Argyll Rainforest Restoration - Squad Supervisor

[Hank]

30 minutes ago, peds said:

You get a say, of course you do. You can protest, riot, vote, assassinate, sabotage... petition... 

 

If you don't want some fella to get a few quid to help tackle a genuine ecological problem, start a petition. 

👌

[Muddy42]

16 hours ago, Knoydart said:

 

Hi, this is available for anyone to apply. This is about boosting employment and entry level positions in a remote and often disadvantaged part of the UK. Not sure what livelihoods will be disrupted by clearing rhododendron from rainforest habitat, but happy to discuss.

 

To be fair that job description contained a lot of waffle and nothing about the hard manual graft of annihilating rhododendron.

 

My issue is a broader one, that there is a lot of public money being thrown at the highlands of Scotland to try and "restore" or "improve" it. This new vision of the landscape is drawn up remotely by people behind desks to make the highlands look good for visitors.  Yes it provides jobs but the majority of those jobs are again the managers, ecologists and funding farmers not grafters living on the ground.

 

One of the aims is growing more trees. Either this is on a commercial scale which means a monoculture of sitka spruce and huge loss of biodiversity.  Or this is Caledonian pine and oak forest which, current thinking requires the extermination of deer by professional contractors at huge public cost.  As an example if there are less deer, traditional estate stalkers lose their jobs guiding guests on the hill plus a whole raft of jobs down the line.  To that end the Scottish government has a campaign of land and housing reform to end private involvement in the rural economy. A whole way of life is at threat in some areas.

 

[GarethM]

The job description was very vague for a sub 30k job which I suspect is part of the problem for a temporary 1 year job.

 

No mention of how large an area and who's land, does the job come with 4x4, housing, tools, equipment etc.

 

As your effectively asking for a ground based tree guy, with ecological qualifications, community liaison and ability to work with people that could also be vulnerable adults/children hence the DBS check.

 

Forgot pesticide/herbicide trained.

 

Wouldn't it be better to offer local farmers possibly dairyman types locally, a couple of days a week ?.

Edited 12 hours ago by GarethM

[Stere]

Yes might get a  better job candidate if advert said upfront what the job was?

 

Rhoddy bashers wanted etc?

 

I think its well  worth doing but its a job that has to be 100% done or its a big waste of money. Rhoddy will be back if not 100%...

 

So the devils in the details its a long term project and grant money often runs out after a few yrs, then in 50yrs -100yrs or whatever( nature operates on longer timescales ) unless a hillside is 100% clear your back to square one...

[Muddy42]

1 hour ago, Stere said:

Yes might get a  better job candidate if advert said upfront what the job was?

 

Rhoddy bashers wanted etc?

 

I think its well  worth doing but its a job that has to be 100% done or its a big waste of money. Rhoddy will be back if not 100%...

 

So the devils in the details its a long term project and grant money often runs out after a few yrs, then in 50yrs -100yrs or whatever( nature operates on longer timescales ) unless a hillside is 100% clear your back to square one...

 

Agreed, in one area I'm still pulling up seedlings 10 years after the bonfires went cold.  In the early years we used glphosate to tackle the regrowth but seedlings keep sprouting for years to come.

[Stere]

Reminds me of the day of the triffids plotline.

 

Annually the whole community walked  the whole Isle of wight refuge to tackle any seedlings blown in.

 

 

 

I read in the FC info that suposedly its  seedbank only lasts less than 1 yrs sounds like thats not always right then....?

 

https://cdn.forestresearch.gov.uk/1987/03/fcbu073.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

[5thelement]

I’m just quite surprised at the amount of glyphosate being readily sloshed about on a site of such high value, that’s alongside the toxic adjuvant required to help the glyphosate take to the glossy leaved target, two hour drying time after application if I remember right, in an area obvious known for high rainfall. 

Edited 7 hours ago by 5thelement

[5thelement]

Any experienced/decent hand cutter will have done some Rhody bashing at some point.
Let’s be honest, it’s a shit job.

Combine that with spraying poisons on top, it’s now shitter. 

Combine that with the constant wet weather to contend with and it’s just got even shitter.

You can dress it up any way you want in regards to how critically important the site is, the job is still shit and the pay equally so.
 Good luck with your search. 👍

[Knoydart]

Well good to see this advert continuing to generate discussion. 

 

I would urge anyone reading this to check out the actual job description via the webpage advert for the essential and desirable criteria. We hope that with the right person leading, the squad will be a self sustaining enterprise and as the experience within the team develops and matures,start intake on the broad range of nature focussed forestry activity in the pipeline

 

I would also give this a look https://www.act-now.org.uk/act-rainforest-restoration-package which is a live research project looking to plug the knowledge gaps around why we dont see the full range of vegetation we expect to see naturally regenerate post clearance. The squad will be delivering this into post clearance sites.

 

When restoring rainforest habitat, I can assure you that one of the very last methodologies on the prioritised list is to "slosh glyphosate around". Knapsack spraying only plays a role in small regrowth bushes during follow up and even then, far more effective to spend the time destroying the rootball down to below nodule level

 

 

2 hours ago, 5thelement said:

Any experienced/decent hand cutter will have done some Rhody bashing at some point.
Let’s be honest, it’s a shit job

 

You are absolutely right. Its brutal and especially so in the crags, gorges and rough bounds of the west coast of Scotland. It needs a special type of person to lead and motivate a squad of trainees in this task and environment. The rewards and experiences are life changing though and burn themselves into your memory. You have to want to do this job, not just want a job.

 

Thanks all for your interest in scotlands rainforest and the changing landscape of priorities that we are currently journeying through, it is a wild ride for sure!

 

Edited 5 hours ago by Knoydart

[htb]

And don't forget its in midge central