What are Forest Habitat Networks?
Networks are about making connections: By linking separate points, they enable movement. It could be energy, information – or living plants and creatures. That’s where Forest Habitat Networks (FHNs) come in.
The FHN grid
Think of FHNs as a national grid for native woodlanders. In Scotland, many species just aren’t well connected. Across most of the country, woodlands are small and scattered.
Making links between woodlands to form a more continuous network will give these species a wider range of places to live, helping them to survive and perhaps better cope with climate change.
Linked-up for access and work
For people, networks will make it easier to get access to a wide range of woods and forests. So there will be more scope for leisure. An expanded timber resource will also provide new opportunities in the well-connected networks, including close to communities.
In a nutshell, Forest Habitat Networks should mean benefits for business, biodiversity and boosted opportunities for healthy access.
Crucial Core
The idea of FHNs is crucial to Core Forest Sites thinking. Core Sites are centres of native woodland richness. In the view of Scottish Natural Heritage and the Forestry Commission, they are ‘great reservoirs of biodiversity’ and currently ‘our best examples of functioning forest ecosystems’.
Buzzing
Ever since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, ‘biodiversity’ – the variety of life – has been a global buzzword. Core Sites in a forest network should make the big ‘B’ hum across Scotland. This will help the nation to reach national and international biodiversity targets for conservation and expansion of native woodland. It also fulfils aims within the Scottish Forest Strategy.
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