Falkland Centre for Stewardship Rhododendron Project
The site
Falkland is one of Scotland’s most picturesque villages and seems to have been affected little by the passing centuries. The project will be spent helping the Falkland Centre for Stewardship in their aim to improve the natural environment in and around Falkland.
The Falkland Centre for Stewardship exists to promote the practice of stewardship locally and the philosophy of stewardship in 21st century Scotland and beyond. They see stewardship as the act and art of holding, nurturing and vitalising assets for others – including the next generation. The asset in question may be an organisation, a tradition, a building, a landscape, or at the highest level the planet’s natural resources and ecosystem. So, stewardship is about responsible, long-term management. Good stewards draw from the past, mind the future and always look beyond themselves.
The project
Rhododendrons were first brought back to Scotland by Victorian botanists over 100 years ago. They have been very popular with gardeners since that time and it is easy to see why – they exhibit spectacular floral displays, usually in May and June. Rhododendrons however have become invasive species in Scotland, where they are able to out-compete many native plants. They send toxic substances into the soil where they grow which prevents other plants from growing, thus giving rhododendrons a competitive advantage. Given these problems, they need to be managed to prevent them spreading too much.
The day will involve cutting down rhododendron plants from within an area of native woodland and burning these cuttings. This will allow the understory of shrubby trees and plants which should be growing on the woodland floor to re-establish in the woodland, thus enhancing biodiversity and offering a habitat for many species of inects, birds and mammals.
