Highland Rhododendron Project (HRP)

Supported by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS), The Highland Council and Highland Birchwoods, the Highland Rhododendron Project will

• Prioritise control within designated sites (SSSIs, SACs) in Highland
• Encourage land owners to take up SRDP grants to remove rhododendron
• Develop community-led removal projects
• Promote and disseminate best practice in removal
   

Introduced to the UK from the Iberian peninsula in 1763, Rhododendron ponticum was widely planted in gardens and parks and was planted extensively in Victorian hunting estates to provide shelter for game birds. Thriving on wet, acidic soils and mild climate, R. ponticum spread rapidly beyond its original range to move into the countryside and successfully out-compete native plantlife and threaten biodiversity.

Left unchecked, R. ponticum develops a dense canopy                                                 supported by a tangle of woody stems which casts such a deep shade that nothing can grow underneath them - reducing the space available for native flowers, mosses, lichens and other wildlife. Some of these species are more abundant in Scotland than anywhere else in Europe – and a few are not found anywhere else.

Rhododendron ponticum and its hybrids (often referred to as simply rhododendron), has been identified as a priority Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) under Scotland’s Species Action Framework (SAF). Within the UK Biodiversity Action Plan it is identified as a serious threat to upland oakwoods and several lower plants and fungi and may also act as an intermediate host for the Phytophthera ‘sudden oak death’ fungus.
 

To find out more about HRP, please contact Julie Paton on 01463 811653 or julie.paton@highlandbirchwoods.co.uk

Further Information

Funding : Rhododendron removal is supported by the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) through the Rural Development Contracts. For more information on the SRDP process and payment rates, follow the link visit the SRDP webpages

Control Methods :

Download the FC Managing and Controlling Invasive Rhododendron Practice Guide

Find out more about the Lever and Mulch removal technique on the Skye and Lochalsh Environment Forum website

Rhododendron ponticum Issues :

Download the Highland Biodiversity Partnership leaflet 'Rhododendron ponticum - an invasive species'

For more information on Rhododendron and the Species Action Framework visit the SNH webpage

Scottish Invasive Species :

Follow the Scottish Invasives blog for regular updates on invasives issues in Highland

The Highland Invasive Species Forum is a sub-group of the Highland Biodiversity Partnership.