More than 1,600ha from Dumfries to Dingwall are to be revitalised with new planting, footpaths, bridges and clearance of overgrowth to create new and improved picnic and recreation areas.
Forestry Commission Scotland is making the money available to 35 projects under the Woods in and Around Town initiative. In her first announcement as Scottish forestry minister Sarah Boyack said: “By revitalising urban woodlands, improving access and increasing recreational opportunities within them, previously unwelcoming woodlands can become a central part of daily community life.”
Projects receiving money include ex-agricultural land surrounded by housing estates in Eastfield, North Lanarkshire, where £150,000 is to be spent on native woodland planting and creating 5km of pathways.
