Aberdeenshire Council Woods In & Around Towns Fiona Chirnside Environment Planner, Aberdeenshire Council Woods In & Around Towns (WIAT) •Create new woodland •Bring neglected woodland into active management •Work with people to help them use their local woodland. “Bring urban woodland into sustainable management and improve recreational facilities by carrying out an agreed programme of work” Previous Work: New Woodlands Balmacassie Community Woodland, Ellon Collieburn Park, Peterhead Previous work: Existing woodlands Aberdeen WIAT Partnership: FCS, A’shire Council, Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeen Greenspace. Woodlands in Aberdeen and satellite towns - Portlethen and Westhill. Achievements: Improved access in 14 woodlands, Community woodland ranger employed in Aberdeen 4 new woodland management groups formed. Portlethen Moss Arnhall Moss Improved recreational facilities The image cannot be displayed. Your computer may not have enough memory to open the image, or the image may have been corrupted. Restart your computer, and then open the file again. If the red x still appears, you may have to delete the image and then insert it again. New path at Arnhall Moss New path at Portlethen Moss Working with local communities Planning Event - Ellon Community volunteers – Westhill Winner of Design a Badge competition - Portlethen New path at Portlethen Moss Building on success How do we widen the WIAT project across Aberdeenshire? Which of our woodlands are in need of significant management? Where could funding from the WIAT Challenge Fund make a difference? Identifying Opportunities …bring urban woodland into sustainable management and improve recreation facilities by carrying out an agreed programme of work… Identifying Opportunities Stonehaven: Mineralwell Woodlands Banchory: Captain’s Wood, Bellswood & Lower Bellswood Kintore: Gauchill Woods Turriff: Woodland at The Haughs Mintlaw: Aden Country Park Banff: Duff House Woodlands & Lusylaw Woods Developing Opportunities Production of management plans for six woodlands. Community consultation undertaken for each site. Project grant aided to 50% by FCS WIAT Challenge Fund Management plans and year one (10/11) action plans going before local area committees for approval. Delivery of management plans – extent subject to grant funding Challenges Sourcing match funding in a climate of reduced budgets. Raising expectations through community consultation which cannot easily be delivered. Difficult to generate community interest in some areas. Diverse views within communities on how woodlands should be managed. Encouragements Improved knowledge of woodland resource Improved recreational facilities Woodland brought into sustainable management Successful internal cross service working Successful community involvement in some areas .