and Ythan Projects, landowners, NERP SNH, SEPA, NERP    
Establish 3 demonstration sites highlighting approaches to habitat creation and promote with guidance. 2005 Separate lead on each catchment Ythan, FWAG, SAC, DDSFB, NERP SEPA(HEI), NERP    
Riparian 9 Prepare and implement management plans for wet/riparian woodland sites Ongoing FC & SERAD NENW, FC, SERAD, FWAG, SAC, Landowners, NOSWA, BCT WGS-FC, RSS-SERAD North East Rivers Project demonstrsation sites (Tarland etc)  
Riparian 10 Produce list of appropriate native plant and tree species for Northeast & local plant suppliers, to help promote the use of local provenance stock for new planting 2001 NENW FC, NENW, LA, FWAG, SAC NERP, LA, FC    
Set up a project with local tree nurseries to grow and distribute local provenance riparian stock to demonstration projects and other identified sites. 2000 onwards Forvie Tree Nursery Nurseries: Forvie, Drum, Aberlour. All Catchments. NERP Project established, native trees planted in 10 riparian planting schemes during 2000-01  
Riparian 11 Establish 3 demonstration sites on control of invasive non-natives. 2005 LAs NENW, Don Mouth LNR, Deveron DSFB, DDSFB ACP, SEPA (HEI)    
Establish 1 demonstration site on grazing. 2005   SNH, FE Moray SNH    
Riparian 12 Establish 3 demonstration sites on alternative civil engineering strategies. 2005 LA NERP, LA flood prevention teams, Ythan, NOSWA SEPA (HEI), NERP    
Establish 3 demonstration sites on approaches to restoration after inappropriate conifer plantations. 2005 Joint FE, FWAG, SAC, NENW, Landowners, DDSFB, BCT, DevDSFB FC, DDSFB, SNH    
Establish a demonstration site highlighting Forest Habitat Network principles. This can be achieved through Forest Plans or Forest Design Plans. 2005 FE FE, NTS, Landowners      
Riparian 13 Identify sites where fly-tipping is a problem and review procedures to reduce/ prevent problem of fly-tipping. Ongoing LA LA, SEPA LAs    
Clearance of material from 5 of these identified sites per year. 2005 LA Environ-mental Health Local Authority; Landowner, Local Community LA, SEPA    
Run education projects to promote reduction in fly-tipping. Ongoing LA LA, Clean and Green Aberdeen LA    
Riparian 14 Establish database of relevant government agencies, NGOs, research Institutes. Ongoing NESBReC, LBAP LBAP, NERP, NESBReC      
Riparian 15 Distribute SNW booklet on riparian woodlands to 150 riparian owners. 2003 NENW NENW EU Done  
Encourage educational use and access at 1 appropriate site per year, paying due regard to the hazards of such waterside locations 2005 Joint NTS, FE, FC, SWT, Landowners, DevDSFB WGS-FC    
Produce 3 practical guidance notes for wet/ riparian woodland managers on woodland creation, management & expansion experience. 2005 NENW FC, GF, FE; FWAG, NERP, NENW, DDSFB LA, NERP    
Riparian 16 Ensure that all data collected for this plan is held at the North East Scotland Biological Records Centre Ongoing NESBReC LBAP, NESBReC   Ongoing  
Riparian 17 Monitor and report targets achieved for creation, management and expansion of wet/riparian woodland every year and in detail every five years Yearly from 00 LBAP All working group members, LBAP, NESBReC      
Report target achievements for associated species. Yearly from 00 LBAP LBAP Co-ordinator      
Riparian 18 Identify & promote future research topics in this field. Yearly SNH All      
Riparian 19 Encourage management by copicing, explore the use of willow for soft landscaping projects and for bio-engineering erosion control.   Set up cost to initiate self financing project. Highland birch woods, GW, FE, NENW HLF    

Last Updated on 7/19/2001