Following my post https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2016/06/17/ring-ouzels-new-vision-cairngorm-ski-area/ Ron Greer sent parkswatch some photos of montane scrub from North America and Norway and some useful links which help illustrate the type of landscape that might result from planting the ski area.
Here are some useful links from Ron:
- http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-line/heritagemanagement/montanescrub/
- http://www.nhdfl.org/about-forests-and-lands/bureaus/natural-heritage-bureau/photo-index/labrador-tea-heath-krummholz.aspx (more photos from eco-equivalent zones in North America)
- http://mylittlenorway.com/2011/07/guide-to-cloudberries/ Ron sent this in response to my photo of Cloudberry in Coire Cas. The 2012 price for Cloudberries in Norway was 350NOK per kilo ( £30 per kilo) – perhaps Natural Retreats could serve them at the Day Lodge?
Yes, the ‘post holocaust’ look of the industrially modified ski slopes at Coire Cas could be radically improved by re-establishing our equivalent complex of native trees, shrub and heath species, but more widely we should also contemplate the benefits in terms of flood attenuation in respect of snow retention and modification of run off.