Capercaillie Emergency Plan 2025 - 2030 - Flipbook - Page 18
Robocutting
Keeping some heather short is an important aspect of providing habitat in which
chicks can thrive. Thick, tall heather is difficult for young birds to move through and
find the insects they need. A small-scale trial of heather cutting in Abernethy Forest
in the early 2000s demonstrated a more than doubling of blaeberry cover and
invertebrate biomass and a 7-fold increase in capercaillie usage. Around 200ha of
heather has now been cut in Abernethy Forest using a robocutter. Seafield and
Strathspey Estates and Rothiemurchus Estate have also recently undertaken
robocutting for capercaillie. Compared to strimming or using a flail and tractor, a
robocutter can navigate complex pinewood terrain to cut a larger area more
quickly, providing instant benefits for broods. Robocutters can also cut into the
moss layer and mulch material promoting faster recovery of blaeberry.
Objective
Enable robocutting where all opportunities exist to benefit capercaillie.
Actions by 2030
1. Identify and map target areas in the National Park where robocutting stands
to deliver the greatest benefit for capercaillie and where evidence suggests
the intervention is already providing benefits to capercaillie.
2. Utilise opportunities under the current FGS budget and seek improved
support as part of the FGS review in 2025 / 26 including updated / more
appropriate payment rates for robocutting in target areas.
3. Seek private investment to support robocutting in target areas.
4. Gather and analyse data from robocutting and control sites to build an
evidence base for the intervention.
5. Use the evidence base to inform funding streams for robocutting from 2026
onwards, e.g. optimum scales of delivery and payment rates to enable
maximum benefit for biodiversity / value for money.
6. Produce good practice guidance for land managers and contractors about
robocutting to benefit capercaillie and wider biodiversity.
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