Riparian Woodland Creation
Located just a few miles West of Peebles, Edston, Upper Kidston and Lyne Farm cover a collective area of around 1,500 ha and sit along prominent stretches of the Tweed and Lyne Water as well as a number of smaller watercourses. Focusing on livestock production, these farms are predominantly a combination of improved in-bye grass fields and unimproved rough hill grazing.
Project Background
Tweed Forum were approached by the landowner of Neidpath farms who was interested in utilising riparian woodlands to improve farm functionality as well as increase their environmental sustainability. When discussing the project with the farmer, he suggested his neighbour may also be interested in this opportunity which would give the project a wider reach while improving the value for money for both farms and the Destination Tweed project.
Project facilitators Hamish Robertson and Hugh Martin were able to walk all three farms and propose initial woodland compartment suggestions that would be compatible with the Woodlands for Water and Wildlife project. These suggestions were later discussed with the farmers and refined or altered to better fit their businesses. This collaborative approach across landholdings resulted in a project that was able to make a meaningful landscape scale impact to the River Tweed and the surrounding environment.
In 2021, a total of 32.49ha of native riparian woodland was planted across all three farms, in 15 separate compartments. The planting focused on the riparian zones as much as possible, helping to exclude livestock from the watercourses while creating wildlife corridors through the landscape. In total, 44,316 trees were planted with a wide variety of species, all designed to grow well in the Peebleshire countryside. Species included: Alder, Aspen, Downy Birch, Bird Cherry, Pedunculate oak, Rowan, Scots Pine, Goat Willow, Grey Willow, Hawthorn, Hazel, and Holly. As a result of this single project, over 4.1km of water course has now been buffered from livestock by riparian woodland planting and over 8.3km of new stock fencing was installed across all three farms.
| Breakdown by species: | Edston | Lyne | Upper Kidston | Totals |
| Alder (Alnus glutinosa) | 3427 | 2320 | 5033 | 10780 |
| Aspen (Populus tremula) | 571 | 387 | 1259 | 2217 |
| Downy Birch (Betula pubescens) | 1999 | 1358 | 6292 | 9649 |
| Bird Cherry (Prunus padus) | 571 | 390 | 1259 | 2220 |
| Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur) | 857 | 528 | 1259 | 2644 |
| Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) | 0 | 0 | 3774 | 3774 |
| Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) | 571 | 399 | 1259 | 2229 |
| Goat Willow (Salix caprea) | 1143 | 775 | 0 | 1918 |
| Grey Willow (Salix cinerea) | 1143 | 775 | 2518 | 4436 |
| Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) | 343 | 236 | 1259 | 1838 |
| Hazel (Corylus avellana) | 458 | 315 | 1259 | 2032 |
| Holly (Ilex aquifolium) | 343 | 236 | 0 | 579 |
| 44316 |
Below is evidence of the impact of creating a riparian woodland in a short period of time across these sites, with a high rate of trees establishing successfully.
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Before
After
Edston site looking North capturing one year of growth from 2025 to 2026.
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Before
After
Planting a riparian woodland at Lyne - 18 months of progress.
Long Term Impact & Benefits
Since planting in 2021, the successful establishment of the woodlands has been high with around half of the trees establishing to a point where they are no longer threatened by herbivore browsing or weed competition. The woodland compartments have already become pocket of biodiversity on the farm with bird noises becoming noticeably louder. In time, these woodlands are expected to grow and regenerate indefinitely and become a key habitat for generations.
Each farm has used these compartment’s to better manage their stock by utilising the woodland fencing to subdivide large parcels of land into more manageable grazing blocks. These woodland parcels have also been planted in areas where they will have the added benefit of additional shelter and shading in extreme weather conditions, helping reduce lamb loss in colder springs and improve animal condition in hot summers.
This project was made possible by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Scottish Government Forestry Grant and a range of Trusts and Foundations.