Forest Carbon | Hawkshaw

About this project

The vision at Hawkshaw is to restore rough grazing land into native woodland, with a sensitive design allowing for the integration of trees with existing peatlands, including an area of blanket bog.

It’s a new native broadleaf woodland on previous pasture land in the Scottish Borders. This woodland will be managed on a non-intervention basis and provide a range of benefits including rainwater interception, biodiversity uplift, habitat connectivity, air quality improvements, and amenity access. As part of the project design, 20m buffers have been implemented around scheduled monuments and 5m buffers around unscheduled cairns on site.

An area of designed open ground was also included in the scheme to buffer an area of blanket bog, and species-rich areas were left unplanted to preserve biodiversity. Careful planting of birch around areas of blanket bog will lead to the formation of a small portion of low-density bog woodland, which has become a rare habitat in the UK. The resulting suite of habitats will become an important refuge for a range of wildlife, an area of amenity for local people, and help to provide future seed sources for native woodland expansion in a denuded part of southern Scotland.

Improved water quality

Trees will intercept runoff from other land uses that could be potentially harmful to the river system such as fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, animal waste and silt.

Reduced erosion

The tree roots will stabalise the river bank preventing erosion that can lead to silt build up, reduced water quality and flooding.

Reduced risk of flooding

The large area of trees adjacent to the river will intercept heavy rainfall, reducing peak flow and reducing the risk of flooding.

Habitat conservation

Within the river system that this woodland is planted along, there are Atlantic Salmon, Brook Lamprey, Otters, River Lamprey, Sea Lamprey, Beatle and Fly assemblages and the Trophic Range. Trees provide dappled shade, shelter and food for these species.

Habitat diversification

This woodland adds diversity to a landscape otherwise dominated by open grazing and commercial conifer forestry.

Biodiversity uplift

While black grouse have not recently been recorded on Hawkshaw, the site does sit within the predator control area for Black grouse. The planting will be of benefit to this species particularly the inclusion of hawthorn, rowan, birch, alder and willow species.

Species Mix

Birch
Alder
Oak
Scots Pine
Aspen
Rowan
Holly
Other broadleaf

Forest Carbon at Hawkshaw

44,550 trees

31.54 hectares

Spring 2021

11,491 tonnes CO2