p26 ISSUE 53 Reforesting Scotland SPRING/SUMMER 2016 Dick Balharry: a life remembered To celebrate the life and work of Dick Balharry MBE FRSGS, Jill Matthews charts how Dick made his dream of restoring Scotland’s wet deserts into reality.

“…..ever since, I have seen the eagle as ‘devastated landscape’ and ‘wet more trees with fewer and bigger red the best living barometer for the quality desert’. These were provocative words deer – is no longer exclusively used of wild land in Scotland. Where the for many, but a clarion call for a few. by beardy weirdy wardens on nature eagle lives, survives and thrives, then Dick Balharry was one of the few who reserves; slowly the idea is gaining that for me is wild land, rather than believed the land could be restored if ground among more traditional land any academic, hatched up concoction.” managed differently. managers. It is not easy nor quick and there is a long, long way to go, but let ick loved wildlife – all wildlife. Fast forward sixty plus years to us hope a lot more wet desert can be He had a pet raven, cared the present day, and thousands restored to a healthier wild Scotland for red deer calves, filmed of hectares of wet desert remain, in the 21st century. Dwild cats, brought a pine marten with unrepentant landowners and into the office, planted Scotland’s impotent policy makers – it dismays Significantly Dick spent his early native trees in his garden and shot me to see land so abused. But there working years as a gamekeeper deer. He was passionate about wild are rays of hope; in a few places the and stalker, but he spent much of Scotland; he was charismatic, he wet desert is slowly and carefully his working life managing nature was great fun, told brilliant stories, being nurtured back to healthy reserves. He devoted many years to and chuckled a lot. In his time woodland. The transformation is restoring nature on two National with Nature Conservancy, Nature being brought about as a result of Nature Reserves Beinn Eighe and Conservancy Council and Scottish the unstinting efforts of visionaries Creag Meagaidh. The story of the Natural Heritage he worked tirelessly like Dick and others. Dick dreamed early years of Beinn Eighe is all about to revitalise wildlife in the Highlands. wild Scotland could be different and growing trees by excluding deer; while He has left his mark on the landscape he turned his dream into reality. He the story of Creag Meagaidh is about for all to see. fought hard to change how land was managing the trees and deer together. managed, and to change the hearts Early dreams and minds of those who poured Beinn Eighe: trees without deer In the 1950s, Frank Fraser Darling scorn on his ideas. The land being In 1951, the Scottish Director of the described the Highlands as a nurtured back to health is a tiny Nature Conservancy (NC) bought fraction of the Highlands, and long Beinn Eighe from a willing seller. He Clockwise from left: Dick Balharry at Beinn Eighe; term success will take more than a paid £4,000 for 4,320 hectares - less Scots pine woodland above Loch Maree with Slioch lifetime, so it is very much work ‘in than £1 per hectare. The GB Director beyond, Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve. The progress’ and painstakingly slow. was not impressed with this bargain. footpath in Coire Ardair, Creag Meagaidh NNR, East Highland Area. Photos: SNH, Lorne Gill/SNH. Today the approach he pioneered – He was actually very annoyed by the

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waste of money because he wanted purse strings. Being warden of the numbers by 60 per cent instead of to buy 290 hectares of woodland iconic Beinn Eighe, Britain’s first erecting another fence, but he was only, not the mountain as well. Over National Nature Reserve (NNR), over-ruled. the years this investment has proved Dick met and debated the ecology very worthwhile for those interested and management of the Highlands There were equally fractious debates in nature. Owning the land meant with the foremost ecologists of about the best way to prepare the the NC could use the reserve as an the time. Back then there was no ground for trees. Foresters wanted ‘outdoor lab’, allowing scientists and clear vision of the wildwood of the to plough and plant, laissez-faire wardens to experiment with different future. Some thought the shapely ecologists preferred not to disturb the management techniques. granny pines at Beinn Eighe were soil and wait for trees to regenerate the epitome of the wild Caledonian naturally, and one member of NCC Dick arrived at Beinn Eighe in 1962 pinewood, other argued these were Committee wanted to make holes as its second warden. He was given misshapen trees left over after the with the explosive ‘camouflets’ the job because he could shoot deer good timber trees had been removed. used by sappers. Some wanted to and milk a cow! He managed the Everyone agreed grazing/browsing fertilise the trees, others thought this reserve for a decade. At the time all was damaging and prevented young unnecessary. Some were careful to NC staff were inspired and excited trees growing inside or outside the spot plant tree species suited to the about managing land for nature. wood and so threatened the long ground conditions, other had a more Years later, Dick wrote a book term survival of the wood, and they cavalier approach. Some wanted to with Laughton Johnstone (another debated long and hard what to do plant only trees raised from local warden) called Beinn Eighe, The Land about it. seed in the tree nursery, while others above the Wood, to celebrate the first were happy to plant trees sourced 50 years of this National Nature At the time the question was ‘will from other places. The results of Reserve. The story is fascinating. the wood start to regenerate if these debates and experiments in grazing/browsing is prevented?’ So land management can still be seen In the early years there was very on Beinn Eighe (and many other on the Reserve today, if you know little experience of managing land reserves) over the years an array where to look. The ploughing scars for nature, especially woodland of enclosures of different sizes, at are still visible, but all the Scots (early RSPB reserves were mostly different altitudes, on different soil pine of the wrong provenance (Glen wetlands). There were few scientific types, were constructed to find out Affric) that were planted have now papers on the subject and no weighty what happens. The early enclosures been removed and replanted with conservation handbooks to guide were mostly small, four are less than trees of the appropriate provenance reserve managers. Instead, as the one hectare in size, but over time the (Wester Ross). Many lessons about book describes, there were passionate enclosures gradually increased in size how to manage land for nature were debates and heated clashes of and underwent a name change to learned on Beinn Eighe NNR; lots of ideas between ecologists, foresters, ‘exclosures’ for keeping deer out. After scientific papers have been published traditional estate owners, politicians thirty years there was ample proof and guidance has been included in and, of course, those holding the that trees regenerate if deer and sheep the management handbooks used by are excluded by fences, so in 1988 the today’s woodland managers. Above: Regenerating birch woodland at Creag Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) Meagaidh National Nature Reserve. September 2015; erected a ring fence seven kilometres The primary focus at Beinn Eighe was Dick Balharry in birch woodland regeneration at long, enclosing 1,100 hectares at getting trees to grow by excluding Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve, July 1997. Photos: Lorne Gill/SNH. Beinn Eighe. Dick argued against deer. But Dick appreciated that red this fence, he wanted to reduce deer deer roamed across neighbouring p28 ISSUE 53 Reforesting Scotland SPRING/SUMMER 2016 A LIFE REMEMBERED

spruce using a deer data collected on the reserve, but Government grant. despite his untiring efforts he did not convince them all. Drawing on the lessons he had After ten years, in 1995, Dick learned on other worked with Paul Ramsay to publish reserves, Dick was The Revival of the Land – Creag able to persuade Meagaidh National Nature Reserve. NCC to cull deer The summary says “SNH wished to hard on Creag explore an alternative model, a system Meagaidh to reduce that could rebuild natural capital and, browsing/grazing in the long run, use it sustainably; a pressure to a low different approach from that which level, to enable the had gone before, but one which is wood to regenerate essential if the Highlands are to arrest naturally with as their decline and fulfil their ecological little fencing as potential”. Dick wanted the book possible. In 1985 to persuade other land managers to there were about consider using the approach he had 1,000 red deer on set at Creag Meagaidh – nurturing estates, so he set up the Gairloch the reserve, mainly hinds, so to give woodland without fences. You can Conservation Unit (the first deer the regenerating trees a head start, see the results for yourself if you drive management group in the country) NCC erected a fence around 350 from Newtonmore to Spean Bridge. so that estates with quite different hectares, which Scottish Natural management objectives could meet Heritage (SNH) was able to take A legacy of inspiration to discuss deer issues. The Forestry down ten years later as it was no Today there are many nature reserves Commission wanted no deer at all longer needed – young trees were around Scotland managed by in their plantations, NCC tolerated growing away nicely. different organisations, which is a big a few deer on the reserve but not change from the 1960s when Dick many, one estate wanted lots of stags The main debate at Creag Meagaidh started work. There are also many with large antlers and lots of hinds was how to reduce the number of more reserve managers, men and to produce the stags, and another deer. For a while, deer were baited women. There is a lot of experience estate wanted as much venison as into a pen, caught alive and sold to about how to manage land for nature, possible. Co-operative management deer farms, but when the market for but still much more to learn. Nature of wild roaming animals is a challenge live deer collapsed, stalkers reverted reserves are now an accepted type of when neighbouring estates have such to conventional stalking. They had land management which they were different objectives! Dick always to find the best way to remove deer not in the 1950s. But much, much encouraged managers to think about carcasses from the hill while causing more needs to be done; we need a lot deer as well as trees, and he argued minimal damage to the fragile less wet desert and a lot more land passionately that reducing deer habitats, so the stalkers experimented managed for nature; we need to join numbers would be good for trees and with ponies, helicopters, argocats and up islands of wildland so that species good for deer too. the most strenuous way – dragging can move between them. to a suitable pick up point. Stalkers Creag Meagidh: trees and deer also had to learn to shoot deer when Dick wanted a healthier wild By the 1980s, NC had been replaced visitors to the reserve disturbed their Highlands where our native wildlife by the NCC and Dick was now Chief quarry, and when the law changed - eagles, dotterel, wild cats and pine Warden for North East Scotland they obtained licences to shoot at marten - could all thrive alongside region. This was a turbulent decade night or out of season. Their hard people. He pursued his dream and for NCC, and staff spent much of work has paid off, there are very few made it reality. He was an inspiration their time re-notifying Sites of Special red deer on the NNR now. to many, and wherever he is now, I Scientific Interest and negotiating am sure he is cheering us on to do management agreements, some Whilst NCC was convinced about more, to rewild the Highlands and involving controversial compensation keeping deer numbers very low to bring back the lynx. He laid the payments. In 1985, amidst much allow the woodland to regenerate, foundations; now what are you going controversy, NCC bought Creag others remained overtly hostile, to do to build on these foundations Meagaidh (3,940 hectares for particularly the neighbouring and rewild more of Scotland? £431,000 or £109 per hectare) to sporting estates. Their big concern prevent Fountain Forestry from was the ‘vacuum effect’, where deer Jill Matthews worked alongside Dick planting the lower slopes with Sitka move off their land onto the reserve when he was based in Aberdeen. Jill to fill ‘the vacuum’ NCC created by worked for NCC/SNH until 2011, shooting deer. Dick debated with and led the Review of National Nature Above: Regenerating birch woodland at Creag these protesters, drawing upon his Reserves and the programme to Raise Meagaidh National Nature Reserve in 1997. Photos: many years of discussing how to Standards on NNRs. Lorne Gill/SNH. manage land for nature, aided by the

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