OVER the past five years, the Scottish Government has, slowly but surely, come round to the fact that strategic planting of trees on hill farms is a much better way forward than its previous policy of blanket afforestation to try to meet highly dubious planting targets.

This approach is so much better in a whole raft of ways - it is helpful and acceptable to farmers and landowners; it enhances the whole social fabric of these remotest of areas; and, of course, it helps enhance the rugged beauty of these areas when wall to wall planting can only degrade it.

On a practical farm level, it also carries many pluses - qualification for the Basic Payment Scheme is obvious, but there are also the benefits of shelter belts, not to mention a harvestable cash crop further down the line.

Yes, there are genuine concerns regarding predators, but, in theory at least, small shelter belt type plantations should make control easier.

Click here to take survey