Skógræktarritið - 15.05.2001, Page 93

SKÓGRÆKT HANDAN SKÓGARMARKA / NSSE
IAMES MACKENZIE
The Future of Woodlands
in Shetland
SAMANTEKT
Skóglendi myndar aðeins smábrot af landslaginu á Hjaltiandi, sem
einkennist helst af mýrum og móum og stafar það ekki aðeins af
hafrænu Ioftslagi heldur einnig af 5000 ára búsetu mannsins. Leifar af
upprunalegu skóglendi tóra aðeins sem stakar hríslur eða smáhópar
trjáa. Allir skógar á Hjaltlandi eru gróðursettir og samanstanda einkum
af innfluttum tegundum. Nokkrar þeirra, s.s. sitkagreni og japanslerki,
hafa náð allgóðum vexti. Sauðfjárstofninn á Hjaltlandi er nú álíka stór
og á íslandi og hefur hann stækkað mjög undanfarin ár vegna styrkja.
Ofbeit er á mjög háu stigi og talsvert skortir á skilning stjórnvalda á
vandanum. Hins vegar eru möguleikar fyrir hendi á endurheimt
skóglendis, einkum til skjóls og yndisauka, bæði með innlendum og
innfluttum tegundum. Neikvætt viðhorf flestra eyjaskeggja og lítið
fjármagn takmarka umfang skógræktar, en áhugi á garðrækt og trjárækt
eykst ásamt umhverfisvitund. Vonast er til að þetta verði til þess að
auka áhuga á endurheimt skóglendis.
Introduction
Woodlands constitute a tiny frac-
tion of the Shetland landscape
which is dominated by peaty
moorland, the result not only of
an extreme oceanic climate but
also of 5,000 years of human
occupation and land-use. Only
scattered groups or individuals
of relict trees survive from the
original pre-settlement wooded
areas; all other woodlands in
Shetland are plantations, mostly
of "exotic" species.
Agriculture in the twentieth
century brought about a rapid
intensification of sheep-rearing
in Shetland, on both enclosed
and un-enclosed land. This form
of monoculture is, however, at
crisis level and indicates the
need for a more sustainable and
diverse system of land-use.
Changes in climate also reinforce
this need.
There are, consequently,
opportunities for the re-estab-
lishment of woodlands in
Shetland, using both "native" and
"exotic” species, for a variety of
purposes. Although received cul-
tural attitudes and financial
resources currently limit such re-
establishment to small-scale
projects, public interest in horti-
culture and arboriculture is grow-
ing, as is an awareness of conser-
vation issues. Examples of suc-
cessful woodland establishment
and management, and research
into aspects of forestry that per-
tain to Shetland's climate and
geophysical characteristics, are
of vital importance in order to
stimulate this growth and con-
tribute to the future well-being of
the environment.
An unlucky day for trees?
13th |une, 2000 broke Shetland
records for the strongest winds
yet recorded for that month with
gusts reported up to 140 kph.
Quite literally it was a black day
for arboriculture, horticulture
and agriculture, due to the com-
plete lackof precipitation and
cloud cover, and to the high lev-
els of salt deposition and abra-
sion. Trees, shrubs and other gar-
den plants, vegetable crops -
even grassland - were burned,
and for weeks afterwards the
uncanny and untimely sound of
dry rustling leaves could be
heard in the tree canopies and
on the ground.
One might have been forgiven
for thinking that there was no
future for woodlands in Shetland.
There had, however, been an
unusually warm and sunny
spring, and tree growth had been
good. For an arborist 13th lune
and the following summer would
become a testing time - to dis-
cover which species and prove-
nances suffered least initial dam-
SKÓGRÆKTARRITIÐ 2001 l.tbl.
91