0:00:38 > 0:00:41Our forests are special places.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Homes for some of our best-loved animals.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49BIRDSONG
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Where old traditions linger on.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Places to get away from it all.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09In this programme, the focus is on our forests as resources,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13havens for wildlife and inspiration for artists.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16We're going to be looking at how woodlands shape our lives.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22But there's a crisis in the forests, as Charlotte's finding out.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26It's claimed if the timber industry is to survive,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29we must plant more trees - and fast.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33And, well away from the woods,
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Adam is letting his hair down with the new kids on the block.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40Goats are just so friendly!
0:01:40 > 0:01:42You're lovely, aren't you?
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Our forests are places to unwind.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02They nourish and shelter all kinds of animals.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09And, funnily enough,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13one of our oldest is the New Forest in Hampshire.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15I'm near Lyndhurst, right in the heart of it.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25The New Forest is the perfect place to get out and about.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29Just the job for keeping us in good spirits and fine fettle.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33But what about the health of the forests themselves?
0:02:33 > 0:02:36How do we know if they're in good shape? More importantly,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39if there IS a problem, how do we pick up the distress signals?
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Well, you take a long, hard look at what's there.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Right across the country, our forests and woodlands are
0:02:49 > 0:02:53being surveyed as part of the National Forest Inventory.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57It's the most in-depth health check of our forests ever undertaken.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02Now, thousands of square plots have been selected at random
0:03:02 > 0:03:04using satellite imagery.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08They're then surveyed in great detail by experts on the ground.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Now, this square here is one of hundreds in the New Forest.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14I'm trying to find it, I think I'm getting warm.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Each plot is one hectare,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20or just under two and a half acres.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24And even with the technology, they're hard to pin down.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27But they do give an accurate picture of just how much wood is in
0:03:27 > 0:03:32our forests. So, why do we need such an extensive survey?
0:03:32 > 0:03:35I'm meeting the Forestry Commission's Ben Ditchburn
0:03:35 > 0:03:37to find out.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Britain's always had a National Forest Inventory since 1924 and we
0:03:40 > 0:03:43used to run them every 20 years.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45We kind of realised that woodlands were changing faster and with
0:03:45 > 0:03:48things like climate change and pests and diseases,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51that we needed to keep a sharper, tighter,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54more timely look at our woodlands, and questions were being
0:03:54 > 0:03:57asked about whether or not should we build sawmills and papermills
0:03:57 > 0:03:59and even bio energy plants in Britain,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02because maybe we just didn't have enough timber resource.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07So, whilst counting trees is an important thing to do, the survey
0:04:07 > 0:04:12also looks at the variety of trees growing in each sample plot...
0:04:12 > 0:04:13the wildlife it supports,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16and the way it's being used.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21When you start to analyse this data and look at it and think,
0:04:21 > 0:04:24"Hang on a minute," how much do you intervene?
0:04:24 > 0:04:29In no way do we interfere on an individual site basis,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33because if we did, the sample sites would slowly become unrepresentative
0:04:33 > 0:04:36of the wider population and would invalidate the survey.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40To gather all the data, you also need boots on the ground.
0:04:40 > 0:04:45I was there five years ago and there's a 50cm birch in there.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47'In this part of the country,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49'those boots belong to David Browning.'
0:04:49 > 0:04:50Yep, lead the way.
0:04:50 > 0:04:55'He's out in all weathers, all year round, putting in the legwork.'
0:04:55 > 0:04:57INDISTINCT CHAT
0:04:57 > 0:05:00'David was last at this site five years ago.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02'In that time, of course, things will have grown,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04'so there will be lots of new data to gather.'
0:05:07 > 0:05:10'Technology can help, but if you really want to crunch the numbers,
0:05:10 > 0:05:14'sometimes you just have to get down and dirty.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16'Last time around,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19'this particular measurement on this birch tree was 50cm.'
0:05:19 > 0:05:22So we've got...
0:05:22 > 0:05:23We're halfway on the 55.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Yes, that's 55, so that's a 5cm growth, which is quite
0:05:27 > 0:05:31- a lot for a tree of this size, having a bit of a lie down.- Yeah!
0:05:31 > 0:05:35'Special attention is paid to any new growth,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39'but it has to fall within the survey area for it to count.'
0:05:39 > 0:05:42- 4.33. - So, a new arrival.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Yes, a new arrival, in one sense.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46This tree was here five years ago, obviously,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50- but it was too small to be captured by the survey.- Right.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53So it's now grown beyond 6cm,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56which means we can record it within the plot
0:05:56 > 0:05:59and that then goes into the Forestry Commission database.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02So, when is a tree not a tree?
0:06:02 > 0:06:06In this case, when it's less than 6cm in circumference.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09The only other thing we're looking for is natural generation.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12The only thing here that I can see
0:06:12 > 0:06:15- is this hawthorn sapling. - Mm-hm.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17'And that's something to shout about,
0:06:17 > 0:06:21'since saplings often don't last five minutes in this forest.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24'Most new growth is nibbled back by wild ponies and deer.'
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Whilst the little trees have to fight to reach maturity,
0:06:30 > 0:06:34and the young trees bear the scars of pony teeth, the big trees,
0:06:34 > 0:06:38like this ancient oak, are actually doing pretty well.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40That's the story here.
0:06:40 > 0:06:45But the national story is made up of 15,000 survey squares.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49So, what is the big picture and is the story that we've seen
0:06:49 > 0:06:52here today in the New Forest replicated nationally?
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Well, Charlotte's been finding out.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11You'd be forgiven for thinking that deforestation is just something
0:07:11 > 0:07:16that happens in the rainforest in places like the Amazon or Indonesia.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20But, actually, it could be relevant a lot closer to home.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27That's because it's claimed we're cutting down more trees
0:07:27 > 0:07:31than we're planting. Are our woodlands really under threat?
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Trees do a lot of different things -
0:07:38 > 0:07:40they're homes for wildlife,
0:07:40 > 0:07:44they store carbon, help reduce the risk of flooding,
0:07:44 > 0:07:48provide home-grown timber and they're great to wander round, too.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52Not all woodlands, though, John, are this pretty, are they?
0:07:52 > 0:07:56No, but to me, they all have something special to offer.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01'John Tucker from the Woodland Trust says we're facing
0:08:01 > 0:08:04'a drastic decline in new woodland.'
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Why are you so worried about the rate of planting?
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Well, I'm worried for two reasons - one,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11because the rate of planting is so low.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15Last year in England, we'd planted 700 hectares, which is the worst
0:08:15 > 0:08:17figure since 1971,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20so we really need to do something.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24The problem is made worse by the fact that we're losing lots of
0:08:24 > 0:08:26trees through disease, we're losing lots of woodlands
0:08:26 > 0:08:29through development and we could actually be in a state of
0:08:29 > 0:08:33deforestation where we're actually losing more than we're putting back.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37But we're talking about one bad year - that doesn't make
0:08:37 > 0:08:39a long-term trend, does it?
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Yes, so this has been going on for a long time.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45It's at a time when we're increasingly recognising the
0:08:45 > 0:08:49benefits that trees and woodlands can offer to all sorts of
0:08:49 > 0:08:53aspects of our life - our health, our landscape, soils and so on.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56So we should be doing more, and yet we could be in a situation
0:08:56 > 0:08:59where we're actually losing tree cover.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Around 13% of the UK -
0:09:04 > 0:09:06that's 3 million hectares,
0:09:06 > 0:09:08or 7.5 million acres -
0:09:08 > 0:09:10is currently covered by woodland.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16Now, that's a vast improvement on the low of just 5% canopy cover
0:09:16 > 0:09:20100 years ago, but the UK is still one of the least wooded areas
0:09:20 > 0:09:25in Europe and our government say they're committed to planting more.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29From the broadleaf woodlands of Wales, to the rain-soaked
0:09:29 > 0:09:34timber plantation of the Kielder Forest in Northern England.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36How old is this bit of woodland?
0:09:36 > 0:09:40Well, this bit of woodland here, which is deciduous larch,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43is about 20, 25 years old.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Braving the rain with me is Stuart Goodall from Confor,
0:09:46 > 0:09:48the Confederation of Forest Industries.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52They say while Scotland has an ambitious planting programme,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55England, Wales and Northern Ireland have lower targets and
0:09:55 > 0:09:57they're not even achieving them.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Given where we'd hoped to be and how much woodland we've actually
0:10:01 > 0:10:04managed to plant, how far are we behind now, in England?
0:10:04 > 0:10:07In England, we have a long-term aspiration to
0:10:07 > 0:10:11have 5,000 hectares a year planted by 2050,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13and with that, we're miles behind.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17In 2016, we only planted 700 hectares.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20This government has its own particular target of
0:10:20 > 0:10:23planting 11 million trees in the lifetime of the Parliament
0:10:23 > 0:10:25and by our calculations,
0:10:25 > 0:10:27it's not going to hit that
0:10:27 > 0:10:30until 2027 at the current rate of planting.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33Are these targets ambitious in the first place?
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Well, our view is that, for example,
0:10:36 > 0:10:3811 million trees target,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41which is 1,000 hectares a year, is incredibly modest.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Just a few years ago,
0:10:43 > 0:10:47we were planting 5,000 or 6,000 hectares a year in England.
0:10:47 > 0:10:48It is achievable.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54Stuart believes we must start planting more now.
0:10:54 > 0:11:00But has the future of the UK's £1.7 billion commercial timber
0:11:00 > 0:11:02sector already been sown?
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Based in North Wales, the Clifford Jones Timber Group
0:11:08 > 0:11:11is the UK's largest fence post manufacturer.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17- How's business, then? - Business is booming.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20We're selling an awful lot of material at this time of year
0:11:20 > 0:11:23due to the demand that is placed on us by the farmers.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Right now, times are good.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31But timber isn't any ordinary crop.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34It takes several decades for softwood to mature
0:11:34 > 0:11:36ready for harvest.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38We're currently reaping the bounty
0:11:38 > 0:11:40of tree-planting from the 1970s and '80s,
0:11:40 > 0:11:45but Richard Jones believes there could soon be trouble at t'mill.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47It's difficult standing here,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50talking about a shortage of timber when we're surrounded by it.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Why are you so worried about timber supply?
0:11:53 > 0:11:57The biggest issue for us is that the tree takes at least 25 years
0:11:57 > 0:12:01to reach a point where we can use it, so if you miss ten years
0:12:01 > 0:12:04of actually planting, you never gain that time back.
0:12:04 > 0:12:09Are you confident that we will plant enough now
0:12:09 > 0:12:12to keep your children in business?
0:12:12 > 0:12:13No.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17- Really? - Yeah, really.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Couldn't you just import it?
0:12:20 > 0:12:23At this moment in time, the UK actually imports around 80% of
0:12:23 > 0:12:26the timber it uses, but for us,
0:12:26 > 0:12:30we actually value the rural economy and actually putting pounds
0:12:30 > 0:12:32in people's pockets and keeping people in jobs
0:12:32 > 0:12:36in the rural community, which is a big thing around here.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50There are more than 80,000 skilled jobs in UK forestry and the
0:12:50 > 0:12:51wood processing sector,
0:12:51 > 0:12:56largely in rural areas where work can often be in very short supply.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00So, as a vital part of the economy, with potential for growth,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03what's stopping us from planting more trees?
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Well, that's what I'll be finding out later.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Our woodlands can be like a canvas for artists,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16filled with light and shade
0:13:16 > 0:13:21and all manner of structures, textures and detail.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24So much to fire the imagination.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28But the artist I'm meeting today isn't just inspired by wood,
0:13:28 > 0:13:32it's the materials she works with to create exquisite prints -
0:13:32 > 0:13:34in particular, boxwood.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49This is the work of one of Britain's leading wood engravers.
0:13:51 > 0:13:52Sue Scullard.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57She loves to walk out in the Kent countryside with her camera,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59taking hundreds of photographs.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Images that might later inspire her
0:14:03 > 0:14:08to create one of her finely detailed prints.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11She learned her skill at the Royal College of Art
0:14:11 > 0:14:16and has spent nearly 40 years honing her craft in her studio at home.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21So you've obviously got a great fascination
0:14:21 > 0:14:23for trees as your subject matter - why's that?
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Well, I just like all the textures
0:14:25 > 0:14:28and the patterns they make against the sky.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Obviously in winter you see much more than you do in summer,
0:14:31 > 0:14:33when they're all overgrown.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36And you're working on what looks like a sort of cushion,
0:14:36 > 0:14:38but it's leather, isn't it?
0:14:38 > 0:14:40- Yes.- And it's incredibly heavy. - And it's full of sand.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Yes, it's full of sand, it's incredibly heavy.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44So why do you use it?
0:14:44 > 0:14:47It's so that you can move the block around as you work,
0:14:47 > 0:14:49because often you're working
0:14:49 > 0:14:51by turning the block with your left hand
0:14:51 > 0:14:54and cutting in lots of different directions with the right.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58The boxwood that Sue works with
0:14:58 > 0:15:03comes from a tree commonly used in gardens for hedging and topiary.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05Probably the best place to find it growing wild
0:15:05 > 0:15:09is at the aptly named Box Hill in Surrey.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11Box tends to be a small tree,
0:15:11 > 0:15:13and the density of its wood makes it perfect
0:15:13 > 0:15:16for the fine detail in Sue's work.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20It feels like firm butter.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23So it's not gritty and hard,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26you wouldn't need a chisel to push your tools if they're sharp.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29- And do the tools have different names?- They do.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32- This one is a spitsticker. - Spitsticker, wonderful name.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37And this one is a bullsticker. I don't know why they're called that.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Each tool makes a different kind of indent,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44but there's one thing they have in common -
0:15:44 > 0:15:47the marks they make can't be undone.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51Not an easy task, by any means.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53- No.- Incredibly time-consuming and delicate.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57I've probably chosen one of the most difficult art mediums there is
0:15:57 > 0:16:00because, for one thing, it's very small,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03so you're working in miniature a lot of the time.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05How long has that taken you so far, how many hours?
0:16:05 > 0:16:09I think probably about 20-25 hours.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12And when you're working on something like this,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15you're actually working in negative.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19Yes. If I was to take a boxwood block
0:16:19 > 0:16:22and print from it without engraving it,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25I would just get a solid black rectangle.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28So I'm engraving the white marks.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31As I engrave it, I'm letting the light in.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34- Let's have a go.- I'll practise on an ordinary...- Practise on that.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37And you're just doing it in a scooping motion.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39- You don't need to go deep.- No.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Just the slightest scratch will print as a white line,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45so you just need to graze the surface. That's it.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47You're getting the hang of it.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Do you feel confident enough to let me make a mark on yours?
0:16:51 > 0:16:54- Well, only if you make a very small one.- Right!
0:16:54 > 0:16:57- Whereabouts, what shall I do? - Whereabouts...?
0:16:57 > 0:17:00How about just a little tiny marking here?
0:17:00 > 0:17:02A blade of grass?
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Yes, a little tiny blade of grass. That's it.
0:17:05 > 0:17:06THEY LAUGH
0:17:06 > 0:17:09I feel honoured!
0:17:16 > 0:17:21Sue's print workshop is in a summer house at the bottom of the garden.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30Her original Victorian press,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32inherited from her tutor,
0:17:32 > 0:17:33was built in 1859,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36when engraving was a popular form of illustration
0:17:36 > 0:17:39and used a lot by newspapers.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41So what I do now...
0:17:41 > 0:17:44is I lock it into position,
0:17:44 > 0:17:48which means that it won't move once it goes under.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52This is the ink.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54It's a special kind of ink
0:17:54 > 0:17:56made for the letterpress printing.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58It is very, very stiff.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02You have to roll in more than one direction
0:18:02 > 0:18:05to make sure it's gone on evenly all over.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Very smooth paper, put it on carefully,
0:18:09 > 0:18:10make sure it doesn't move.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13And to get the right amount of pressure
0:18:13 > 0:18:15I need some packing on top.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18That goes into the press.
0:18:20 > 0:18:21Ooh.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23And then the moment of truth.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27So what's it going to be like?
0:18:27 > 0:18:28Peel it back carefully.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30- Wow!- There we go.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33I think that is beautiful, Sue.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35I'm seeing things now in the print
0:18:35 > 0:18:38that I didn't see in the block.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41The two birds there, look, between the trees.
0:18:41 > 0:18:46Yes, I thought it was looking like it needed something alive in it,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49and it's nice to have something moving through the trees.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56Woodland, inspiring the art of wood engraving.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06As Charlotte discovered earlier,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09timber stocks are precarious in England and Wales,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12but it's a different story in Scotland.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Nearly a fifth of the country is forest and woodland -
0:19:17 > 0:19:20that's more than 3.5 million acres.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24I'm exploring just a small part of it,
0:19:24 > 0:19:28the Culbin Forest between Inverness and Elgin,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30on the banks of the Moray Firth.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37It's a billion-pound industry in Scotland alone,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40and employs 26,000 people.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Big timber is big business.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Between October and Easter,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51about 400 lorry-loads of timber
0:19:51 > 0:19:53is removed from Culbin.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Shifting that much wood calls for some big machines.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09And these beasts can take down a tree in seconds.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14And I'm going to time this just to show how quick it is. Go.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18Less than a second to actually cut the trunk.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Cuts it into these equal lengths.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23Easy-peasy, like butter,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26all the branches stripped at the same time.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28What was that? 15 seconds,
0:20:28 > 0:20:32to take it from a standing tree to a useful log pile. That's amazing.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36'Making short work of the job
0:20:36 > 0:20:37'is Willie Thompson.'
0:20:37 > 0:20:39- Can I come on in?- Aye.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42'I'm joining him as he slices and dices his way through the woods.'
0:20:45 > 0:20:49- It's got a screen there. Gosh, so modern, this kit!- Yeah.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Willie, you make this look like a video game.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00I'm amazed how comfortable it is in here.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03I think you've even got one of those air fresheners somewhere.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05It smells very fabulously scented.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07- Specially in for you.- Have you? LAUGHTER
0:21:07 > 0:21:09One of those special tree things hanging around.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Once enough trees have been felled,
0:21:15 > 0:21:19a second machine grabs them and piles them up,
0:21:19 > 0:21:21ready for transportation.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Their next stop is 30 miles down the road
0:21:26 > 0:21:30at the biggest sawmill in the Spey Valley.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33It's also the region's biggest employer.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39The man in charge of this branch is David Mills.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41David, help me see the wood from the trees, here.
0:21:41 > 0:21:42HE LAUGHS Ah!
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Talk me through the process -
0:21:44 > 0:21:46when it comes from the forest, what happens next?
0:21:46 > 0:21:48OK, so, this is the start of our process.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50So this is where we sort the logs to diameter.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52If you can imagine, they come in from the forest
0:21:52 > 0:21:55anything from, sort of, 16 centimetres up to 45.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58- OK.- So we need to, in order to get the best out of the process,
0:21:58 > 0:22:00we need to optimise that.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02We need to sort them into diameter grades
0:22:02 > 0:22:04and then we take those logs into the sawmill.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10This mill is highly efficient,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13designed to make use of every stick and splinter.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Waste is kept to an absolute minimum.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Each tree that comes in here is 3D-scanned,
0:22:23 > 0:22:27then some computer wizardry decides which products fit.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Then it's up to Dougie here
0:22:29 > 0:22:33to best decide how to rotate each log to fit the pattern,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36and the process happens 1,500 times a day,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39the equivalent of 20 lorry-loads.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42'Dougie puts me in the hot seat for a moment.'
0:22:42 > 0:22:44Oh...!
0:22:44 > 0:22:45'I mean, what damage could I possibly do?'
0:22:45 > 0:22:48- Yeah.- About there?- Yeah.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50Oh-hoo... Look at all these different cameras.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Are you supposed to look at those at the same time?
0:22:53 > 0:22:56- The white one?- Yeah, the white one. - Now?- For a wee second. Yeah.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58- Say when.- Now.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01- Uh-oh. What have I done?- That's OK. - What have I done?
0:23:02 > 0:23:05- All right, in you go. - Things are backing up. So sorry.
0:23:05 > 0:23:06I'm clearly not up for this job.
0:23:12 > 0:23:13What waste there is
0:23:13 > 0:23:16is burned up in a state-of-the-art biomass boiler.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21This generates the heat for the timber-drying kilns.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Once dried, the timber is graded - the very best stuff
0:23:27 > 0:23:31destined for the construction industry and places like this.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40'Neil Sutherland is an architect, but he doesn't just design houses -
0:23:40 > 0:23:41'he builds them, too,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44'starting here in this workshop.'
0:23:44 > 0:23:47So can I get away with saying flat-pack houses?
0:23:47 > 0:23:48They're flat-packed, yeah.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51They are ready to leave the workshop and be assembled into a house.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Now, what we are trying to do is do more work inside the workshop,
0:23:55 > 0:23:57because there's more consistency.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01- Yeah.- There's better quality, there's less waste, it's safer.
0:24:01 > 0:24:02There's various aspects to it.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04- Less weather, as well, in here. - Less weather!
0:24:04 > 0:24:07- We've already seen it changing quite a few times today.- Indeed.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10And where is the timber sourced from?
0:24:10 > 0:24:14- We look to source all our timber from as locally as possible.- Hm.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17So it's pretty much all from the Highlands.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Generally within a 50-mile radius.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21I can't believe that's a house right there.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23- It is.- It's amazing. LAUGHTER
0:24:28 > 0:24:30'This is one of Neil's recent builds,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33'just over the Kessock Bridge from Inverness, on the Black Isle.'
0:24:33 > 0:24:36What an amazing setting this is!
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Wowee, what a place.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43'The proud owner is Mike Thompson.'
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Is this your ideal home?
0:24:45 > 0:24:48This is my dream home, which I've worked for...a long time.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53I wanted to prove that we could use home-grown, locally grown timber,
0:24:53 > 0:24:54which has produced a quality house.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58It's very thermal efficient, it's extremely warm
0:24:58 > 0:25:01and it's run by one wood-burning stove.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03- That's it?- That's it. - That's incredible.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Tall trees to monster machinery.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13New technology to grand designs.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18But our forests are home to so much more.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Later, I'll be finding out how science is helping the industry
0:25:21 > 0:25:24do its bit for one of our best-loved animals.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Now, earlier, we heard that the UK
0:25:34 > 0:25:37is at the lowest level of tree planting for a generation,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40so what's stopping us from planting more?
0:25:40 > 0:25:41Here's Charlotte.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47This is Doddington in Northumberland -
0:25:47 > 0:25:51a tree-free, blustery hillside which, it's hoped,
0:25:51 > 0:25:56will become the largest new private woodland in England for 20 years.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00600,000 trees will be planted here,
0:26:00 > 0:26:02transforming what is, at the moment,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05fairly scrubby, low-grade grazing land.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09'With stark warnings that parts of the UK
0:26:09 > 0:26:11'could be creeping into deforestation
0:26:11 > 0:26:15'and pleas from our commercial timber industry to plant more trees,
0:26:15 > 0:26:19'plans for more than half a million of them are good news.'
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Who uses this land at the moment, though?
0:26:21 > 0:26:24So, there's a tenant farmer who uses it for sheep grazing.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27'But there's a catch - for project director Andy Howard,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31'this woodland is taking a long time to take root.'
0:26:31 > 0:26:35- So if I were here in, what, 20, 30 years...- Yeah.
0:26:35 > 0:26:36..where would the trees be?
0:26:36 > 0:26:41The trees will be all around us and back up to the hill over there.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43- So, all of this? - All of this will be planted.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45The view is amazing.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49I've got to be honest - I thought you'd be planting trees.
0:26:49 > 0:26:50We wish we were, to be perfectly honest!
0:26:50 > 0:26:53You know, we are two years into this project so far,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55and we're still not able to plant trees yet.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Why has it taken so long?
0:26:57 > 0:27:00It's internal battles within Defra,
0:27:00 > 0:27:04in terms of whether Natural England and Historic England
0:27:04 > 0:27:06wants to protect the categorisation of the land, as they have it,
0:27:06 > 0:27:08against what the Forestry Commission want.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11In my mind, it's got to the point where I've literally got to prove
0:27:11 > 0:27:14that planting a tree is not a bad thing.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17The process to do that seems to be one
0:27:17 > 0:27:21where anybody and everybody can take as long as they want
0:27:21 > 0:27:23and I've got to wait until that point in time
0:27:23 > 0:27:27that they've decided that they don't want to make any more comment.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30And Andy warns this isn't just about this project.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34The future of England's woodlands could be decided here.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38Others are watching him wrestle red tape and may be put off.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41If this does not happen,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44in terms of being a successful project,
0:27:44 > 0:27:49the chances of any other large-scale productive woodland planting
0:27:49 > 0:27:53in this country coming forward, I would say, is very, very small.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Before a single tree is planted,
0:27:56 > 0:28:00many different voices, with their own competing priorities,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04have to be heard and an agreement needs to be reached.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06Defra told us...
0:28:11 > 0:28:14But even once the woodland is agreed, well,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17then there are rules on what type of tree can be planted.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19It's a lesson from our history.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Nearly 100 years ago, the Forestry Commission
0:28:29 > 0:28:33began planting vast swathes of non-native conifers.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39- NEWSREEL:- You wait for 20 busy years before you get a dividend in cash,
0:28:39 > 0:28:42but the Forestry Commission have planted
0:28:42 > 0:28:44half a million acres with trees.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48They were seen as the perfect, relatively quick-growing crop
0:28:48 > 0:28:52to safeguard the national timber stock after the ravages of war.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56These plantations supply mines with 90% of their pit props.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00Timber also goes for fencing, box making and building.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07But times have changed and these uniform conifer plantations
0:29:07 > 0:29:09aren't really what we want any more.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11They are pretty dark and that,
0:29:11 > 0:29:14combined with the amount of needles on the floor,
0:29:14 > 0:29:17means you really don't get much biodiversity.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20Today, all new woodlands,
0:29:20 > 0:29:23as well as the restocking of old conifer plantations,
0:29:23 > 0:29:26require a mix of native tree species.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30In fact, within the past 20 years,
0:29:30 > 0:29:32more than twice as many new broadleaf trees
0:29:32 > 0:29:35were planted in the UK than conifers.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39But are we now planting the wrong trees for the timber industry?
0:29:42 > 0:29:46'Stuart Goodall from Confor speaks for the forestry industry.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49'He says, although broadleaf trees are great for nature,
0:29:49 > 0:29:51'they come at a cost.'
0:29:52 > 0:29:56Whereas in the past, we could plant a whole hillside
0:29:56 > 0:29:58just to produce wood,
0:29:58 > 0:30:03nowadays, because we are sacrificing maybe 20-25%
0:30:03 > 0:30:06of the potential wood production on a hillside,
0:30:06 > 0:30:08we need to be planting more woodland.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13To create more woodland, we need more land,
0:30:13 > 0:30:16but with the prices at a premium, what incentives are there?
0:30:16 > 0:30:19There are a variety of different schemes available,
0:30:19 > 0:30:21operated by different government agencies,
0:30:21 > 0:30:23and they are not always joined up,
0:30:23 > 0:30:26and there can be an awful lot more money in removing trees
0:30:26 > 0:30:28than there is in planting trees.
0:30:30 > 0:30:35In some cases in England, just £1.28 is awarded for planting a tree,
0:30:35 > 0:30:40but as much as £144 can be claimed to remove one.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42That's more than 100 times as much.
0:30:43 > 0:30:48Recently, the Select Committee for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
0:30:48 > 0:30:52concluded that the current grant scheme is not fit for purpose
0:30:52 > 0:30:55and is acting as a barrier to more woodland creation.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57The industry has an answer.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01Well, if you look at England, for example,
0:31:01 > 0:31:05we have three agencies who are operating a system,
0:31:05 > 0:31:08which is very complex, very bureaucratic,
0:31:08 > 0:31:10and that is off-putting for people.
0:31:10 > 0:31:15What we should have is a situation where it's run by just one agency -
0:31:15 > 0:31:17so, for example, we had the Forestry Commission
0:31:17 > 0:31:21which was set up in 1919 to expand our forests.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23Now, we feel that the Forestry Commission
0:31:23 > 0:31:26should be given responsibility to run these schemes itself,
0:31:26 > 0:31:28to go back to its roots,
0:31:28 > 0:31:30to ensure that we are planting the forests that we need
0:31:30 > 0:31:32for the 21st century.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45Everyone seems to agree planting trees is a good thing,
0:31:45 > 0:31:50but in England and Wales, we are not even reaching the current targets.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52Now, people in forestry and timber industries,
0:31:52 > 0:31:56perhaps not surprisingly, want planting commercial forests
0:31:56 > 0:31:59to be made more straightforward.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01But balancing that with all the other things
0:32:01 > 0:32:04we expect of land and the environment?
0:32:04 > 0:32:06Well, that's not going to be easy.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11The New Forest.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13It's home to one of our most spectacular
0:32:13 > 0:32:16and elusive birds of prey.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21They ghost silently through our dense woodlands,
0:32:21 > 0:32:23hunting out unsuspecting victims.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27They are incredibly shy.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29A rare sight, indeed.
0:32:34 > 0:32:35Goshawks.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38Now, don't worry if you can't get out into the New Forest
0:32:38 > 0:32:41to witness them swooping and diving for their prey,
0:32:41 > 0:32:43because there is another way to see them.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47As part of a scheme called A Date With Nature,
0:32:47 > 0:32:49you can watch them throughout the summer,
0:32:49 > 0:32:54either online or on a big screen at the New Forest Reptile Centre.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59And it's all done with the help of this camera.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02Now, goshawks are a Schedule 1 protected species,
0:33:02 > 0:33:04so obviously getting this camera up into position
0:33:04 > 0:33:07is a delicate and sensitive operation,
0:33:07 > 0:33:09but as the nests are vacant at the moment,
0:33:09 > 0:33:11now is the ideal opportunity, so later in the programme,
0:33:11 > 0:33:15I'm going to be heading on up this tree to see how it all happens.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18That's after Sean has his feet firmly on the ground
0:33:18 > 0:33:20in Stirlingshire.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25Gently rolling hills...
0:33:27 > 0:33:28..endless skies...
0:33:30 > 0:33:33..and magnificent spruce forests.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38Hard to believe this is just 15 minutes
0:33:38 > 0:33:39from the centre of Glasgow.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45Many of us dream of having a space in the forest to call our own.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47Well, for some here in Stirlingshire,
0:33:47 > 0:33:49that dream has come true.
0:33:51 > 0:33:52Dotted amongst the trees,
0:33:52 > 0:33:55there's an unusual group of ramshackle buildings.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01Some brightly coloured, some in need of a little TLC,
0:34:01 > 0:34:02but all made of wood.
0:34:05 > 0:34:10This is Carbeth, a decades-old community close to the city,
0:34:10 > 0:34:12but a world away in time.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16It was at the end of the First World War
0:34:16 > 0:34:20that huts started springing up all over the Scottish landscape.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25They were built by ex-servicemen and families on low income,
0:34:25 > 0:34:29hoping to escape the city grime for a healthy dose of nature.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31The people who owned these modest buildings
0:34:31 > 0:34:33are affectionately known as hutters
0:34:33 > 0:34:36and today I'm meeting a few of the locals.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42'Alan Graham has been a hutter since he was a boy.'
0:34:42 > 0:34:45- Alan - doing some spring cleaning, I see.- Yeah. Hi there, Sean.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49This is an impressive hut, isn't it? It's absolutely massive.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53Yeah, well, it's a standard size for round here, yeah.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55And it looks like you've made it into a real home.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57Have you been coming here that long?
0:34:57 > 0:35:00All my life, which is close to 60 years, now, so...yeah.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04This is probably my third hut in Carbeth.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06When we bought this, we've extended it a bit,
0:35:06 > 0:35:09we've renovated it a bit, put on a new roof,
0:35:09 > 0:35:11various other bits and pieces.
0:35:11 > 0:35:12You say you've extended it -
0:35:12 > 0:35:15is there a set size, though, that you have to stick to?
0:35:15 > 0:35:19Yes, there is, yeah. There are planning regulations
0:35:19 > 0:35:22that dictate what size the huts should be,
0:35:22 > 0:35:26and they should start small, but they can be extended over time.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28- I see all the huts are made out of wood.- Yeah.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30- There's a lot of wood around here. - Yeah.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32Do you get the materials from the forest?
0:35:32 > 0:35:35Huts come together quite organically,
0:35:35 > 0:35:38so, you know, people will use materials
0:35:38 > 0:35:42that they can beg, steal or borrow, there's a lot of recycling goes on.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45The original hut that we had,
0:35:45 > 0:35:48my dad was able to find an old changing room
0:35:48 > 0:35:50from a sports ground that was being demolished,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53and he was able to transport it up here.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55It must have been great, coming here as a kid.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59Yeah, it was great as a kid, Many, many happy memories from here.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03Myself, my brothers and sisters, we just...
0:36:03 > 0:36:06We had so much freedom, here. You were out from morning till night,
0:36:06 > 0:36:10climbing trees, sledging in the winter, all of that sort of stuff.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12I can smell the smoke from the fire inside. I think it'll be warm
0:36:12 > 0:36:15- in there. Can I have a look? - Course you can, yeah. Come in.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21- In you come.- Wow. It looked large from the outside.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24It looks massive on the inside - it's like the TARDIS! It's amazing.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27I can immediately see where my favourite place would be, though -
0:36:27 > 0:36:30- by this wood burner.- Yeah. In you come.- It's lovely and cosy.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33- Mm-hm.- You must be tempted to live here. Can you do that?
0:36:33 > 0:36:37No, afraid not. It can't be your permanent residence.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40Originally, they were intended for weekend use,
0:36:40 > 0:36:42two weeks in the summer,
0:36:42 > 0:36:44but no, you shouldn't stay here all year round.
0:36:44 > 0:36:45I noticed, as we were coming,
0:36:45 > 0:36:47there are quite a few huts around the place.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50There must be a feeling of a real community, here.
0:36:50 > 0:36:51There really is.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53I spend more time talking to people here
0:36:53 > 0:36:55than I do in the street where I live.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57- Oh, really? In Glasgow?- Yeah.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59At home, we tend to wave to our neighbours
0:36:59 > 0:37:00as we pass, in their cars.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03Out here, we stop and we pass the time of day with each other.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07- So this is like going against modern life.- Absolutely.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09It's a slower pace of life out here,
0:37:09 > 0:37:11and I think that's what attracts people.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18There is something about this place that draws people from all walks.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25Some come to paint.
0:37:28 > 0:37:29Others, for sport.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35But once, they came to escape the horrors of war.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39Back in March 1941,
0:37:39 > 0:37:41the Luftwaffe hit the town of Clydebank hard.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43More than 1,000 bombs were dropped
0:37:43 > 0:37:47on the town's shipyard and munitions factories.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50Some 500 people lost their lives.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52Those who could, fled the city.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55Some found safety at Carbeth.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00'Like Marlene McKellen, who escaped with her family.'
0:38:02 > 0:38:06So, Marlene, it was somewhere around about here where your hut stood.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09Yeah, down the hill a bit, not too far.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13- It's not here any more. That's sad, isn't it?- It is sad, yes.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16Very disappointed when I first discovered that it had gone.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19You came here because you were evacuated.
0:38:19 > 0:38:20What do you remember about that time?
0:38:20 > 0:38:22Well, there had been a bad air raid
0:38:22 > 0:38:25that included Glasgow the night before,
0:38:25 > 0:38:29and a bomb came down behind our building
0:38:29 > 0:38:30and shattered a sweet factory.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34A lot of people decided, you know, to leave the area
0:38:34 > 0:38:36and because members of my family...
0:38:36 > 0:38:41I think we had three huts out here, and we decided to come out.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44- You were here when Clydebank was being bombed.- Yes.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47We were looking straight across the hills to Clydebank
0:38:47 > 0:38:52and you could see the flames, huge flames,
0:38:52 > 0:38:55bright, bright orange.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58And, of course, you hear all the planes,
0:38:58 > 0:39:02because they crossed here to get to Clydebank.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07The RAF took to the skies and fought back.
0:39:08 > 0:39:14There was a German plane shot down just over where we were, because...
0:39:14 > 0:39:18At the time, I was sleeping on a deckchair,
0:39:18 > 0:39:21because we had somebody else in the hut,
0:39:21 > 0:39:24and I was woken with this huge bang
0:39:24 > 0:39:29and the deckchair kind of jumped about six inches off the floor
0:39:29 > 0:39:30and then went flat.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33So that, kind of, woke everybody up,
0:39:33 > 0:39:36and then we discovered it had been a German plane
0:39:36 > 0:39:40that had come down, just across the wall from us
0:39:40 > 0:39:41in the first field.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44- Just over here? - Just over there, yes.- Wow.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48So, how does it feel, being back here now, where your hut stood?
0:39:48 > 0:39:50Well, very different.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53There are a lot more huts than there were.
0:39:53 > 0:39:57But it seems to be a very happy community,
0:39:57 > 0:39:59I would say, and that's a wonderful feeling.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02Very similar to the feeling that we had back then.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08By the 1990s, the huts that had provided refuge
0:40:08 > 0:40:11to Marlene and so many others had started to decline.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16Strict access laws and a change in attitude by landowners
0:40:16 > 0:40:19meant rents were harder to afford.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24But efforts are underway to revive this proud tradition.
0:40:24 > 0:40:29In our never-ending quest to escape the trappings of modern life,
0:40:29 > 0:40:33you could say there's more need for hutting today than ever before.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36With the backing of the Scottish Government,
0:40:36 > 0:40:38the charity Reforesting Scotland has set up
0:40:38 > 0:40:40the Thousand Huts campaign.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43You'll still need planning permission,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46but building regulations are being relaxed.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51For those who want to get back to nature,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54there is room to let your creative juices flow.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00And Carbeth?
0:41:00 > 0:41:03In 2013, the hutters rallied together to buy the land here,
0:41:03 > 0:41:06and with more than 100 on the waiting list,
0:41:06 > 0:41:09the future of this small forest community looks secure.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21Our woodlands and forests -
0:41:21 > 0:41:27wild and beautiful places to wander and to explore.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36But when they are managed,
0:41:36 > 0:41:40like this ancient coppiced woodland in the Kent Weald,
0:41:40 > 0:41:42they're also places of work.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44And not just for humans -
0:41:44 > 0:41:48this guy is called Yser and, as you can see,
0:41:48 > 0:41:50he is getting himself all fuelled up,
0:41:50 > 0:41:53ready for a hard day's work here in the woods.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58And here come his workmates...
0:42:01 > 0:42:04..with their handler, Frankie Woodgate.
0:42:05 > 0:42:06Hello, Frankie.
0:42:06 > 0:42:07Hello there, John.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10- What a wonderful sight. - Thank you.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13Whoa, lovely. Good boy. Stand there.
0:42:13 > 0:42:14Thank you.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18'She uses her heavy horses not only here, in her own woodland,
0:42:18 > 0:42:21'but on contract work for other landowners.'
0:42:23 > 0:42:25You have got some wonderful-looking horses, haven't you?
0:42:25 > 0:42:28- Thank you. Yes. - What kind are they?
0:42:28 > 0:42:31Well, this little chap here, he is a Belgian Ardennes.
0:42:31 > 0:42:32He is 15 years old.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36We have Tobias, he is a Belgian draft, or Brabant.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40- He is very handsome.- Yes - he is the Shirley Temple of the team.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42Really? He knows he's handsome, does he?
0:42:42 > 0:42:45Yes, he knows he's handsome, he knows he's handsome.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47And then we have the lovely lady, Salome.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51She's a Belgian Ardennes mare. She's eight years old.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54What got you involved with these horses to start with?
0:42:54 > 0:42:55Well, many years ago -
0:42:55 > 0:42:58I started working in forestry in my early 20s -
0:42:58 > 0:42:59I particularly fell in love with,
0:42:59 > 0:43:02and remain completely passionate about,
0:43:02 > 0:43:03ancient semi-natural woodlands,
0:43:03 > 0:43:06and I started looking into low-impact methods
0:43:06 > 0:43:10of management and extraction, and suddenly just thought,
0:43:10 > 0:43:14"Hang on - is there anybody still working horses extracting timber?"
0:43:14 > 0:43:15In woodlands such as this,
0:43:15 > 0:43:18the ground flora are very specific to this wood,
0:43:18 > 0:43:20and woods within this region.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23- Some beautiful anemones. - Yes, beautiful anemones,
0:43:23 > 0:43:26that are out now. So ground compaction in a wood like this
0:43:26 > 0:43:28is an absolute no-no, really.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31Ardennes horses are named after
0:43:31 > 0:43:34the hilly forested region of Belgium where they come from,
0:43:34 > 0:43:38and they are perfectly suited to working on steep slopes
0:43:38 > 0:43:42and places that are too densely wooded for machinery.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45They are compact and stocky and incredibly strong.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49So you're not just clinging to the past, then -
0:43:49 > 0:43:52this is an efficient modern way of woodland management.
0:43:52 > 0:43:53Oh, yes, yes. Indeed.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57I mean, whilst we might have one hoof in the past, as it were,
0:43:57 > 0:44:01we are firmly placed in contemporary, modern-day forestry.
0:44:01 > 0:44:03And they are reasonably low-maintenance.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05They are reasonably low-maintenance.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08Obviously, there is a feed bill, at the end of the year.
0:44:08 > 0:44:12Well, now they are fuelled up, they are ready for action.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15These woods were first coppiced centuries ago
0:44:15 > 0:44:18to fire the furnaces for smelting iron.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22You can still see the hollows where the ore was mined.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26These days, Frankie fells the timber for firewood
0:44:26 > 0:44:29in a traditional 14-year-long cycle.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34The horses haul away the trunks, either on a trailer,
0:44:34 > 0:44:37like this one, known as a "forder"...
0:44:39 > 0:44:41..or by even simpler methods,
0:44:41 > 0:44:44with the help of Frankie's assistant, Richard.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53'We gather some logs together using special timber tongs...'
0:44:54 > 0:44:56Oh, yeah - pretty good, aren't they?
0:44:56 > 0:44:58'..and chain them up.'
0:44:58 > 0:45:00Tighten it up, all ready for the horse, now.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03- That's all ready for the horse. - What's Richard doing over there?
0:45:03 > 0:45:07Well, Richard is working a Scandinavian timber arch,
0:45:07 > 0:45:11and that allows us to extract more timber over longer distances.
0:45:11 > 0:45:13So there's less friction on the horse,
0:45:13 > 0:45:15it's far easier on the horse to move it,
0:45:15 > 0:45:18because the timber is partially suspended under the arch,
0:45:18 > 0:45:20so a lot of the weight of the timber is going down through
0:45:20 > 0:45:22and into the wheels of the arch.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24But the system that we are going to use with Salome,
0:45:24 > 0:45:25bar and traces,
0:45:25 > 0:45:28very simple, very versatile.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30We use it on steep slopes in wet areas
0:45:30 > 0:45:32where you might not want to get your horse too close
0:45:32 > 0:45:33to where the timber is,
0:45:33 > 0:45:36and then you can just choke her up on a long chain
0:45:36 > 0:45:37and pull the timber off the wet area.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40- Hooked on, now. - And we are ready to go, John.
0:45:40 > 0:45:42Okey dokey. Off we go.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48- Good mare. - Come on, Yser.
0:45:49 > 0:45:50Good girl.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55Good girl.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57Come on, old boy.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05What a wonderful sight, isn't it? Fantastic.
0:46:06 > 0:46:07Ho!
0:46:07 > 0:46:11A romantic yet practical way of harvesting our woodlands.
0:46:18 > 0:46:21Now, spring is normally the season you'd associate with lambs.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24LAMBS BLEAT
0:46:24 > 0:46:26But, as Adam is finding out, there is a new KID on the block.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32Goat farming has never been huge in the UK,
0:46:32 > 0:46:35but over the last few years, it's been building in popularity,
0:46:35 > 0:46:39and now the animals are not only prized for their milk,
0:46:39 > 0:46:41but there is a growing market for their meat, too.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47Charlie Whitehouse farms a huge herd of goats
0:46:47 > 0:46:49on the border of Gloucestershire and Herefordshire.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52- Hi, Charlie.- Oh, hi, Adam. How are you?- Really well.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55- Good. Nice to see you. - What a beautiful herd of goats.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57Yeah, no, we are really, really pleased with them.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59They look fantastic on a day like this as well.
0:46:59 > 0:47:03At Charlie's dairy, they milk about 1,000 nannies twice a day.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06Half the milk goes to a major supermarket chain
0:47:06 > 0:47:08whilst the other half is used to make cheese.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11They seem very content.
0:47:11 > 0:47:13What are goats like to work with on this sort of scale?
0:47:13 > 0:47:15Really, really easy.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18I mean, compared to other animals, they run to you, not at you.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20So, no, they are really, really good fun to work with.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23And is the popularity of milk products growing?
0:47:23 > 0:47:27Our production in the UK is only 0.2%,
0:47:27 > 0:47:30in volume terms, compared to cow's milk.
0:47:30 > 0:47:32Very small market, really. But growing all the time.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35Farming goats is very popular elsewhere in the world.
0:47:35 > 0:47:36Oh, it is - around the world,
0:47:36 > 0:47:40more people rely on goats for their sustenance than any other animal,
0:47:40 > 0:47:43but not so much in the UK. But that market is growing and changing.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46And what is it that's driving that forward, do you think?
0:47:46 > 0:47:48I think the health benefits of goat's milk,
0:47:48 > 0:47:49people becoming lactose intolerant,
0:47:49 > 0:47:52and they can drink goat's milk cos it's easier to digest.
0:47:52 > 0:47:54And the milking process, very similar?
0:47:54 > 0:47:57Really similar to cows, Adam. I'll get you in and have a go -
0:47:57 > 0:47:59just remember, they've got two teats, not four.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02- LAUGHTER - After you.
0:48:09 > 0:48:12Goats might supply far less milk than cows,
0:48:12 > 0:48:14but the equipment here is just as hi-tech
0:48:14 > 0:48:17as in any cattle milking parlour.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22- Brilliant. So, press Auto... - Press Auto.
0:48:24 > 0:48:28Bracelet talks to wrist. Wrist talks to computer.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31- And away she goes.- And away she goes, the milk is coming out.
0:48:31 > 0:48:33And then this unit will measure
0:48:33 > 0:48:34everything we want to know about it -
0:48:34 > 0:48:36so, how much milk it's giving,
0:48:36 > 0:48:38how many seconds it takes to milk her,
0:48:38 > 0:48:40because for us, data is so important.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43We want to know which are our good goats and which are our bad goats
0:48:43 > 0:48:45so we know which to breed from.
0:48:48 > 0:48:50These nanny goats, like all mammals,
0:48:50 > 0:48:52only produce milk once they've given birth.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57Like sheep, they naturally have young in the spring,
0:48:57 > 0:48:59and right now, they're kidding.
0:49:01 > 0:49:03'This first-time mum's waters have just broken.
0:49:03 > 0:49:05'If you're a bit squeamish,
0:49:05 > 0:49:07'you might want to look away for a while.'
0:49:09 > 0:49:12Dairy manager Steve has come along to help.
0:49:12 > 0:49:14So, like a lamb,
0:49:14 > 0:49:18goat kids are born nose and two front feet.
0:49:18 > 0:49:19They dive out forwards.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21And what you can see, there,
0:49:21 > 0:49:25is its little nose, but no front feet,
0:49:25 > 0:49:28so Steve will just have to put his hand in
0:49:28 > 0:49:32and try and find the front feet and bring those forward.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34GOAT BLEATS
0:49:34 > 0:49:39This goat is scanned to have three, and sometimes, when they push them,
0:49:39 > 0:49:42they can come up to the birth canal all at once.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45So it sounds very traumatic, but goats are quite noisy.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47GOAT BLEATS LOUDLY
0:49:47 > 0:49:49- All right, missus.- Good girl.
0:49:51 > 0:49:55There they are. So, there's a front foot, and the nose.
0:49:57 > 0:50:01Sometimes, if the other front leg's right back, it'll slide out.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05There we go. Just nice and gently.
0:50:07 > 0:50:09There's a good girl.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11Shoulder...that's it.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13Now, this is the nerve-racking bit,
0:50:13 > 0:50:16when you've got to try and get the little goat kid breathing.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18There we are.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20I hate it when they writhe around like that,
0:50:20 > 0:50:22cos you think they're struggling.
0:50:24 > 0:50:25Come on, then.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31KID BLEATS
0:50:31 > 0:50:33- LAUGHING:- Aw!
0:50:34 > 0:50:36Lovely.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39'It's a huge relief to see that the kid is alive,
0:50:39 > 0:50:43'but things aren't looking as promising for the second one.'
0:50:43 > 0:50:46So, this is a breech birth. This goat kid is coming backwards.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49So this one has to come out a little bit quicker,
0:50:49 > 0:50:51so the umbilical cord will break
0:50:51 > 0:50:54while its head is still inside the nanny.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57- Backwards and upside down. - Upside down, yeah.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00- Is that stillborn? - I think so.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05- It is, isn't it? - No heartbeat, no?- No.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07It was backwards and upside down.
0:51:07 > 0:51:11Hasn't made it. So we'll just see what the third one is like.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14This is the third one coming now.
0:51:20 > 0:51:21There were go, that's good.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28KID BLEATS
0:51:30 > 0:51:32What a good girl.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40So, this nanny has given birth to triplets.
0:51:40 > 0:51:42Sadly, one of them was born dead,
0:51:42 > 0:51:44but she has got two healthy little nanny kids.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47They themselves will give birth here
0:51:47 > 0:51:51and start milking on this farm in about a year's time.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53I'll leave her to it.
0:51:57 > 0:52:01In farming, billy goats' lives are much shorter than females'.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03Males are of little use on a dairy farm,
0:52:03 > 0:52:06so in the past, many were killed soon after being born.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11But fortunately, that's starting to change.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16All the young billies born here are reared on other farms
0:52:16 > 0:52:18to eventually enter the food chain.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24- Hi, Lizzie, how you doing? - Hi, Charlie. All good.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26- Hi there.- Hi, Adam.- Good. Well, it's these two groups, here.
0:52:26 > 0:52:30- I'll leave you, Adam, to load them. - Perfect. Want to hop in?- Why not?
0:52:33 > 0:52:35'Lizzie Dyer is collecting the latest batch of billies
0:52:35 > 0:52:37'to take to her farm in Wiltshire.'
0:52:37 > 0:52:41And it's good, having a use for the male kids, isn't it?
0:52:41 > 0:52:43Absolutely. I mean, at the end of the day,
0:52:43 > 0:52:46everything that's born is going to die at some stage,
0:52:46 > 0:52:48and all we're trying to do is give them a purpose.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51So instead of it just being completely wasted at birth,
0:52:51 > 0:52:54we rear them on in a free-range and hopefully sustainable way
0:52:54 > 0:52:57and produce a quality meat at the end of it.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59Shall we get them loaded before they chew holes in my jeans?
0:52:59 > 0:53:01Absolutely. Thank you.
0:53:13 > 0:53:15Because the billies are taken away from their mothers
0:53:15 > 0:53:18only after a few days, they still need plenty of milk
0:53:18 > 0:53:20when they arrive at their new home.
0:53:24 > 0:53:28But once weaned, Lizzie's goats are put out to pasture
0:53:28 > 0:53:29to fatten up in their own time.
0:53:33 > 0:53:37Hello, goats! My word!
0:53:37 > 0:53:39- LAUGHTER - A bit different!
0:53:39 > 0:53:41Oh!
0:53:41 > 0:53:42Just bit my bottom!
0:53:42 > 0:53:44They're so naughty, aren't they?
0:53:44 > 0:53:46They are really mischievous.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49So, what sort of age are these, then?
0:53:49 > 0:53:51These guys are coming up eight months,
0:53:51 > 0:53:55so they are ready to be going off for slaughter.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58- So you are choosing from this group now?- Absolutely, yeah.
0:53:58 > 0:53:59We do a lot of weighing, cos as you can see,
0:53:59 > 0:54:01it's a bit different to lambs...
0:54:01 > 0:54:03Yeah, so sheep, I'd be feeling their backs.
0:54:03 > 0:54:05- Exactly, exactly. - But you do it on weight.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07We do it much more on weight, and then, obviously,
0:54:07 > 0:54:08we look at the covering as well.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11What we are producing here is kid meat,
0:54:11 > 0:54:14so it's from the younger animal, the equivalent of lamb.
0:54:14 > 0:54:16Yes. And the qualities of it?
0:54:16 > 0:54:20Believe it or not, it's actually lower in cholesterol than chicken,
0:54:20 > 0:54:21but it's got more iron in it than beef.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24- Goodness me. - So, you've got, like, a red meat,
0:54:24 > 0:54:27which everyone enjoys eating, but it's actually really healthy,
0:54:27 > 0:54:30and what we're trying to do is take the nutritional benefits
0:54:30 > 0:54:32and then try and rear it in a very sustainable way
0:54:32 > 0:54:35and so you actually have the opportunity to enjoy red meat
0:54:35 > 0:54:37without feeling guilty about it.
0:54:44 > 0:54:47Goat milk and meat may not yet be a British favourite,
0:54:47 > 0:54:49but with dairy farmers working hand-in-hand
0:54:49 > 0:54:51with people like Lizzie,
0:54:51 > 0:54:53the future of goat farming here is looking up.
0:55:06 > 0:55:10Scotland is renowned for its forestry industry.
0:55:10 > 0:55:11As I've already seen,
0:55:11 > 0:55:14a big business and crucial to jobs in the economy.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20But where does nature fit into that equation?
0:55:21 > 0:55:25It's always going to be a difficult balancing act,
0:55:25 > 0:55:27because the forest has been planted
0:55:27 > 0:55:30specifically to be grown and harvested as a crop,
0:55:30 > 0:55:33but that process may take 70 years or more,
0:55:33 > 0:55:37with thinning every 10 to 15 years, and in that time,
0:55:37 > 0:55:40it's become a full-blown ecosystem,
0:55:40 > 0:55:43thriving with wildlife, big and small.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49Including one of our best loved but most endangered animals -
0:55:49 > 0:55:51the red squirrel.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56The threat here comes not from the reds' arch enemy,
0:55:56 > 0:55:59the grey squirrel, but from the timber industry itself.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06So Forest Enterprise Scotland, part of the Forestry Commission,
0:56:06 > 0:56:10is behind an independent study to address the problem.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14'Kenny Kortland is an ecologist for the Commission.'
0:56:14 > 0:56:17Kenny, what is the idea behind this project?
0:56:17 > 0:56:21So, squirrels occupy lots of these plantations all over Scotland,
0:56:21 > 0:56:23but we want to produce timber from them,
0:56:23 > 0:56:24because we all consume timber.
0:56:24 > 0:56:28- Yeah.- So we have to reconcile those two objectives.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31And what happens now if contractors are working here,
0:56:31 > 0:56:33where red squirrels are?
0:56:33 > 0:56:35Well, during the breeding season for squirrels,
0:56:35 > 0:56:36we try to avoid working in their woods,
0:56:36 > 0:56:39but that limits the amount of forestry we can do quite a lot,
0:56:39 > 0:56:42so we are trying to understand how we can work in the breeding season
0:56:42 > 0:56:45so that we can work more widely in the forest.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49Harvesting the trees for timber
0:56:49 > 0:56:52inevitably has an impact on the squirrels' food supply,
0:56:52 > 0:56:56but, crucially, can take away their nests, or dreys.
0:56:56 > 0:56:59'The study is being led by Louise de Raad from the
0:56:59 > 0:57:02'University of the Highlands and Islands' School of Forestry.'
0:57:02 > 0:57:03Good to see you.
0:57:03 > 0:57:06You need a head for heights for this job, don't you?
0:57:06 > 0:57:07So, tell me about the project.
0:57:07 > 0:57:09What is happening here with these boxes?
0:57:09 > 0:57:12Well, we've put a number of nest boxes up in the area,
0:57:12 > 0:57:14where the forest operations are going to take place,
0:57:14 > 0:57:16cos we want to see if they use the nest boxes
0:57:16 > 0:57:17during the operations.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20And what's this on the end of the pole? Why this long bit?
0:57:20 > 0:57:23So, on the end of the pole, you can see a wee trail camera,
0:57:23 > 0:57:25so what we're doing there is we are monitoring
0:57:25 > 0:57:26the entrance of the nest boxes
0:57:26 > 0:57:29so we can see whether they're actually being used,
0:57:29 > 0:57:32- rather than having to go into the nest boxes.- OK.
0:57:35 > 0:57:40Although the photographs are useful, this study relies on hard data.
0:57:40 > 0:57:44'To get the info needed, Louise is capturing red squirrels.'
0:57:44 > 0:57:47Animal welfare is our highest priority.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49These are the live traps
0:57:49 > 0:57:53and they don't get injured at all during the trapping.
0:57:53 > 0:57:55Why are you trapping the squirrels?
0:57:55 > 0:57:58Well, we are wanting to tag them with a little radio collar.
0:57:58 > 0:58:02And they have a GPS signal on them and a radio tracking,
0:58:02 > 0:58:04so they will automatically record locations,
0:58:04 > 0:58:09but it will also allow us to do the radio tracking with a receiver.
0:58:09 > 0:58:11Done.
0:58:11 > 0:58:15'This is one of 20 traps dotted around the forest.
0:58:15 > 0:58:17'Now we just retreat and wait.'
0:58:22 > 0:58:25This is why the red squirrels are doing so well here -
0:58:25 > 0:58:28there is a tonne of food all over the forest floor,
0:58:28 > 0:58:31and they can live in different types of woods and forests,
0:58:31 > 0:58:35but in Scotland they are at their highest numbers in pine forests.
0:58:35 > 0:58:37They do particularly well where there are different species
0:58:37 > 0:58:41of conifer together, like larch, pine and spruce,
0:58:41 > 0:58:44because the seeds ripen at different times,
0:58:44 > 0:58:48so there is a more continuous supply of food.
0:58:51 > 0:58:53We get a call on the radio that a squirrel
0:58:53 > 0:58:56has been captured in another trap.
0:58:56 > 0:59:01- OK, perfect. Here we go. - Good job.
0:59:02 > 0:59:04'And that was the easy bit.
0:59:04 > 0:59:06'Now, Louise, a licensed handler,
0:59:06 > 0:59:08'has to quickly fit the tracking collar.'
0:59:08 > 0:59:13I feel like I'm holding my breath. You're doing a great job.
0:59:13 > 0:59:16- It's all over.- So, there it goes. - All over.
0:59:18 > 0:59:19Quick as a flash.
0:59:21 > 0:59:22Oh...
0:59:23 > 0:59:26- And there it goes.- It looks none the worse for wear for that.
0:59:26 > 0:59:28It looks absolutely fine, doesn't it?
0:59:28 > 0:59:30- Yeah, they are quite happy to get away.- Yeah.
0:59:31 > 0:59:33'Now we need to track them,
0:59:33 > 0:59:35'so I am catching up with Marina Gray
0:59:35 > 0:59:37'as she looks for a signal for the collars.'
0:59:38 > 0:59:42This is the strongest point, so this squirrel must be here.
0:59:42 > 0:59:43Notepad out.
0:59:44 > 0:59:49'Marina records her findings and then Louise plots the information.'
0:59:49 > 0:59:51- We can have a wee look here. - And there, I think.
0:59:51 > 0:59:53- Yeah.- Yeah. - Discussing a bit of data.
0:59:53 > 0:59:55So, how's it looking so far?
0:59:55 > 0:59:59Well, we've mapped a couple of the locations of different squirrels
0:59:59 > 1:00:00that we've found so far.
1:00:00 > 1:00:02It's a bit too early to tell me something yet.
1:00:02 > 1:00:06But we'll be following them throughout the forest operations
1:00:06 > 1:00:09and then afterwards as well so that, by the end,
1:00:09 > 1:00:12we can hopefully say something about what impact the forest operations
1:00:12 > 1:00:14have had on squirrels.
1:00:14 > 1:00:16And what would be the best case scenario for everyone?
1:00:16 > 1:00:19The best case scenario would be that the machines come in,
1:00:19 > 1:00:22we extract some of the timber, that goes off to make houses,
1:00:22 > 1:00:24and we continue to follow the squirrels
1:00:24 > 1:00:27and establish that they are happy to remain here after the work.
1:00:27 > 1:00:29But, ultimately, the data from the squirrels decides.
1:00:29 > 1:00:32- So the squirrels ultimately decide. - Absolutely, yes.- That's great.
1:00:33 > 1:00:37At the end of the study, the squirrels will be retrapped
1:00:37 > 1:00:39and their tracking collars removed.
1:00:39 > 1:00:43In a few days, the machinery will be here to fell some of these trees,
1:00:43 > 1:00:47but not the ones with nest boxes.
1:00:47 > 1:00:49Then Louise, Kenny and Marina will return
1:00:49 > 1:00:51to see how the squirrels have responded
1:00:51 > 1:00:54and what implications that has for populations
1:00:54 > 1:00:56right across the country.
1:01:01 > 1:01:03If you are heading off to the woods -
1:01:03 > 1:01:05or anywhere else, for that matter - this week,
1:01:05 > 1:01:07you'll want to know what the weather will be doing.
1:01:07 > 1:01:09Time to find out with the Countryfile forecast
1:01:09 > 1:01:11for the week ahead.
1:02:07 > 1:02:10We've been exploring our forests and woodlands
1:02:10 > 1:02:12as places to relax,
1:02:12 > 1:02:14as resources for industry,
1:02:14 > 1:02:16as homes to wildlife.
1:02:18 > 1:02:22And here in the New Forest, that wildlife is special indeed.
1:02:24 > 1:02:28This is a goshawk, one of our rarest birds of prey.
1:02:30 > 1:02:34'I'm meeting Andy Page, head keeper with the Forestry Commission here,
1:02:34 > 1:02:37'who keeps an eye on them using special nest cameras.'
1:02:38 > 1:02:41Right, Matt, this is typical goshawk territory -
1:02:41 > 1:02:45well spaced, mature, big, dark Douglas fir,
1:02:45 > 1:02:47with some larch and Scots pine.
1:02:47 > 1:02:50This site has been occupied for a good many years now,
1:02:50 > 1:02:53and within this, there is at least three alternative nest sites
1:02:53 > 1:02:55which they will use on rotation.
1:02:55 > 1:02:57How have things looked then, over the last 16 years?
1:02:57 > 1:03:00It's interesting, because I have been monitoring raptors here
1:03:00 > 1:03:02since I started with the Forestry Commission,
1:03:02 > 1:03:04and I've seen really quick growth,
1:03:04 > 1:03:07and we are now up to nearly 40 pairs here, now.
1:03:07 > 1:03:09- Do you, really?- Yeah.- Wow.
1:03:09 > 1:03:11What does this very healthy goshawk population
1:03:11 > 1:03:14tell you about the health of the forest?
1:03:14 > 1:03:17Well, they are a top predator, and that in its way shows you
1:03:17 > 1:03:19that they are able to find enough food
1:03:19 > 1:03:21to support that high population,
1:03:21 > 1:03:23which means we must be managing our woodlands and our heathlands
1:03:23 > 1:03:26in the right way to support that amount of avian prey,
1:03:26 > 1:03:28to sustain a high population of goshawks.
1:03:28 > 1:03:31Mm. And from the actual webcams that you are putting up, then,
1:03:31 > 1:03:35from an expert's perspective, what kind of help does it offer you?
1:03:35 > 1:03:38Well, it enables us to see what prey are being brought in,
1:03:38 > 1:03:42so we can see a selection of the food that goshawks
1:03:42 > 1:03:43are feeding to their chicks.
1:03:45 > 1:03:49Today, Andy's installing a camera on this nest.
1:03:49 > 1:03:53Once fixed, it will beam pictures to the New Forest Reptile Centre,
1:03:53 > 1:03:55and beyond, to everyone, via the internet.
1:03:55 > 1:03:58But first, he has got a bit of climbing to do.
1:04:01 > 1:04:04When was the last time you were on the end of that rope, going up, Andy?
1:04:04 > 1:04:07A good few months ago - like, nine months ago or something.
1:04:07 > 1:04:08You'll be all right, don't worry.
1:04:10 > 1:04:12The cameras have to be installed
1:04:12 > 1:04:14before the goshawks take up residence.
1:04:14 > 1:04:16It's illegal to disturb them
1:04:16 > 1:04:19and you need a licence to be allowed anywhere near.
1:04:19 > 1:04:22Andy's licensed, so he's OK.
1:04:22 > 1:04:25But I'm not, so I have got to keep my distance.
1:04:27 > 1:04:29And up we go!
1:04:31 > 1:04:34Well, Andy has made his way the hard way
1:04:34 > 1:04:39up the neighbouring tree, which is where the nest is, and...
1:04:39 > 1:04:41Well, I feel slightly bad, actually,
1:04:41 > 1:04:44because I am taking quite an easy route, really,
1:04:44 > 1:04:45using this rig here.
1:04:48 > 1:04:50Nestle into position.
1:04:50 > 1:04:53You'll see that I'm just above the nest, here.
1:04:53 > 1:04:56We are sitting around 100 feet,
1:04:56 > 1:04:59but what a view we have of that goshawk's nest
1:04:59 > 1:05:02and how beautiful it is - you can see the size of it.
1:05:02 > 1:05:04- How's it looking, Andy? All right?- Looking fine.
1:05:04 > 1:05:07I've just about got the camera in place, now.
1:05:07 > 1:05:08- Yeah?- Reasonably happy with that.
1:05:08 > 1:05:11We can connect up in a bit and then, hopefully,
1:05:11 > 1:05:13the image will be perfect.
1:05:13 > 1:05:16We'll leave them to it, now. Andy's going to descend
1:05:16 > 1:05:19from the tree and, hopefully, it will be a very successful season
1:05:19 > 1:05:21of nesting for the birds, and you know what?
1:05:21 > 1:05:23That's all we've got time for, for this week,
1:05:23 > 1:05:26So from the rooftops of the New Forest, we'll say goodbye.
1:05:26 > 1:05:30I really do hope that you've enjoyed our view of all things forest.
1:05:30 > 1:05:32Next week, we are going to be in East Yorkshire,
1:05:32 > 1:05:35where we'll be visiting the nation's newest island
1:05:35 > 1:05:38and looking at the farmland that has literally risen out of the sea.
1:05:38 > 1:05:40Hope you can join us then.