DEER MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE NORTHERN DEER MANAGEMENT GROUP AREA 2016-2020 NOV 2018 UPDATE Prepared on behalf of the NORTHERN DEER MANAGEMENT GROUP by Professor R.J.Putman Woodend, Banavie, by Fort William, Inverness-shire PH33 7PB phone: 01397 772774; email: [email protected] 2 NORTHERN DEER MANAGEMENT GROUP: GROUP DEER PLAN 2016 – 2020 CONTENTS: Page A. Introduction: 5 The Northern Deer Management Area: 7 Geology, Vegetation, Mammals and Birds, Invertebrates Communities and Species of Special Interest Designations 8 Group Membership 9 Deer Populations 10 An overview of the main issues affecting the Management Area 11 Condition of designated sites 12 Woodlands and Commercial Forestry 19 Sustainability of Deer Populations 19 Deer-Vehicle Collisions, Non-native species 20 The Structure of this Document 20 B. Vegetation, Deer Populations and Current Management of Individual Estates: 1. Skelpick and Rhifail 22 2. Armadale Farm 26 3. Armadale Estate 28 4. Strathy North and Strathy South 29 5. Syre [Rosal] 32 6. Badanloch [North] 33 7. Achentoul 36 8. Land owned by RSPB at Forsinard/Forsinain/Knockfin 41 9. Number One Holding 45 10. Bighouse Estate 46 11. Sandside 49 12. Shurrery Estate 53 13. Dorrery Farm and Estate 57 14. Langwell and Braemore [Welbeck Estates] 59 15. Navidale Farm 68 16. Suisgill Estate 68 17. Torrish [North] 72 18. Caen 74 19. Dunbeath 74 20. Glutt 81 21. Latheronwheel 85 22. Rumsdale and Dalnawillan [Ulbster Estates] 87 23. Braehour and Backlass [Ulbster Estates] 89 24. Strathmore [Ulbster Estates] and Blar nam Faoileag 91 25. Achkeepster 94 26. Land owned and managed by Forest Enterprise Scotland 96 27. Rimsdale, Navidale Forest, Lochdhu Woodlands, Braehour forest blocks 97 28. Land managed on behalf of private owners by Fountain Forestry 97 3 C. General Considerations Summary of main actions proposed 99 General stocking rates and ongoing monitoring 100 Monitoring of deer populations 103 Monitoring of habitat condition/habitat management 104 Other issues: Roe deer; Non-native species; Best Practice 105 Training; Welfare; Economic Costs and benefits; Communication 106 Education and Wider Engagement; Public Access, Public Safety 107 D. Public Interest Actions 109 Summary of Public Interest Benefits and Action Points 110 Example Annual Audit Sheet 114 Appendices 1. Constitution of the Northern Deer Management Group 2. Individual Estates: Current Deer Management Figures and Future Management Recommendations [Confidential] Maps Maps are appended to this Plan as listed below. 1a. Northern DMG Deer Management Area and Property boundaries - West 1b. Northern DMG Deer Management Area and Property boundaries - East 2. Overall Vegetation Cover of the Management Area as denoted by Land Cover Scotland 3. Reported Area of Woodland Cover (and potential woodland cover) mapped by the National Forest Inventory 4. Areas of Recent Woodland Creation 5. Designated sites within the NDMG Area 6. Reported Condition of Designated Sites 7. Condition of Native Woodlands reported by the Native Woodlands Survey of Scotland 2014 8. Deer Vehicle Collisions reported in the Management Area between 2013 and 2017 4 The structure of this document: Given the size of the NDMG Management Area and the number of separate properties involved, this Plan is inevitably rather long. However, the main management actions to be taken over the next five years for the Group are presented in Section C towards the end of the document. This final part of the document thus forms the actual Management Plan. However, since management decisions must be taken (and reviewed) in the context of a proper understanding of the deer populations of the area, their movements, impacts upon their habitat, and in the light of any specific problems perceived in the future management of this resource, the Plan begins [Sections A and B] with some initial description of the ‘resource’: a description of habitats and deer populations on individual estates as well as a brief account of past management practices. Information on deer counts and culls for individual estates, along with future management recommendations for each estate, is contained in the confidential Appendix 2, for the use of group members only. November 2018 Update This Plan is currently being restructured, with sensitive estate information having been moved to a separate confidential section (Appendix 2). Aggregated figures for counts, culls and population models will shortly be added to the Plan, arranged by sub-group. A Working Plan is being written and should be available by Spring 2019. A INTRODUCTION: A1.1 The area of the Northern Deer Management Group (NDMG) includes in effect all that land north and east of a line defined by Strathnaver (and the B873) and the B871 between Syre and Kinbrace, and all land to east of the A897 through the Strath of Kildonan to Helmsdale. To the south east it is bounded by the coastline between Helmsdale and Latheron and to the east is bounded by the road from Isauld towards Halkirk along the side of Loch Calder and thereafter the B870 to Mybster and the A9 between Mybster and Latheron; much of the land to the east of Sandside Estate and to the north of Shurrery, however, is commercial forestry which is securely fenced and the open range management area covered by the NDMG is thus in effect bounded to the north and east by these two latter Estates (Maps 1a & 1b). A1.2 The total area within the NDMG Management Area (excluding towns and villages) is assessed by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) as 150,678 ha. The area includes land in some 20 main ownerships as well as a similar number of smaller ownerships. Deer Management and associated activities of major landholdings are coordinated through discussion within the NDMG, which meets formally twice a year (although other meetings may be called as required and much business is transacted via email). The majority of member estates attempt to have a representative present at all meetings (and in future, all will be expected to have a representative present); meetings are also attended by representatives from the Forestry Commission, SNH regional and wildlife staff and local community interest groups by invitation. The Group’s constitution is appended to this Plan. A1.3 In response to significant changes in patterns of land use in the area, with increasing concerns from SNH and others about recorded impacts on designated sites and with concerns within the group about changing numbers and distributions of deer within the area and about longer term sustainability of sporting harvests overall, the Deer Management Plan adopted by NDMG in 2001 in 2002 was updated in 2013 in an attempt to accommodate and respond to these changing pressures. At that time however, only certain estates/land owners were included in the exercise, as Achentoul, Bighouse, Dunbeath, Glutt, No1 Forsinard, Langwell and Braemore, Navidale Farm, Shurrery, Skelpick & Rhifail, Suisgill, Syre, Torrish and the various properties owned and managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). A1.4 Following a more recent assessment of the group’s management activities, in collaboration with SNH (RAG assessment) the NDMG determined to update and revise this former partial Plan, extending coverage to include all member Estates, and at the same time bring it into line with the new ADMG Benchmark for Deer Plans. NDMG accepts the Government’s Code of Practice on Deer Management and the ADMG’s Principles of Collaboration in relation to Deer Management. A1.5 In development of the actual Management Plan which follows, the Group employed Professor R.J. Putman to collate relevant information on deer populations and habitat condition, to assist in establishing clear definition of objectives for individual estates or for the Group as a whole, as well as help focus discussion on future possible management options within individual estates or the wider Management Group Area. Information was sought from all estates and the Chairman and Secretary of the Management Group on deer counts for the different estates or other land-holdings over the past 10 years, recorded calf-hind ratios and cull data. A1.6 Detailed consultations were undertaken with individual landowners, or their managing agents, as well as all stalkers to establish i) current deer numbers and distribution on their own estates; movement patterns within estates and between adjacent properties; past and present management policy and procedures; ii) current patterns of land use, plans and expectations for the future, as well as exploring aims and objectives of management for their deer for the future. 6 A1.7 Additional consultation was carried out with other interest groups such as SNH Regional staff and Forestry Commission for Scotland as well as local community groups to establish their interests and aspirations for future management of the area. Finally, independent assessments were also undertaken of the condition of the deer herds and the condition of the habitat during a series of visits to all the estates by RP at intervals between January 2012 and December 2016. A1.8 After extensive consultation this Plan is presented as an agreed Deer Management Plan for a five- year period from 2016-2020. The Plan has been prepared to integrate individual Estate Management Plans, and Long-Term Forest Plans with Group-level commitments and to ensure delivery of both private and public interest. A1.9 In any Management Area it is impossible to find a period of absolute stasis with all future factors influencing management decisions fully resolved. Indeed, in the period of the previous Plan there have been a number of changes of land-ownership and/or objective. This Plan therefore is inevitably prepared against a background context with some remaining ‘unknowns’ and should not be seen as set in stone. Rather the Plan is seen as indicative and must allow room for flexibility as circumstances may change.