ALAN Watson Featherstone of Trees for Life asks us to accept that the expansion of old Caledonian pinewood in places like Glen Affric can be achieved through a combination of natural regeneration and planting and, in 20 or so years' time, none of us will know the difference (Letters, April 19).

This is equivalent to inviting us into an art gallery and indicating that unfortunately all the original paintings have now been removed, but it doesn't matter as he has replaced them all with good quality prints and we will not notice the difference. It is time for Trees for Life to accept that what it is doing in Glen Affric by planting is destroying an ancient woodland, naturally seeded from generation to generation, since the last Ice Age. If it wants to plant native pinewood species it can do this on other land which it owns well away from Glen Affric. It should leave Glen Affric to other land managers who should follow the excellent example being set by one of those managers, Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS), which is securing plentiful natural regeneration by control of red deer, without any need for fencing and planting.

Mr Featherstone also needs to understand that collecting seeds, raising them in a nursery and choosing where to plant is an artificial process which overrides the normal pressures of natural selection and is inappropriate in the old Caledonian pinewoods. Here we need to allow nature to determine the future structure, composition and speed of establishment of new woodland. Control of grazing is the only management action needed to achieve this. Furthermore, allowing woodland re-establishment to take place through the full range of natural selection processes ensures that the new woodland has the maximum levels of genetic diversity matched to the widest range of environmental conditions. This is very important in an age when we need access to high levels of genetic diversity in trying to combat the ever increasing disease problems facing our commercial woodlands.

I agree with his call for a revision of the financial support provided by FCS to private owners of native woodlands. There is far too much emphasis in existing schemes in support of planting rather than natural regeneration. Perhaps it would be better to route such public funding support through Scottish Natural Heritage in the future, rather than FCS, as the primary objectives in Old Caledonian forest management are more geared towards conservation and public enjoyment rather than commercial forestry. We appreciate that the present system encourages organisations like Trees for Life to seek funding for planting from FCS, grant-awarding bodies, their members and the wider public. This must stop before any more Old Caledonian pinewood is damaged by such inappropriate techniques. Establishing new native pinewood habitat is a good objective, providing it is done well away from the ancient woodlands where the primary objective should be their extension up to their natural altitudinal tree lines through natural regeneration. This is what the money should be spent on, not wasted on planting in places where nature can do the job for us.

Dave Morris,

Director, Ramblers Scotland, Kingfisher House,

Auld Mart Business Park, Milnathort, Kinross.