Aliens!

The photo shows the ongoing clearance of some of the forestry between Drumguish and the Feshie just before you reach Corarnstill. The foresters expressed doubts over the National Park`s policy to remove alien species from woodlands within the Park. The foreground shows the stump of one of the Lodgepole pines culled from the westerly edge of the wood. Behind this is the damage done to the Scots Pinesby last week`s high winds.The Lodgepoles had growndeveloping roots for their exposed situation.. The sheltered natives had not required such anchorage.Lodgepole removal had the effect shown. It seems it is not always sensible to get rid of aliens.

Moira and I had a little paddle recently up the Spey from Loch Insh. There`s quite a bit of Canadian Pondweed in the water on this stretch and the burr reed we had a look at didn`t seem to match anything native. Would the weed`s removal be possible? or cost effective? or necessary? or even desirable?

And then there are the sycamores-these seem to be a particularly unwelcome species for the environmental police. The Scottish parliament may park their posteriors on it,the new sycamore Sherlock Holmes fiddle sounded well enough but up here tree surgeons can make a substantial killing slaughtering them.

Adnittedly mink and rats removal seems uncontroversial but what about the treatment of birds. There used to be a lek for the black grouse on Kingussie Golf Course-it was up on the 6th fairway-I think. Now,though you can see fighting cock pheasants on the same ground and down the road towards Dalwhinnie it`s red legged partridge`s that the driver should try to spare by careful driving. Alien birds these last two but perhaps they must be protected from slaughter so that they can be,ehm!-slaughtered --for sport!.

Come to think of it, the destruction of our preserved native mosses, our sometimes it almost seems sacred, peat, cannot be contemplated . No alien industrial monsters -wind turbines-can be allowed to contribute to any loss of the very fabric of our hillsides. Roads must not disturb the so fragile habitat-except if the road is for sporting access to the hill. Naturally!